lips-a certain consciousness of feeling prevented her-but her eyes continued long riveted on it as by fascination. At last, a forced exertion of her better judgment convinced her, that nothing could be more injurious, or less correct, than the continuance of this state of morbid indulgence. She resolutely asked herself the question, why all her domestic discomforts had this night appeared so much more trying than ever? and the answer was any thing but satisfactory to her conscience."No," she thought, "it is not by tender recollections of what once was, or by vain repinings at what is my lot, that I can hope to acquire strength for the performance of all the dreary duties I have undertaken. My best hope is, patient endurance, -my surest safeguard, universal indifference." Then, with an effort which had now become habitual to her, she restored herself to that outward appearance of languid composure, which, except when exhilarated by the temporary excitement of a crowded room, had generally marked her demeanour since her marriage. Hardly had this salutary change been effected, when a knock at the street-door announced the return of Sir James, which was presently confirmed by his creaking shoes upon the stairs. Sir James was just the

sort of man whose shoes always creak. Liable as we all are to error, I would not judge too severely an occasional misdemeanour even of this serious description. But any politesse-police magistrate in England would have convicted Sir James as an incorrigible creaker.

Roused by these unwelcome sounds, and again summoning Felicie, Matilda hastened to put on the semblance of that repose, the reality of which the suppressed agitation of her feelings seemed to render extremely improbable.

48

CHAPTER IV.

WHEN Matilda the next morning entered the breakfast room, she found Sir James already seated at the table, and, by a certain important twist of his chair, evidently about to make some proposition to which he attached no small degree of consequence. When this was the case, he was apt, with a confusion of expression by no means uncommon, to invert the order of his discourse, whilst he seriatim propounded sundry weighty reasons for inducing him to do something at which no one could guess till the conclusion of an apparently interminable sentence. The suspence in which this kept Matilda, was in the present instance protracted by an incessant insertion of breakfast, which met his words on the threshold of his lips.

"I have been thinking, that as we are not going abroad for a fortnight, and one should always be civil to country neighbours; it is the duty of great landed proprietors, and I am above think

ing ill of a man for his politics, particularly now we have by our firmness put down the Radicals, (this coffee is as tasteless as Hunt's,) and the opposition is quite contemptible; (some more butter, if you please ;) that we may as well ask Lord Ormsby to dinner." At this unexpected conclusion, Matilda involuntarily exclaimed, "Oh no,by no means it is not at all necessary." Sir James looked at her for a moment, evidently Surprised at the vehemence of the objection. "It is very odd that whoever I take a fancy to, you as surely have a dislike for. I thought you seemed very rude to him yesterday. But recollect, Lady Matilda, 'Love me, love my dog.' There was something so ludicrous in the application of this saying, to an obligation on her part to like Lord Ormsby for Sir James's sake, that Matilda, although it was a serious subject to her, yet, with her naturally quick sense of the ridiculous, had some difficulty in suppressing a laugh, as she quietly answered that he had never seen Lord Ormsby until the night before. But he only replied, that he had taken a fancy to himthat he had just come from abroad, and therefore could tell him many things he wanted to know "Indeed, I asked him after dinner whether he had

D

had the springs of his carriage corded—and whether they got good claret in Italy; and I saw, by his answers, that he was a superior person."

Lady Matilda merely replied, that she did not mean to doubt that he would be perfectly competent to inform him on such points.

"Aye," said Sir James, "and my sister, Mrs. Hobson, is just come to town from Manchester. She, you know, is going to take her girls abroad for the last finish, and we may have them the same day, and he may tell us all about it together."

Matilda's dislike to the embarrassment of receiving her former lover as a guest in her own -house, was not at all diminished by the prospect of having a vulgar family party to meet him. But there seemed no remedy, as Sir James proceeded to sally forth to drop a preparatory card at Lord Ormsby's; leaving Matilda to receive the Hobsons, who had arrived in town the night before, and were expected to call;--and saying, as he went out," You never saw my sister, Mrs. Hobson, you must like her,very nice woman. Connexion, not all I could have wished;—in my mind, great difference between a warehouse, and a counting-house,-but Hobson's a warm man,