hardly could have accounted for the very deep flush upon Carlton's cheek, as, in obedience to her father's call, a graceful girl came timidly forward and extended her hand. I saw before me the model from which Carlton drew the Real of his Ideal-the Saxon type of beauty-the sweet face and sunny locks of Saint Agnes. I have sometimes envied the coolness and self-possession of those gentlemen who, fortified by long practice, can enter a drawing-room, having no previous knowledge of its inmates, with as much sang-froid and indifference as if they were lounging into a box at the opera, and commence a conversation without exhibiting the slightest embarrassment. Yet, after all, I doubt whether they are to be envied, for I apprehend that such demeanour must be the result either of remarkable self-complacency, or of a callousness of heart and imagination. It argues the absence, I think, of that chivalrous feeling towards the fair sex, which, in the middle ages, was carried to so extreme a length that, in the words of an old writer of romance, "a true knight should stand more awed and abated in the presence of beauty, than if he were summoned before the throne of the most puissant emperor of the world." Be that as it may, I, who had mingled little with English society, felt bashful and diffident, and was not sorry when the dressing bell summoned us to our several apartments. When I again entered the drawingroom, I found a large company assembled, amongst whom I was surprised to recognise Sir George Smoothly, whose acquaintance I had made on board of the Rhenish steamer. The Baronet was pleased to favour me with a warm pressure of the hand, was particular in his inquiries as to my success in London, and not less so regarding the origin of my acquaintance with Mr Stanhope; but I had not forgotten Carlton's admonitory hint, and restricted myself to such general replies as conveyed but little information.

Dinner was served in a spacious old hall, panelled with oak, and hung round with ancestral pictures; and the business of that important

meal was conducted with that quiet regularity and unostentatious good taste which are the characteristics of a well-governed household. I did not feel myself very pleasantly situated, for my neighbour on the right was an elderly lady of swarthy complexion, whose immense turban gave her the air of a Turkish Imaun; whilst on the other side I was flanked by a gentleman of some forty years of age, of Herculean dimensions, and elaborately got up, who nevertheless wore an air of extreme listlessness, and did not seem by any means inclined to enter into conversation Not so the lady, who, perhaps guessing that a neophyte was delivered into her hands, began incontinently to talk.

"Have you been in this part of the country before, sir?"

"No, madam; I never had that pleasure."

"Ah! I can assure you it is anything but a pleasure to those who know it best! You can have no idea what a terrible sort of people there are hereabouts-so corrupted, so wicked, so ungrateful, and so disrespectful to their superiors-I mean, of course, the lower orders. It sometimes positively makes me weep to think of their iniquity!" And she sipped a glass of sherry.

That must be distressing indeed," said I: "Pray is there any special reason for their being so abandoned ?”

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"I cannot exactly say," replied the lady with a portentous quiver of her turban. Some think it is because they are too well off, and some think it is the natural growth of original sin, which the regular clergy take no pains to keep down; but for my part, I think "-and here she lowered her voice-" that it's all owing to the Jesuits!"

"To the Jesuits, madam ?" said L "Yes, to the Jesuits, sir. Surely you are aware that they absolutely swarm around us, and that they insinuate themselves into all kinds of families for the purpose of making converts. I shudder to tell you that I have detected two in my own household. One was the gardener, a Scotchman; but I soon found him out. Would you believe it, sir, he absolutely refused to eat pork upon

"Then they must all be Jesuits! I hope you are not a Jesuit, sir?"

"If I were so, madam, you could hardly expect me to confess it, after the strong opinion you have expressed; but I assure you I am no member of the order."

"Well, sir, the other was the laundry-maid, who seemed a good, quiet, inoffensive girl from Devonshire. I found her one evening in the kitchen confessing herself to an Irish groom, who, I am perfectly satisfied, was a priest in disguise!"

"That was startling, doubtless. Did you find her on her knees before him?"

"No-I rather think he was on his knees before her-but it amounts to the same thing.”

The Imaun was becoming a bore, but I could not shake her off. As her tongue was loosened, for she never refused champagne, she launched out into all manner of complaints touching the backsliding and iniquities of the time. She told me that she was patroness of a female society for the propagation of flannel and cheap tracts, the former being withheld unless the catechumen could give a minute abstract of the latter. She inveighed against the parish clergyman, whom she accused of thwarting her efforts by beseeching her to temper her zeal with a little discretion, which she considered a clear proof that he also was at heart a Jesuit; and she finally began a lecture on the approaching millennium, taking for her text-book the fifty-third treatise of an eminent dissenting divine in London, who

has made a fabulous sum of money by his interpretations of the Apocalypse, each new brochure being a direct contradiction of that which preceded it. I was becoming utterly bewildered with the woman's talk, when my neighbour on the other hand, observing my distress, kindly began a conversation which enabled me to get rid of the persecution. A more gentlemanly person than Mr Lumley-for such was the name of my new acquaintance-I have rarely encountered; but the effect which his fine figure and expressive countenance were calculated to produce, was somewhat marred by an affectation of extreme delicacy and langour. He looked as Achilles might have done when disguised at the court of Lycomedes; and he rarely spoke above his breath, as if the mere exertion of talking was too much for his physical energies.

"I am sure," said he, after a few preliminary remarks-which had the desired effect of relieving me from the attacks of the Imaun, who then fastened upon another victim-"you will pardon me for venturing to interrupt a tête-à-tête of so interesting and confidential a kind. But I am no stranger to the peculiarities of the inspired lady, and I really began to tremble for you as she advanced to the battle of Armageddon."

"On the contrary, I am most grateful to you for the service," said I, laughing; "I must acknowledge that my patience was on the point of giving way. I am curious to see her husband."

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So should I be," said Mr Lumley; "but no man of woman born was ever venturous enough to approach Miss Bootle with amorous or matrimonial intentions. She is a fine specimen of the ancient British virgin-very good-hearted, very domineering; sensible on some points, on others as fantastical as a magpie. For the rest, I hold the old lady (whom I acknowledge to be a distant relative) in some veneration not unmingled with fear. You have doubtless observed that she is a kind of Titus Oates in petticoats, brimful of information regarding a new popish plot, which is to shake this devoted kingdom to its centre, repress all

liberty of conscience, and materially enhance the market-price of fish, sackcloth, and frankincense. Had she lived in the reign of Charles the Second, when Shaftesbury was in the ascendant, she would easily have found a spouse. Dangerfield or Bedloe would have proposed to her at once, on the strength of her Protestant revelations."

This was said with so much quiet humour and comical laziness, that I could not forbear asking him to favour me, as an absolute stranger, with some account of others of the company.

You pay me far too high a compliment," said Mr Lumley, "in supposing that I can sketch character; for I am the laziest, dullest, and least observant of mankind, until you force me into action. I like claret and kief-you know what kief means absolute repose; and I have a high appreciation of eiderdown. I read the other day of some country near Persia-I forget the name of the particular districtwhere, when you want to have a siesta, you have only to send out a slave or two to shake the peach-trees, and straightway you are supplied with an odorous carpet of blossom a foot thick, on which you may repose and dream, as if in early Eden. That would quite suit me. I am emulous of the sloth; notwithstanding which, when I get into the saddle, I flatter myself that I can astonish the lightweights; and I own that I am not despicable at rackets. But these are mere gladiatorial matters, and I ought to apologise for my egotism;try this entrée, it is of decided merit -and I shall be happy to give you any information in my power; the rather, because I understand you are the friend of Mr Carlton, who ought, one day or other, to take a high position."

"I have not had much experience of English society," said I; "but one thing which has struck me rather forcibly is the inclination of accomplished and wealthy men to devolve the public duties which they are fitted and even bound by their position to undertake, upon a class of specious but unreliable adventurers." "You had better say that to Carl

ton, who is still young enough to reform, and whose moral fibre is not relaxed. But are you not rather too hard upon adventurers? Why should men to whom fortune has been preposterously kind try to monopolise everything? For my part I am much of the mind of the honest soldier who, having taken one fortress and received his reward, declined to lead another storming party, on the plea that it would be very ungenerous to deprive some aspiring comrade of the chance of winning distinction."

"Yet surely there is some truth in the maxim that property has its duties. It would ill-become me, who am but an adventurer, and one of a very humble kind, to object to a system so wisely liberal; but I cannot think it conducive to the welfare of society that men of high station and great wealth should avoid public life."

"And yet the wisest philosophers, both heathen and Christian, have recommended such abstinence. Retired statesmen, men whose heads waxed grey in office, have uttered their regret that they had not sooner withdrawn from the sphere of strife, intrigue, and ambition, to that quiet seclusion which affords the best chance of happiness. But I really cannot afford to hazard my reputation as a poco-curante by talking in the strain of Seneca. You desired some information regarding the guests. Whom shall I begin with?" "As you please."

"Ah! then-Place aux dames! That gaily-dressed lady seated next our host is Lady Lorimer, a person of prodigious scientific acquirements. She corresponds with Buckland, is deep in geology, and has cultivated her talents to the utmost in the somewhat incongruous departments of millinery and mathematics."

"A formidable lady!"

"Then there are two Misses Carrington. They sing well, dance well, have a turn for acting proverbes, and do not object to a flirtation. However, I would not recommend you to fall in love with either of them. Their mamma, who is somewhere on this side of the table, has some fixed notions about settlements."

"I shall observe your caution, and

regard them as beings of another sphere!"

"O, they can be quite terrestrial when they please, I assure you. Then there is Miss Stanhope, a very sweet girl indeed-pretty, gentle, and affectionate. By the way, your friend Carlton appears to be making himself wondrous agreeable. Handsome dog! If I were in love with Amy now, I should feel extremely jealous; but fortunately I have no energy."

"And the other lady?"

"O, that is Miss Stanhope's great friend, a Miss Beaton. I hope you admire her, for she is a decided beauty, and what is more, a very charming girl. Her father is a London merchant and Member of Parliament-one of the rising men of the day; by repute a sort of city Croesus, bold, speculative, and enterprising. It is said that Peel has a high opinion of his judgment, and consults him on financial matters."

The appearance of Miss Beaton certainly justified the eulogy. Above the middle height, with her lustrous black hair braided over a queenly brow, and a complexion so delicate that the colour went and came like sunlight on a bed of roses; deep dark violet eyes, and a grace of gesture unparalleled-I thought that I had never gazed upon a creature more lovely and benign. I cannot tell why it should be so, but there are some women by no means wanting in charms, whom we cannot, by any exertion of fancy, disassociate from ordinary life. They belong essentially and entirely to our generation, such as it is, have no place in our reveries of the past, nor do their shadows appear in the enchanted world of our dreams. But others there are- and Mary Beaton was such-whom we cannot behold without either identifying them with some one of the splendid creations of Shakespeare, or assigning them a place in the scenes of chivalry and romance, in which, ever and anon, we are fain to take refuge from the dull monotony of our existence. As I looked, it seemed to me as though I heard the words of the pathetic old Scottish ballad warbled in my

ear

"Yestreen the Queen had four Maries, The day she'll hae but three; There was Mary Beaton, and Mary Seaton, And Mary Carmichael and me.' My thoughts went back to Holyrood. I beheld Queen Mary in the prime of her youth and beauty, seated in her bower, surrounded by her maids of honour, and the fairest of them all, who "put the gowd in her hair," bore the semblance of the living Mary Beaton.

Not long ago I heard an eminent philosopher deliver an address to a youthful audience, in the course of which he exhorted them to put away from their minds all romantic notions, and forego the perusal of all works of an imaginative nature, as these could only tend to weaken the intellect and to withdraw the mind from the contemplation of worthier themes. I dissent utterly from such a doctrine. Stifle the imagination, and you take from the inner man all the light and glory and vivid charm of existence-you make him colourblind, unsympathetic, passionless, and repulsive-you rob him of the heart of flesh, and substitute an organ of stone. Let science have its place and precedence, but do not ask us to forego the pure delights of fancy or the kindly influences of poesy; for these are to the mind what the silent dews of night are to the thirsty earth

they cover its bare surface with verdure, they stimulate the plant,. and prepare the bud to expand under the eye of morn into a beautiful and odorous flower. It may be well that we should uncover our heads with reverence at the name of Newton; but will any one have the hardihood to deny that Shakespeare and Scott have contributed more largely to the sum of human enjoyment and intellectual culture than the whole venerable phalanx of the men of science and discovery?

Why do I write thus? Simply to express my remembrance, still vivid, of the hour when the conviction first dawned upon me that romance and reality are not things entirely separated and irreconcilable - that the former is not a mere abstraction, but a subtile and potent essence, capable of animating, embalming, purifying,

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As for the gentlemen," said Mr Lumley, "there is really little to be said. You cannot expect to find such variety of character at a Christmas party in a country house as would suffice for the requirements of a firstrate comedy; and I rather think I shall leave you to form your own conclusions, more especially as the ladies are about to withdraw."

After dinner conversation varies much according to the usual occupations and habits of the company. If you are doomed to take your claret with a set of sporting men, you must make up your mind to hear a great deal on the subject of horse-flesh and runs with the Pytchley and Quorn. If lawyers predominate, the chances are that they begin to talk shop, and become exceedingly tiresome by discussing knotty points of law with as much volubility and keenness as they possibly could exhibit at the bar. Manufacturers converse of markets, and trade, and samples, and improve ments in machinery; while country squires naturally become plaintive about crops or enthusiastic about over-fed oxen. The company at Wilbury, however, was of a mixed kind, though the agricultural interest predominated, and the conversation gradually took a political turn.

The country was at that time in a state of considerable excitement, resulting from various causes. In the first place there had been great depression and consequent distress both among the agricultural and the manufacturing population, and that, almost as a matter of course, had led to

agrarian outrage and urban strikes. There were reports from several counties of rick-burnings so numerous as to justify the belief that there existed a deliberate scheme of destruction. In Wales gangs of miscreants disguised in women's clothes, and calling themselves "Rebecca and her daughters," assembled nightly for the demolition of the turnpikes. Chartism was very rampant and even alarming; and the Anti-corn-law League was then beginning to give forth no uncertain sound, though it failed altogether in carrying with it the sympathy of the masses. The minister of the day, Sir Robert Peel, was then cautiously and almost furtively taking the initiative steps for making vast alterations in the commercial policy of Britain; thereby exciting no little jealousy and apprehension among a large section of the country party, who, though open to conviction had a matured scheme of policy been laid before them, objected to be led blindfold. Passive obedience has long ago been exploded as a principle between subject and monarch; but here was a minister who not only expected but exacted it from his followers, and was notoriously irascible at the slightest symptom of hesitation. I am not, I hope, insensible to the many good qualities of that distinguished statesman, nor shall I even question the abstract propriety of the commercial system which he latterly advocated with success; but I cannot accord to him the praise of having been a skilful tactician, seeing that his conduct was such as gradually to alienate from himself the confidence of the party whom he aspired to lead. A tortuous or underhand policy, however speciously vindicated, has never found favour in the eyes of English gentlemen. Plausible reasons alone will not content them. They must be satisfied that the arguments adduced in justification of any important measure are such as have really operated upon the conviction of the speaker. And hence it is that the speeches of lawyers, however eloquent or ingenious they may be, rarely make much impression upon the House of Commons; for extreme plausibility, which is the chief aim of