pressed on her mind; and earnestly did she wish, that Mr. Romney and herself were returned to England. Sometimes she thought of visiting Portugal again, but could not fix any plan till she knew the state of her circumstances.

For the first two or three days, seeing her very low-spirited, which they attributed solely to grief for the loss of her friend, having seen her death mentioned in the newspaper; Mr. and Mrs. Taylor forbore to importune her with questions; but curiosity at length conquered their forbearance, and the loquacity of the latter, could no longer be restrained, and eagerly she interrogated her visitor respecting the amount of the legacy Lady Archdale had left her, before her husband.

Young as she was, Amelrosa had yet seen sufficiently of mankind, not to be ignorant, that with the generality of people, and particularly those of narrow minds and

confined

confined education, fortune is the only claim to distinction, though some noble souls are to be met with. Yet so unsuspicious was her disposition, that she rarely suspected the kindness she received, to be otherwise than the genuine feelings of those who evinced it, and was always inclined to display her natural candour. Had a painter indeed, wished to have represented ingenuousness, he should have copied from her, as no one could so well express that character.

Without disguise, therefore, she described her almost destitute situation, and the uncertainty she suffered, from not having been informed if Lady Archdale had remembered her in her will.

The agitation she felt, while explaining her recent misfortunes, prevented her from observing the alteration that took place in the countenances of her auditors, whose civilities originated, from supposing her independent and connected with a number

of persons of rank to whom they were unknown, and might through her means, be introduced to fashionable life; to which their wealth had not yet been a passport: for ambition struggled with avarice in the breast of Mr. Taylor, notwithstanding, that in a moment of weakness, he had married such a low woman.

The charms himself and his vulgar spouse, had found in Amelrosa's conversation and manners, were now lessened, since the consequence that gave lustre to every thing she said or did, had vanished with the knowledge of her misfortunes. Scarcely had she finished speaking, when Mr. Taylor sneaked out of the room, without offering any condolements for her afflictions as she expected; while his wife, in the opposite extreme, grossly repeated frequently her concern; adding, she hoped she would have something left to maintain her, be it ever so small; "For it would be hard upon you, Miss," she con

tinued,

tinued, "to be forced to earn your own bread, after being brought up so genteel."

In the same coarse manner she proceeded to address Amelrosa, quite different from the sycophantic style in which she was accustomed to speak; and this so much astonished and disgusted her, as the cause of the change did not then strike her, that she was exceedingly rejoiced when left alone; a circumstance which, however, had not previously happened since she entered the house. Mrs. Taylor observing her depression, refused to leave her by herself, saying young people should not be left alone when in that melancholy way. At the same time she thought she was performing a great act of politeness to keep her company, when in fact the height of good-breeding is to suffer a visitor to do as they please; but her glaring ignorance was a sufficient excuse with Amelrosa for the blunders she committed, as the motive was apparently kind, and every error except

those

those of the heart, she made the most liberal allowance for.

She neither saw or heard any thing of Mrs. Taylor or her husband till dinner was announced, when they introduced her to a Colonel in the army, whose name was similar with their's; and being very poor and in debt, found it very convenient to borrow a few hundreds of Mr. Taylor, and repaid him by claiming relationship, affirming to a certainty that he was his sixteenth cousin.

Proud of having this gentleman, who was really a man of fashion, for his relation, he did not search too deeply into their degree of affinity to each other; and was happy, with all his parsimony, to pay dearly for the honor of being acknowledged by him as a kinsman; nor could even the dejected Amelrosa but with difficulty repress her smiles, when every time they addressed or spoke of him, it was with the appel