reminded me so of the darlings! Well! you may say what you like about parting, but I am sure those who go away have a great advantage over those that remain stationary." "And yet you must allow that those who remain stationary, cannot be so much moved," said her father, who, though a great admirer of wit in others, and a very competent judge of it, rarely gave himself the trouble to rise beyond a pun. "Now you shall move your fiddlestick for that," cried Catherine, running to open her pianoforte, we will have a nice long practise, and that will get the morning over." ઃઃ "So it might," replied Mr. Neville, "but unfortunately for your design against time, I must think not of quavers and crotchets, but capers and curvets;-you forget it is the visitation;—and here comes the poney, I declare! and I have neither got my bands tied, nor my spurs buckled.” * "I have almost forgotten how to do such things," said Catherine, as she knelt to button her father's gaiters, "between little Catherine and Percival I was quite turned out of office." "Ah, the little rogues! I wish they were back again," said Mr. Neville, as he went to mount his grey poney, which was as well known at the visitations and quarter sessions as himself. "And so do I!” thought Catherine, as she slowly returned to the parlour, and looked round it with that sort of enquiring air which seems to wonder if any thing can suddenly spring out of nothing, to afford matter of occupation, or amusement. "I wish Fanny Brayswick had been at home. We might have taken a long walk: how unlucky it is! I remember she was at her grandmother's last year, too, when my sister went away. There are the Longcrofts, to be sure-but Edward is at the Hall now; and I never like to go when he is there; he grows so proud! I do think he will soon be as formal as his uncle." Whilst Catherine thus held communion with herself, it began to rain, and she felt a little consoled in the thought that even if Fanny had not been at her grandmother's, or Edward not at the Hall, she still would have been obliged to remain at home; and she therefore began to think, in good earnest, of employing herself within doors: looking towards the window, in pensive contemplation of the weather, she recollected that the curtains which her sister had gone with her a few days before to the next market-town, purposely to assist her in choosing, ought to be cut out, and made up with all possible dispatch, or the winter would get over without any benefit from them: she determined to begin them that very day-it was just the kind of thing she should like-they would require some contriving, and her father would be out of the way, and she could have Margaret to help her, and the draperies should be exactly like her sister's, at Blackthorn Cottage. It is impossible to be very busy and very unhappy at the same time. Catherine soon forgot that she was alone. She ordered dinner early, and the instant that it was over she began her plan of operations. The hours flew by unperceived, on the wings of occupation, and evening came as unexpectedly as it had seemed to do, when she had her sister to talk to, and her little niece and nephew to play with. She had just mounted on her music-stool, to measure the length of the windows, when she fancied she heard the sound of wheels. She stopped, and listened : "Surely Margaret," said she, “I hear a chaise! I hope my father has not been taken ill." “No, Miss, it can't be measter, for Cæsar keeps sic a barking—it's moast likely Carrier, it's just about his time." |