and several times Mr. Hastings came in to inquire, which he seemed to do with interest.

greater comfort, however, was the next day, when Mrs. Margaret assured me that her mistress was "in a peck of troubles" at what had happened. My only reply to this was, that she was very condescending; to which Mrs. Margaret, who was as prone to talk of her mistress as most other waiting gentlewomen, replied,

"Indeed she is, sir, the most condescendingest, sweetest lady in England, and so you would say if you knew her as we do. Only the wonderment is, that when she might have so many great lords and barrownights, who all court her, she will never marry."

This excited my interest, and I wished her to go on, which she was very willing to do, without being spurred. However, as a little impetus, I just observed, “ Probably there is no one good enough for her ?"

:

"Oh dear no," replied Mrs. Margaret, "that can't be the reason; that is, as far as quality and money are concerned for there was my lord (Albany, of course), and Sir Harry, and her cousin, young Mr. Mansell, who has, that is to say, will have, a mint of money; and they were all dying for her; but she refused 'em all, and I am told (for she never talks to me about them things) that she will never marry at all, being like married already to her papa, who is as fond of her as she of him, and good reason for both. But Lord bless you, sir, the doctor told me not to talk to

you, and here I am, as if it would make you better instead of worse; but the truth be, that I could talk for ever about Miss Bertha, and you don't seem to dislike it neither yourself, sir."

"It does me good,” said I.

"And well it may," added the dame," for she is just like a kindly May morning, that does good to everybody and every thing. To be sure, we all wondered how you could leave her in all her grief the first evening she came home, and go without your supper to them woods, and all to be knocked on the head by a nasty poacher; but there is no accounting for tastes. However, I hope to see you pure well again soon, and no more talking in your sleep."

"Sleep! did I talk in my sleep ?"

"Aye, that you did, to me and the doctor too, and all about Miss Bertha."

"Good heavens! I hope! For God's sake what did I say?"

"Oh, I hardly know, but a great deal of romancing; for you talked of loving her more than forty thousand brothers, if she had them; so of course you thought there were many more than poor Mister Charles; and besides that, you said you were married to Miss Bertha in heaven, and would go and live with her there; and that she was a rose, and a queen, and I don't know what besides. But the doctor, he knows all about it, and said you were wandering, and did not know what you said; and for my part, I thought so too, and so did Miss Bertha herself, when I told her of it. But, good God, sir, I am afraid you are going

off again, for you just look as white as a sheet, and as frightful as when you were first knocked down. Dear me, what shall I get you

Something indeed seemed necessary; for the thought of all I had said in my delirium being known, not only to Margaret, but to Bertha herself, filled me with agony; I felt my wound severely, and was very sick.

Luckily Sandford was just arrived from York, and came in at the moment. He saw my distress, and asked Margaret the cause of it, who declared she did not know, for she had only been having the most innocentest conversation possible, just to amuse me, as I seemed rather low. When, however, having sent Margaret out of the room, he heard the particulars, he was not surprised, but told me not to alarm myself, for that Miss Hastings was much too sensible a creature, as well as too just, to take any thing amiss from a man not himself.

"To be sure," said he, "if she did, you are in a bad way, for you have a great deal more to answer for than what Margaret told you."

He then informed me of all I had said to himself about Bertha; "And, by the way," said he, "it is well, perhaps, that Mr. Hastings is not Dionysius, who, you know, put a man to death for dreaming that he had killed him, because it denoted a foregone conclusion. Here, however, if your heart is as safe as your head, as I hope it is, you have nothing to fear."

Though he said this playfully, and to recover me from the mental excitement occasioned by Margaret's garrulity, I felt seriously alarmed at the thought

that Bertha had been made conscious of her power over me, even in delirium. Sandford saw it, and bent all his efforts to do away the effect, but rather too emphatically, as I thought, dwelling upon the impossibility of Bertha's taking it ill, and her conviction of the total impossibility of my thinking of the thing itself. He succeeded, however, in calming me, and left me, saying, I was going on well.

Thus, said I to myself, everybody concurs in holding, that to think, feel, and act as I do, is madness; and the best I can expect is, that Bertha, from forming the same judgment, will acquit me of presumption, and still allow me to be her friend; which will be felicity enough. The thought soothed.

CHAPTER IV.

I BID FAREWELL TO ALL HOPES OF BERTHA, AND LEAVE FOLJAMBE PARK FOR EVER.

The crown and comfort of my life, your favour,

I do give lost.

SHAKSPEARE.-Winter's Tale.

Although

The air of paradise did fan the house,
And angels offic'd all, I will be gone,
That pitiful rumour may report my flight,
To consolate thine ear.

All's Well that Ends Well,

It was two days more before I was able, or rather willing, to quit my room; for though my wound was healing fast, my strength recruited, and I had no more delirium, my vanity, or (as vanity has been characterised) my desire to make myself agreeable, could not bear the thought of appearing before Bertha with my head bound up, to hide the patches still necessary for my cure.

Both Mr. Hastings and Bertha congratulated me cordially enough on my reappearance among them; yet, as my fears whispered me, they were not quite so cordial as they had been. There was a constraint, a