lic, instead of being obliged to stay at home, from not always not always meeting with a friend, whom her prudent mother thought steady enough to protect her.

After much unmeaning chit-chat, to which the gentleman listened in a sort of yawning despair, at being obliged to attend, and in which the lady affected to appear deeply interested, in order to tempt some more animated beau to interrupt it, the grand piece of intelligence was given by her, that Lord Courtney had positively married an opera-dancer in Florence. "No surely," exclaimed her companion, "'pon honor, you petrify me, and so the old don is not quite compos mentis; an opera-dancer you say? I do not like opera-dancers, or else some of the Italians are prodigious fine women. I attempted to be cicesbeo to a few marchionesses, and princesses, but the dear creatures require such an infinity of attention, and there were such confounded jealousies and plottings amongst them,

1

that

that I was obliged to relinquish the pleasing office; my feelings were too fine, I could not bear to see any of them unhappy." "Oh! you wicked wretch," returned the lady, "if you make yourself appear such a shocking rake, I shall be quite frightened of you." "No, do not be alarmed I beg," he replied in a very incredulous tone," do not be afraid of me; but I will shew you some sweet portraits, if you will do me the honor to look at them; I keep a closet for the purpose, which I call my cabinet of beauties; and you shall see such as are unknown to you, that will be no breach of honor you know.

Well, and so Courtney has married an opera-dancer; not very wise, I think to marry her, but I suppose she is an enormous beauty, and so she will be amazingly the rage for one winter. As soon as they return to England however I would advise him to secure Garrow; well, and what says the Earl to this shocking degeneracy in the race of Drelincourt? how does his

noble

noble blood bear the idea of the horrid mixture with the canaille ? It is a dread

ful prospect, he may expect his grandson to turn out a rope-dancer."

"Oh! he is

almost distracted, of course, and so are all the family; you may see how ill they all look; the women are absolutely ugly; and indeed it is very dreadful to think of having to take an opera-dancer about with them! she can criticise the ballets admirably no doubt." "Egad," returned his lordship, no bad thing, and in case the rage for equality goes forward, she could get her own living and her husband's too; a very rare instance. But I thought he had a wife ready for him, of papa's chusing."

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Ready for him, I dare say," replied the lady, "but, he it seems, was not ready for her, and indeed her inanimate countenance, and swarthy complexion, could not be so disguised by red and white, as to deceive his penetrating eyes, even though gold dust were thrown into them." "Come, come, "Come, come, my lady

you

you are too bad now. The girl is very well, and her money is immensely well; she is tall and straight, and as to complexion, that is of no consequence, the fashion varies so, and Egyptian brown will have its turn again. In short, as Courtney has given up the prize, I think when I have time I must look after it, for I want a wife confoundedly." Even this faint praise of another, was by far the most disagreeable topic, he could have chosen to entertain his companion with, and she replied in a tone of peevishness, "Lord Stranton has been seeking a wife so long, that I wonder he does not become weary of so fruitless a task." "And why," he returned, in a lower key, "why has it been fruitless? Because I looked for Lady Nevil's counterpart, and my presumptuous expectations of finding one who equalled her, have always been disappointed." Lady Nevil thought he talked admirably, and gave him her hand to lead her into the ball-rooms; thereby relieving

relieving Lady Harriett from the mortifying situation. So long as the conversation which she had overheard, was confined to ridiculing her friends, she found it very entertaining and witty, but when it included herself, she thought that the speakers must be the most illnatured people in the world, and felt convinced of the truth of Lord Drelincourt's observation, that scandal is the amusement of little minds, and degrades the retailers of it, much more than the subjects.

At the same moment that Lord Stranton led Lady Nevil into the ball room, Miss Dunderton came from it, in search of Lady Harriett. My sweet friend," she exclaimed, in the most pathetic tone of

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romance, why is your interesting countenance clouded with pensive melancholy? tell your Eliza the cause of your sorrow, that she may sympathise in it." If knowing the cause of the sorrow which this warm friend so immediately perceived, was all that was necessary to excite sympaVOL. II. M thy,