opened it just in time to see the last black coach wind slowly through the boughs, so green, so sunny: that, too, past-and Emily sunk back, as if the conviction had but just reached her, that her uncle was indeed dead!

CHAPTER III.

"He seemed

To common lookers on like one who dreamed
Of idleness in groves Elysian. Ah, well-a-day!
Why should our young Endymion pine away?"

KEATS.

"The fateful day passed by; and then there came
Another and another."-MARCIAN COLONNA.

"Do you know this Lord Etheringhame, of whom I hear such romantic histories?" said Adelaide Merton to her brother.

"Not I. There's devilish good shooting in

his woods;

but they say

he won't let a creature

come near his grounds - he can't bear to see

any body."

"How very interesting!"

66 A

great fool."

“It is a noble place.”

"He is not married, Adelaide."

"Do

you

know,"
," said the lady, reining her

horse closer to her brother's, with whom, faute

de mieux, she was riding, "I have taken a strange whim into my head? Now, Alfred, do let us contrive an introduction to this most unsociable gentleman. I am dying of ennui at my uncle's, and it would be quite an adventure."

"You are mighty clever - always were, in managing your own matters- not so stupid as you think me. What do you want with Lord Etheringhame?"

"Want with him! Nothing but the pleasure of doing what nobody else could gaining admittance into this inhospitable castle.”

"Fine shooting," again muttered Lord Merton; "and if I knew Lord Etheringhame, he might ask me to shoot over his grounds." Campbell talks of the magic of a name if the name be partridges.

yes,

"Well, Adelaide; but how do you mean to contrive it ?"

"The very elements conspire for me," replied Adelaide, pointing to two or three raindrops on her habit. "We are now in the only permitted road of the Park; but young people are very thoughtless. These fine old trees, a good point of view, tempt us to diverge - we take this road," turning her horse into one

tents.

closely shaded by beech: "this, after a few more turns, brings us to a kind of pavilion. By that time I do like showery weatheryonder black cloud will oblige us with its conYou insist on my taking shelter in the pavilion: there we find Lord Etheringhame. We are distressed beyond measure at the intrusionso surprised at finding him there. my delicate health: your romantic gentlemen have a great idea of delicacy. Leave

Talk of

the rest to me."

Be sure you

shooting."

turn the conversation on

But the rain, which now began to fall in good earnest, somewhat hurried their proceedings. A smart gallop brought them to the pavilion. A gallop always puts people in a good humour; and Merton helped his sister to dismount more amiably than she expected.

They entered; and, sure enough, there was Lord Etheringhame. The intelligence of that purveyor of ringlets and reports, her maid, was true, that here he usually spent his mornings. Apologies, and assurances that apologies were needless-exclamations at the weather, filled up the first ten minutes.

The surprise was something of a shock;

but people may be frightened into their wits as well as out of them; and the necessity for exertion usually brings with it the power-and really Lord Etheringhame succeeded wonderfully well. Conversation became quite animated; the beauty of the scenery led to painting; painting to poetry. It was singular how well they agreed. It was very true Adelaide had read little more than the title-page of the works they talked about; but where a person is predetermined to acquiesce, comparative criticism is particularly easy. Perhaps his constitutional timidity had done more towards banishing Etheringhame from society than his melancholy; perhaps that shame attendant on change of opinion, however justifiable, (we hate to contradict ourselves, it is so rude), also supported the claims of a seclusion which had long been somewhat wearisome: but here time had not been given him for thick-coming fancies—and he found himself talking, nay, laughing, with a very lovely creature, and secretly asking himself, where was the embarrassment of it?

But neither showers nor any other means of human felicity, ever last. The clouds broke away, and the sun shone most provokingly in at the windows-a fact instantly stated by Lord