every spring, or Herts or Hants every autumn. And, though Lady Clara Heathcote and Lady Reigate endeavoured to bring her into notice by citing her everywhere as the mother of the great heiress, when it became known that the said heiress, being in delicate health, did not intend to enter into society, and that the two girls who accompanied their mother to the Accademia balls had only ordinary fortunes, they were suffered to retain their places unnoticed, and remain illustriously obscure.

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One of the first questions invariably addressed to Mrs Hecksworth, by certain Neapolitan princes and marquises who found it. convenient to eat the crumbs from the dinnertable of Mrs Marmaduke Smith, or Lady Turniptop, was, whether she knew her distinguished countryman, Sire Gervais?" and on finding her negative produce considerable surprise, she concluded "Sire Gervais " to be some young English baronet on the grand tour, and secretly determined that he should

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be presented as a partner to Helen and Julia.

"You will meet him at the Austrian embassy," replied the Duc de Ste. Christine, to whom she signified her wish. "He has quitted Lobanoff, with whom he formerly resided, or I would call on him, and bring him, if possible, to your house. But I should have a hard fight for it! Other Englishmen have obtained eminent popularity at Naples,-Acton, Nelson, Gell. But none have exceeded Sire Gervais."—

"No matter!" thought the now portly lady of Bilston. "Herbert Davenport will be here next week, who knows most of the fashionable men about town, and will manage our introduction to Sir Gervas Heaven knows who ! Not that when he arrives I shall perhaps care to make the acquaintance. Herbert's last letter informed me it was scarcely worth while to have stopped short in his journey, to spend a

week at Rome with the Duke of Attleborough, since the whole party is about to transfer itself to Naples; and their intimacy with my nephew, Sir Richard, will soon make us acquainted. The girls are consequently sure of the best partners, without troubling themselves about this mysterious Sir Gervas."

CHAPTER VIII.

Un homme ne doit pas, sans fortune et sans nom,
Se permettre d'aimer la fille d'un Baron!

COUSSADE.

Dost thou despise

A love like this? A lady should not scorn
One soul that loves her well, however lowly.
Love is an offering of the whole heart, madam;
A sacrifice of all that poor life hath;

And he who gives his "all," whate'er that be,
Gives greatly, and deserveth no one's scorn.

PROCTOR.

THE first impulse of Cleve on learning the arrival of the Hecksworths, was to quit Naples. Not because he feared that the haughty curiosity of his original patroness would exile him from the high ground he had conquered. His frankness had placed the Countess von Adlerberg in full possession of

his history; which, as she affectioned him precisely in the noble spirit of admiration with which Metastasio was regarded by Maria Theresa, or Voltaire by Catherine the Second, did him rather service than injury with one in whose bosom one of the highest instincts

But he was afraid Mrs Hecksworth might consider him too presumptuous, if he accepted in her presence the honours to which, in her presence, he felt less intitled. It was doubly difficult, however, to absent himself at that moment. The threatening aspect of Vesuvius was drawing the attention of the learned and curious towards Portici ; where he found that his presence was anticipated with general interest.—

But when the rumour reached him that Miss Hecksworth was considered, or considered herself, too delicate to accompany her mother and sisters into society, he felt it impossible to