Emily is more beautiful and more wise than even your Emily, or any other's Emily ever was. Belike too so'll you find and own.—Indeed, it may so chance, Messire de Manny!"

"Never, never, Sir Knight,” replied Manny, "that may not be.-As beautiful, as wise, I will, through courtesy, accord;-but more beautiful, more wise!-No! mine own honour for biddeth that!"

66

“ Shall I command my Marshal to lay out the lists, and fix a day to settle the debate by single combat?-Though stay; methinks we shall do best to wait till we have beat the foe from out the field; then shall we have full time to void our quarrel. And yet, methinks, if we delay till then, our contest will end without a blow. A few hours hence, on seeing her, you will avow your great presumption, cry mercy, and confess she is more wise, more beautiful -ay, and more virtuous, than damsel ever was, or is, or will be, or indeed can be."

I?-By my good Saint Halidom, never! No! never will Walter Manny own that any Emily possesseth more of these virtues than doth

his own, own true Emily, for whom he fought, and whom he followed."

66 Take you heed that she doth not first cause you to forget your own Emily, and end with making herself your own Emily, Messire Manny. Take you heed of that," replied the Countess, still laughing; and then composing her countenance, and continuing in a graver tone, she added-" In good troth, 'twould not displease me, were this to fortune. I do much desire to find a meet consort for her, poor child! and should such chance to come, I will so dower her with lands in Britany-for she shall not quit me; I will not lose her-that she shall be a fair match for any gentleman.-How say you to't?" "Say, Lady?-truly, I say, that if you did but know my story, and the much love which I already have poured forth from out my heart on one, you would not think my heart had love remaining in it to bestow upon another."

"You have a mistress then in England? Ah! I knew not that; I thought you did but jest," the Countess replied in an altered tone of voice. "Not in England, Lady."

"Where, then?"

"I know not-I have not seen her for many years-'tis a sad story, too sad to be now told."

66

Well, but Messire Manny, sith you know not where your damsel is, nor can guess where to search for her, and sith you have not seen her for many years, 'tis not unlike that my young protégée may strike your fancy yet, and make you think that the possession of an assured wife, is more profitable than the thoughts on an uncertain mistress. I should be glad to retain so brave a knight as you are in my service.-You will take leisure to think of this."

That Manny's early love was of no common kind, was amply proved by the quarrel he had with his father, by his having attempted to follow its object throughout Europe,-and by the length of its duration.

This love, far from having been diminished, had been, if possible, increased by absence, and by many an hour of solitary contemplation; so great indeed was it, that instead of thinking any one could ever replace her in his affections, or of even wishing this to be, that priding himself on

constancy, and feeling a species of joy spring from the very pain he suffered at her loss, he used to fancy he would a thousand times prefer remaining unhappy without Emily, to the being blest with any other. It was a foolish notion this, but a natural one enough to a mind of deep, impassioned feelings; and he who thinks it to be out of nature, may perhaps know a great deal of the world, and be thoroughly versed in all its tricks and tromperies, but can have only a very trifling acquaintance with the human heart.

This being, it may seem surprising that the conversation related above, should have had any effect in turning his thoughts from the Emily he knew, and had so long and devotedly loved, to an Emily whom he had never seen, nor indeed heard of, till within the last two days. Yet so it was! This was a weakness,—such, indeed, he himself mentally owned it to be, and as such did he severely and remorselessly condemn it.

He called it treason, leze féodalité.-He felt ashamed of himself, angry with himself, grieved, humiliated. He strove to banish the thought from his mind. But 'twas all in vain. Emily,

not his Emily, but the other Emily-pas moi,moi ici; mais l'autre moi*—such as she had been painted by the Countess, lovely, virtuous, gentle, courageous-(courage,—not martial valour, but fortitude rather, is as comely in a woman as in our sex, whilst cowardice, being invariably linked to selfishness, is odious in either)-still presented herself to his imagination: and her form, such as he fancied it to be, would creep slily and clandestinely upon it, just at the very moment he thought he had banished it thence for ever.

"At all events," he said to himself, "at all events shall I be right glad to see this new Emily, if only to assure me past all doubt—if truly, indeed, doubt can be!-how far inferior she is in all things to mine own true Emily."

With the desire of thus placing the question beyond all future controversy, he contentedly suffered himself to be impatient to behold her.

During the latter part of the dialogue which

* Intended as an allusion to the two Sosies in one of Molière's pieces.