THE BARNABYS IN AMERICA.

BY MRS. TROLLOPE.

СНАР. Х.

Ar ten o'clock, or thereabouts, the comfortable inmates, that is to say, the white inmates of Mrs. Carmichael's establishment, usually met for breakfast. Most of them obeyed the summons of the great bell on this occasion simultaneously, entering the room almost at the same moment, and were proceeding to take their places at the table in the same order as at the dinner of yesterday, when Major Allen Barnaby, with that sort of easy good humour which all lands find it so difficult to resist, turned from the place he had before occupied beside his lady, and dropping into the chair next Mrs. Beauchamp, said,

"It is too cruel, ladies and gentlemen, to condemn a poor Englishman, who has crossed the Atlantic expressly for the purpose of making acquaintance with persons whose national character he considers as the first in the world, it will be much too cruel if you insist upon all our party sitting together, so that we can speak to none other. Shall I be forgiven if I break through the established order of things, and begging Mr. Washington Tomkins to take my seat beside Mrs. Allen Barnaby, venture to place myself next the lady of Colonel Beauchamp?"

It is probable by the smile and the bow which were exchanged, as this was said, between the colonel and the major, that some progress towards acquaintance had been made between them during the rambling of the preceding evening; at any rate, the overture was well received. Mrs. Beauchamp smiled very graciously upon the major as he took his seat, and the elegant Mr. Washington Tomkins muttered something about "vastly happy," as he looked full in the face of the beautiful Annie, and sat down in the chair opposite to her.

Major Allen Barnaby, doubtless, flattered himself that the chit-chat of a breakfast-table would give him the opportunity he wanted of communicating a little information respecting the high literary reputation of his wife, and it is probable that the massive appearance of the viands on the table, suggesting the necessity of length of time for their consumption, might have made him feel sure of having ample time before him for the purpose.

But in this he deceived himself altogether; beefsteaks of an inch and half in thickness disappeared, it was impossible to guess how, with the rapidity of an omelette soufflée; coffee, as hot as Mrs. Carmichael could make it, was poured down the uninjured throats of the Louisianian ladies and gentlemen, with the impunity of cooling sherbet, and enormous platters of scalding hot bread vanished with a celerity that really suggested the idea of magic.

In short, every American lady and gentleman had breakfasted, and very sufficiently, before Major Allen Barnaby had done more towards leading the conversation to the point he aimed at, than saying that he hoped Mrs. Allen Barnaby would be fortunate enough to make an acJune.-VOL. LXV. NO. CCLVIII.

M

quaintance of some intimacy with the lady he had the happiness of addressing, as it was highly essential to the particular objects she had in view, that she should know and be known to the most distinguished persons in the Union.

Mrs. Beauchamp seemed by no means displeased at this. She bowed and she smiled; but before it was possible she could speak, all the gentlemen of the party rose, and all the ladies immediately followed their example, and rose after them. The breakfast was over, and the heavily-laden table cleared.

Major Allen Barnaby was startled, but not defeated. He spoke of the luxury of Mrs. Carmichael's large, cool saloon, and said he hoped the ladies did not entirely forsake it in the mornings.

"Why, it isn't very often, 1 expect, that you'll find American ladies there, major, unless they are just quite literary people, who give up every thing for the sake of conversing with the gentlemen about books; I don't calculate that except these, you'll often find American ladies out of their own chambers in a morning any where."

"Then I trust that you and your charming daughter are altogether devoted to literature?" he replied. "You will, indeed, in that case find a most suitable and truly congenial companion in Mrs. Allen Barnaby. She has never yet published any thing under her own name, but-"

Here all the party having begun to move off, Mrs. Beauchamp felt obliged to move off too; which the major perceiving, again expressed his hope that she and her daughter, who had now taken her arm, were going to the saloon.

"Well, I don't care if I do take a spell in the keeping-room this morning," she replied; her curiosity being in truth as vividly awakened as Major Allen Barnaby himself could desire by the words he had spoken.

They therefore moved on together, and the balcony with its fine orange-trees being now in perfect shade, the attentive major led the way into it, and was presently happy enough to find himself seated on a bench with the charming Mrs. Beauchamp.

"As yet," he immediately resumed," Mrs. Allen Barnaby has never published any work with her own name; but entre nous, and as a very great secret, I will whisper in your ear that she does not mean always to go on in that way; and in fact, for I see no reason why I should not confess it to a lady so evidently of superior mind as you are,—in fact, my dear Mrs. Beauchamp, our chief object in now visiting your glorious country is to give her an opportunity of writing her remarks upon it. You have no idea how admirable her style is, and in just appreciation of character I will venture to say that she has no equal. If she succeeds in this undertaking, as I fully hope and expect she will do, I have told her plainly that I will not permit her any longer to conceal her name. You must not think me a tyrant, my dear Mrs. Beauchamp, because I speak thus authoritatively; but like all persons of genius, Mrs. Allen Barnaby appreciates her own talents with a degree of modesty that is absolutely absurd; and really, in my opinion, it has become a duty, for the sake of her daughter, and the noble Spanish family with whom we have been so happy as to ally ourselves, that a fame so richly earned, should not be thrown away upon a suppositi

tious name. right?" "Indeed, and indeed, I do, sir!" replied the greatly excited Mrs. Beauchamp; "but may I just ask the favour of your telling me under what name your lady has hitherto published?"

Do you not agree with me? Do you not think I am

Major Allen Barnaby looked in the lady's handsome face with a very intelligent smile, and raising his fore-finger to the side of his nose, said,

"There are some things, my dear Mrs. Beauchamp, that I dare not do; but I will tell you one thing for your satisfaction, that if you shall be induced to bestow as much of your valuable friendship upon my admirable wife, as I am inclined to flatter myself you will do, I will venture to say that you will not be long before you discover her secret. Her manner of thinking, her manner of speaking, will be sure to betray her and I will not deny that I shall be heartily glad of it; for in this distinguished country, at any rate, she will then enjoy the possession of the fame which she has so wantonly sported with, and,,I may say, thrown away in Europe. Yes, Mrs. Beauchamp, though I know she would quarrel with me for saying so, I really shall be delighted if you find her out."

"And so, I guess, shall I be too!" returned Mrs. Beauchamp, with great animation. "Oh! it would be first-rate delightful to turn round some day, smack upon her, and call her by her false name, I shall enjoy it to be sure! and you must not refuse, major, to give me a little token, now and then, if you see I am in the right way, and cry 'Burn!' as the children do when they are playing hide-and-seek."

"As much as I can venture to do so without getting into a scrape, I certainly will," he replied; " for depend upon it, I shall enjoy the joke as much as you will. And may I then hope, my dear madam, that now you are aware what Mrs. Allen Barnaby's object is in coming to this country, you will extend a helping hand to her, and by giving her the assistance of native information (without which it is absolutely impossible that such a work can be satisfactorily produced) enable her at once to do justice to her own talents, and to the magnificent subject she has undertaken."

"There is nothing in all creation, sir, that I should so much like to do!" eagerly returned Mrs. Beauchamp. "All the women in the Union-the white women, of course, I mean-are counted good patriots-indeed, they are pretty considerable famous for it, but I expect that you won't light upon one from Maine to Georgia, as outtops me in that respect; and what my mind has undergone in the way of rage at all the horrible, scandalous, lying books, as have been spit out by the envy of the old country against us, is a great deal more than I will choose to describe. But it it is quite droll to think what I said to your lady last evening, major-why she must have thought I was a

witch to be sure."

"What did you say to her, madam?" demanded he, with every appearance of eager curiosity.

"What then," said Mrs. Beauchamp, "she never mentioned to you? she never told you that I had been talking exactly of such a book as what you have now been speaking of, and saying what an outrageous beautiful success it was sure to have in the Union, if it was