"I have bowed to her once already tonight, and she hardly deigned to acknowledge me. It will make her vain, if I allow her to treat me in that way twice in one evening."

"Poor thing," said Lady Pumpton, “she is so short-sighted."

Miss Halcyon was totally blind of one eye. Lady Pumpton found it more amiable to intimate this fact indirectly.

"Yes," said Pierce, drily, and watching for the effect of what he was going to say. He knew Lady Pumpton hated Miss Halcyon; for before Arabella's marriage, they had been rivals; that is to say, neither of them ever missed a ball; and Miss Halcyon, notwithstanding the blemish to her beauty, had still one remarkably fine eye "left to do its worst in witchery." So that, with this and a handsome figure, combined with the désir charmant de plaire, and more than a usual quantum of the coquetterie permise, she was at least second to none but Lady Pumpton; and managed to share pretty

VOL. III.

K

evenly with her more beautiful but less conciliating rival, that monopoly of partners which naturally it is the height of all young ladies' ambition to see following in their train, to the consternation and despair of every other young lady in the room.

"Yes," said Pierce, drily, "she is rather short-sighted, not to say a little blind; but I suppose the real reason she does not look at me is, that she is afraid of giving me a coup de seul œil."

"That's very considerate of her, isn't it?" said her ladyship, with an affectionate look at Pierce.

Pierce was on the point of backing up this extremely ill-natured sarcasm by a very pretty speech to herself when his intention was suddenly changed by seeing her husband standing close at hand watching them, and evidently listening to their conversation.

There was an unpleasant look of suspicion in his lordship's face; which, when he came to think of it, Pierce had observed once or

twice before, under very similar circumstances.

"How are you, Pumpton ?" said Pierce, rising, and lazily stretching out two fingers for the affectionate embrace of the noble lord. Then turning again to her ladyship, without further notice of her husband, he said, "Well, good night, Lady Pumpton, I must go and make my bow to Lady Shurtisland. They say she is not satisfied with having married one daughter to the Grand Duke of Parmazan, but that she has a design upon old Lummy Lummy, King of the Hoity Toity Islands, who is over here on a visit, and is to be exhibited at her ladyship's to-night.

"So I hear; good night! But spot a minute," and Lady Pumpton held him back by the hand that still remained in hers, "are you going to Lady Pippledem's tomorrow?"

"Yes," said Pierce, "I think I shall look in for half-an-hour. I suppose it will be over by twelve o'clock, as it is Saturday night,

I hope you observed how she puts small and early' in one corner of her card. Why do these sort of people always commit atrocities of this kind? Small and early' reminds one of young peas, or some incongruous idea of the kind. Good night! Night, Pumpton!" and Pierce nodded as he passed the husband. Pausing on his way out to make passing salutes to some halfscore of acquaintances on the staircase, he brushed impatiently by the linkmen and departing crowd at the street-door, and walked at a round pace towards his lodgings in Whitehall.

CHAPTER VII.

He had plenty of time for reflection on his way home, and plenty of time for reflection after he reached home. But the more he reflected, the less reason had he to be pleased with his own thoughts.

He had of late been carelessly floating back into that treacherous vortex, from which the accident of his disappointed love had so rudely plucked him. After the first poignancy of the anguish succeeding to this catastrophe was over, he had for some weeks enjoyed the consolation ever to be derived from a wellordered occupation, having for its aim other