Stourton's, as she is to be a bridesmaid. A good long journey to take; but she is delighted. Captain May looked sufficiently gloomy, I thought ; because he is not going too, I suppose. Miss May says she hears that Lady Vaux is still very angry, but the sisters are getting over it. Mr. William Stourton and Mr. Asheton are to marry them. Two clergymen have a grander effect than one, of course, and the Miss Vauxes will be two of the bridesmaids: they are to stay at the hotel at Donbury for the wedding, I believe; it is not far from Teesdale; and the Stourtons' house is very smalla mere cottage by the road side, I am told. I wonder what Mr. Stratton thinks of their living in such a house? I suppose it is all a part of the poetry of his 'poetical engagement,' as somebody called it. After the Mays, I went to Northcourt, where I found the whole family at home. Actually there is some idea that Maude will go to Mrs. Asheton's, and be at the wedding! They are all perfectly ridiculous on the subject, I think. Sir Roger made us all laugh by saying that Mr. Stratton was in such a hurry that he had stepped in before him, but rumour asserts that his devotion to Miss May is great: he certainly danced a great deal with her the night of the party at Northcourt. I observed it, and so did others."

"But what happens about the living? Is young Mr. Stourton to have it?" asked Mrs. Nugent.

"No, actually that young piece of perfection is not to have it. Lady North says they were all

pleased with him.

He was at Northcourt one

whole day, before he took his sister home. But Sir Roger, it appears, wished the living to be offered to a tutor he had some time ago. And he means to take it; otherwise, I believe, young Mr. Stourton might have had it."

"And when is the wedding to take place?"

"This day six weeks, they think. It is an anniversary day in Miss Stourton's family, it seems, and Mr. Stratton would not like to wait till Easter, at least so the Norths say. I was rather surprised to find it was to be so soon, I confess, but I don't know any reason against it if they see none. Her family must think her extraordinarily fortunate, and I dare say they think the sooner it's all done the better."

"How

"I dare say they do," said Mrs. Nugent. little they could have anticipated such a piece of good fortune for her as his breaking his arm and having to stay at the rectory till he recovered!"

"If Lady Vaux had known what danger of another kind than that he had run in his fall was at hand," said Miss Nugent, "she would have carried him off by force, or pitched a tent for herself in the rectory garden, and guarded her precious son with a revolver! They say she was fearfully angry when she first heard of the marriage."

"Well, so I should imagine," said Mrs. Nugent. "Just fancy now what I should feel if I heard that Hugh had committed himself to some such folly.

way.

It is setting such an example to other young men. It is terrible to think what it may lead to in that A man in his position ought to have thought of that. I declare I shall quite dread Hugh's letters now, or letting him go out visiting, unless I go too."

"Yes, mamma, I advise you to take care; there is Miss Edge, who is greatly to be feared now, for she is growing quite handsome. I advise your forbidding Hugh to set foot in the neighbourhood of the rectory, for if he does he will run into terrific danger."

"Miss Edge, who is she? You frighten me, Maria."

"Well, she is Miss Edge; she used to live with the Barings. I saw her there once or twice, but she always looked so sour and cross that I carefully avoided any notice of her; but to-day I saw her at the Shirleys', looking so surprisingly pleasant that I was astonished at the change; and when I said 'How d'ye do?' she positively did look as if she could smile. She was a great friend of Miss Stourton's, I believe, and Miss Stourton recommended her to the Shirleys. Of course, they are all in a state of rapture about the marriage there, so, as I began to feel that I had had enough of it, I did not stay very long."

"Don't you like Miss Stourton, Maria?" inquired her aunt.

"Oh! well enough; but I'm so bored with hearing of her perfections. She is very delightful,

I dare say, but I thought she gave herself prodigious airs when I saw her at Northcourt, so I have never cultivated her acquaintance. I suppose I shall now, as her grandeur will suit her better as Mrs. Stratton than it did as Miss Stourton. I suppose she was always expecting to make some great match, and behaved herself accordingly; but as she did not impart her intentions to me, I was not prepared for their fulfilment."

"She is more fortunate then than most castlebuilders, I fancy," said the aunt, laughing, "that is if report speaks truth of Mr. Stratton; but I think that is a little bit of malice on your part, Maria, so I shan't believe it."

"Oh, dear! if you are going to turn Stourtonworshipper, Aunt Jane, I don't know what I shall do."

"Adopt my creed at once," said her aunt. "Depend upon it you cannot do better."

CHAPTER THE LAST.

"There comes a sound of marriage bells."

ND so they were married; and every one said what a pretty wedding it was; and every body who knew Mr. Stratton rejoiced for Margaret in such an ending to her year of governess life.

After all, the marriage was not at all above that which she might very likely have made, had she not left home owing to the desire to help her family, so that no one need really have felt surprise that she should marry Mr. Stratton. The only thing that could really be in any way surprising was, that Mr. Stratton should marry a governess. But had Margaret in fact lowered her position in society by becoming a governess? While she was in that position she had always acted with the greatest propriety, and with due recollection of the reason for her being in Lady North's house; and, on their part, the Norths had shown her the greatest consideration and kindness, and as they thoroughly liked her, and felt her to be no less a lady in the widest sense of the word than they were themselves, nothing could be more perfectly easy