"As to her dress, Oliver has been telling all the world that Lady North gave it her, and calling upon them to admire it; so you are quite right to do that she could not, of course, have afforded such an one herself."

:

"Ah!" he replied, "I suppose, now, that sort of thing is expensive?"

"For her, it would be, certainly, I should say," she answered, looking down with much satisfaction at her own very exquisite attire.

"What is her name?" continued Lord Brinkworth.

"Stourton, Margaret Stourton."

"Stourton! to be sure; I recollect now."

A gentleman at that moment claimed Miss Nugent as his promised partner for a set of "Lancers," already formed; and Lord Brinkworth walked quickly across the room to where Margaret was sitting, and began making apologies to her for not recollecting her at first. He told her how completely his having met her at his sister's had escaped his memory during the earlier part of the evening he went on to tell her that he had lately been staying with Mrs. Asheton; and he gave Margaret a long account of his sister, and talked of various events that had taken place in the Wilton neighbourhood, which Margaret was much interested in hearing about.

Evening had now for some hours been succeeded by night, and the room was being gradually thinned of its gay occupants. Night was in its turn giving

place to morning, and again those who were staying in the house, having taken leave of the last of the other guests, were gathered round the drawingroom fire in animated discussion on various topics connected with the party, till at length Lady North put a stop to further arguments by saying, "Now, you sleepy children, you must really go off to bed, or you will all be unfit for any thing to-morrow."

So Margaret and the children, Miss Long, and her cousin Miss Stewart, all of whom Lady North said she included in the term "children," accepting candles from the gentlemen, left the room, soon to be followed by the elders.

The moment Margaret was alone in her room, she locked her door, and threw herself on her knees by her little table. At length, rising, she put her door ajar, and stood listening. Doors were closing the last steps in the gallery had ceased; even Sir Roger had left his mother's room after his little private talk with her, and she heard him walking away, humming the air of the last valse. Then Margaret went quickly and noiselessly along the passage, and knocked at Lady North's door.

"Come in," was the answer. She went in. She looked pale. Lady North took her hand, kissed her, and told her to sit down.

"No, thank you," she answered, and speaking brought the colour back into her cheek; and it got brighter as she said she had something to say to Lady North. "Something, in short, she thought

Τ

it right-she wished to tell her that she was engaged to be married to Mr. Stratton."

"I thought so; indeed, I felt sure it was what you had to tell me when you came in," said Lady North, speaking as though she was quite delighted with what she heard. "To say the truth, I had guessed it. And-you must not mind, for I am sure he could not help it--but Mr. Stratton said two words to me when I wished him 'Good night' in the gallery, which confirmed my suspicions."

Then she went on to congratulate Margaret, and to tell her how very much pleasure it gave her to do so. She said she believed her to be most fortunate; "but," she added, "not more so than he is," and she talked to her as if she felt as much interested for her, and as pleased, as if Margaret had been her own child. This, in the absence, too, of her mother, was particularly delightful to Margaret, who had become very fond of Lady North.

No one was to be told the news of the engagement for a few days; but Sir Roger had guessed it. His mother, however, had told him that he must on no account divulge the secret, so he contented himself with mentioning casually now and then that "Stratton was an uncommonly lucky dog!" rather to the surprise of his hearers.

Mr. Stratton left the morning after the ball, and quite early; intending, however, to return again in three days, when the other guests would all be gone.

He had not the pleasantest occupation in the world during those three days, as he had to break to Lady Vaux the astonishing fact that he was "going to marry a governess." Happily, "the Peerage" being a work with which she was well acquainted, she was able to derive some comfort from it, after a slight research, by tracing Margaret's pedigree to a viscount; and she also discovered that her future daughter-in-law could count cousinship with a baronet, as well as several honourables. All this was indeed highly consolatory, though it cannot be said that she looked upon the alliance with any thing like satisfaction or pleasure, and she even mentioned it in conversation as "his ridiculous folly;" generally, however, adding something about Sir Edward Stourton; and also saying that "Miss Stourton was decidedly pretty, she believed," and "remarkably lady-like, she was told."

afternoon.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

"Who is Silvia, what is she,

That all our swains commend her?"

SHAKSPEARE.

ELL, Maria, we have been longing for your return," said her aunt, as Miss Nugent entered the room late one "Your mother and I are the dullest companions in the world for each other; two people with the influenza are enough to drive one another into despair. Who have you seen? and what have you heard?"

"Fortunately for you and mamma," said Maria, throwing herself into one arm-chair, and her hat into another, "I have seen every body I wanted to see, and heard nearly as much as I wanted to hear."

"Oh, how delightful! Now do begin; draw your chair in close to the fire, and make yourself comfortable, and then tell us all about it. Now, where did you go first?"

66

Why, I went first to the Manor. Miss May was of course in a state of ecstasy about her friend's good fortune. She is to go to Captain