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"But, mamma," said the young lady, after a thoughtful pause, our antecedents, as you call them, were gentry, were they not ?"

"Ye-yes. You surely know, Anne, that I was distantly related, through my mother, to my husband's family." Mrs. Herbert sunk her antecedent father, who began a pedlar, and ended a millionnaire.

"It is provoking," said Anne, "that our gentle blood should come through the Herbert channel. There's not one of them I desire to be related to-I except Eleanor. Well," she continued, rising, and trying before a glass some flowers she had been rearranging for her hair, "we shall see how it will end. The plot thickens. Here is this wonderful young lawyer coming to see old Mr. Herbert. Hum! he sees no one, heeds no one, but Grace. Would you let them droop on the right side, mamma? So-is not that effect charming? The dress of the head 'exige beaucoup de génie,' as Madame says. I should like to solve the mystery of Grace's attractions. She has height; but Madame Lakay says her figure is not comparable to mine-nor is her complexion to Eleanor's -nor is she in anything to Eleanor."

It may well be asked, why such a thing as Anne Carlton should be able to do a kind of justice to Eleanor? In the first place, she had no rivalry with her. But better than that, the sweetness of Eleanor's temper, her Christianly wisdom and simplicity, surrounded her with an atmosphere that exorcised the bad, and elicited the good. In Scripture phrase, "she overcame evil with good.'

Mrs. Herbert resumed: "If you were acquainted with science, Anne, you would know that the positive demands the negative. Copley appreciates the advantage of fortune and position-Grace disdains them. He is secretive -she disdains secresy."

"Yes, indeed; she is as proud as if she were an empress.

"Oh no, my dear, not exactly proud. You should analyze-you should study human nature."

"I never shall. It is the dullest study in human life; those that study it most, make the greatest blunders, in my judgment. I should like to know if any analysis

(

human nature would tell me why Horace Copley did not dance with Grace last evening, but once with me, and ever so many times with Mrs. Tallis."

"With whom did Grace dance, Anne ?"

"She did not dance. She was talking the first half of the evening with the reverend, and the last half with the lawyer."

"You don't say Mr. Esterly was there?"

"He was. Why should he not be? I am sure neither you nor he think there is any harm in dancing.”

"Certainly not; but a clergyman should not shock public opinion."

"Oh, I rather think Mr. Esterly cares more for his own conscience than for public opinion," said Anne, for once, in her contrarieties to her mother, hitting a sound truth. "But perhaps," she added, "he bowed his head to that Dagon, public opinion, for he went home early, and left the field to Lisle, who, I'll answer for it, does not know a polka from a redowa."

"Did Mr. Copley lead Mrs. Tallis out to supper?" asked Mrs. Herbert, with the air of one who is making out the points in a case.

"No-but he did lead me out to supper. And now what do you say?"

"That's well; but I can't quite interpret him. One must see with one's own eyes. Perhaps he wished to pique Grace. He may have intended to make capital with you, for I am sorry to say, Anne, you seem to prefer the ultra-fashionable young men, who flirt with married ladies. Or, after all, he may think that Grace is on the brink of an engagement with Esterly, and so thrown out."

"Oh, mamma, that is as satisfactory as if you had 'seen with your own eyes.' Would it not be delightful to have Grace married? Such a dull marriage, too! Three girls are two too many for one house."

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'My dear, you know it's my pride that you all live in harmony."

Yes, but the music would be better if there were but one instrument. Poor Eleanor, she is a dear; but I always thought it would be her fate to be an old maid!"

55

CHAPTER V1.

The Rector.

“Oh, thought unworthy of my race!
Selfish, ungenerous, mean, and base,
A moment's throb of joy to own,

That rose upon her hopes o'erthrown!"-SCOTT.

MRS. HERBERT's family were punctual church-goers, and none of them wandered from their own fold excepting Grace. She sometimes strayed away to hear an eloquent preacher, or fine music, to her more eloquent; or to lend her imagination to the ritual of the elder church. Of late, she was invariably in her own place in Mr. Herbert's pew, seated between Eleanor and her Uncle Walter. Poor Grace had such strong magnetic repulsions as well as attractions, that it overset her devotions to sit next Mrs. Herbert or Miss Carlton.

Mrs. Herbert observed that Grace's eye was fixed on the rector, and that even he could see the tears that stole from that beautiful eye over her glowing cheek. Mrs. Herbert rejoiced in salient facts in her study of human nature. "No man resists this sort of flattery," she thought, and she saw the field clearing for her daughter. Eleanor's quiet demeanour was in no way changed. She sat with her head inclined downward, in a listening and meditative posture.

The family had returned one Sunday evening from a charity-sermon, which had made all the women in the church cry, and most of the men give. Grace's mercury was up to that fervid point, which is an ordinary temperature with enthusiastic young women of eighteen. She had a remarkably retentive memory and imitative powers. She repeated long passages from the sermon with. Mr. Esterly's intonation and manner. Eleanor listened for a while, with a pensive smile, then bidding her good-night, she went to her room.

"Oh! Uncle Walter," exclaimed Grace, "how I wish Eleanor had a little more enthusiasm!"

"Eleanor's enthusiasm," replied Mr. Herbert, "turns the mill, while yours, Grace, plays the fountain. She was out of doors yesterday, the mercury at zero, from ten A. M. to five P.M., in behalf of this charity for which your paragon was so eloquent, and you are so excited."

"But do you not think, brother," interposed his sisterin-law, "that different persons have different demonstrations? For instance-"

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Oh, never mind the instance, ma'am," cried Grace. "Why do you call Mr. Esterly my paragon, Uncle Walter? I am sure all his people are raving about him."

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Yes, doing all they can, as they do for every clever young clergyman, to spoil him. I grant you, young and old rant about him-all-excepting Eleanor." Mr. Herbert made the exception slowly and emphatically.

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The sisters occupied one apartment, and slept in the same bed. Grace was nettled by Mr. Herbert's implied rebuke. She could better bear the whole world's disapprobation than her Uncle Walter's. She soon followed her sister. She found Eleanor sitting under the gaslight, reading the Bible. She did not directly address her, but, walking up and down the room, continued her citations from the sermon, till, craving sympathy, she appealed to her sister. "Now, Eleanor, was not that exquisite ?-Now hear this, Eleanor ?-do you remember that ?" Finally, annoyed at her sister's faint assents, she exclaimed, "Do for once, Eleanor, shut up your Bible, and listen to me. What is the use of this duty-reading? Is that a tear?" A tear was glistening on the Bible's leaf. "Uncle Walter was quite right-you and I have different modes of manifesting our sensibilities. But now, dear one, do listen to me. Do you believe that Mr. Esterly has the least notion how much he is admired ?" "He must have, Grace. There is a perfect sirocco of flattery blowing upon him from every quarter."

66 And you have taken a moral alarm! You are afraid these bad airs will cloud his fair soul? I have more faith in him. I believe that his soul is surrounded by a disinfecting atmosphere of its own."

"Ah, Grace! "Lead us not into temptation."

'Yes, I know. But, Eleanor, do you think that Mr. Esterly suspects how much I admire his eloquence ?"

"He should;—if he sees your face in church, he may read your admiration."

Perhaps, Eleanor, you fancy I hold up my face to show it to him?"

Eleanor protested she thought no such thing.

"On my word, I do not," continued Grace, vehemently. "It is involuntary. I cannot droop my head as you do, so like the Naples Psyche-why look hurt, Eleanor? I do not mean in imitation of that heathen divinity, but truly you do look like her, as if you were revolving all serious things in heaven and earth. I asked our rector the other day if he did not perceive a certain resemblance to that most spiritual of all human forms."

"Grace!"

"Don't be alarmed. He was not at all struck by my sisterly conceit."

“What reply did he make ?"

"Ah, you can be curious, sweet sister! Why, he turned off to the window, and said—I can't recall quite what he did say—I know he confessed the resemblance; but let that pass. Now, mine Eleanor-I am going to open my heart to you!"

"Not now, not now, Grace," said her sister hurriedly, "it's past eleven; we must go to bed."

"If the house were on fire, I believe you would go bed at eleven, Eleanor," replied Grace, impatiently.

to

Both sisters proceeded to their disrobing, but when Eleanor laid her head on her pillow, Grace sat down on the bed-side, her dark tresses streaming over her nightdress, and her eyes lighted with the excited and brilliant colour of her cheek, and said eagerly, "Eleanor," and then bending her head, she kissed her sister's cold cheek, and added in a lower tone of her sweet, rich voice, Eleanor, my counsellor and guide, you must hear me now!"

"Speak on, Grace," replied Eleanor, turning her head away from her sister.

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Yes, I will speak, and you must listen, Eleanor."