Harriet, fifteen years older than himself, as Lady Charlotte's little nephew was enjoying under her care. She was the oldest, and he the youngest of a family of eight children. His mother died in his infancy, and five of her children, within seven years after, followed her to the tomb, leaving only his eldest sister, his eldest brother, and himself; and then his father married a second time. At that period all his pleasant home remembrances terminated. Things were at once put on a new footing. The lessons taught by his sister were over, and he was sent to school. His brother's tutor was dismissed, and himself. sent to college. Thenceforward, only at the returning holiday seasons did he associate with hisr elatives, either at the town or country mansion-home no longer. Though the escape from study made him regard these periodical visits as times of pleasure, they offered him nothing like the old happiness of his first years, when he was too young to experience any real sorrow from the deaths in the family,-deaths which made him dearer to his sister, and more the object of her tender indulgence. Still, he sought to bring back from the past some trait of her gentle, loving nature, to interest Lady Charlotte in her, as if he would thus also interest her in the living Harriet. "For ten years," he continued, "I thus went and came to my father's house. During that time, my step-mother had given birth to a child, who died, a circumstance which seemed to render her temper more austere towards her husband's children, of whom I was fated to be the sole survivor. My brother died abroad, on his travels. I was sent to college, and had not been long there when I was suddenly informed of the death. of my sister, without having previously had any intimation of her being dangerously ill. It is true that I had learnt, both from her own letters and from other sources, that her health was not very good; and I had not seen her for two years, she having been, as I was told, at a watering-place when I was at home. She had reached her thirtieth year, and was still unmarried, having, much to my father's displeasure, refused many suitable proposals for her hand. But now the truth is revealed to me. At that age, after years of effort to overcome her love, after years of constancy on her lover's part, she married, privately, my brother's tutor, him who had been dismissed when the stepmother became the ruler in our house-and that tutor was the Mr. Aveley so long resident in this village. She died in giving birth to her daughter, and the marriage was never made public. I find among the letters some from Charles Aveley, which would do honour to the heart and head of any man, and two or three of a very early date from Arthur Aveley-he is, no doubt, the present Colonel Aveley, Lady Anne's husband, for one of the letters is simply to thank my father for having used his influence in procuring for him a cadetship in the Indian service." "Certainly he is the same person,' replied Lady Charlotte, "for his name is Arthur." CHAPTER XI. "C'est que lâme de l'homme est une onde limpide LAMARTINE. MUCH interesting conversation followed between Lady Charlotte and Lord Hoodborough, on the discovery which he had of a relative whom he intended to make so dear to him-through whom he meant to enjoy so much happiness. Then there was some talk of the best manner of communicating the intelligence to Lady Hoodborough; in this VOL. III. H |