doors for him, and curtesying with much respect.

When she had closed the last after him, and joined me, she exclaimed, shrugging up her shoulders, "Voilà une belle affaire ! ” "What affair?" I inquired.

"What? Why this unexpected arrival of the marquis," she answered.

"The marquis! What marquis?"

Why the Marquis of St. George, to be sure."

"When did he arrive? and where is he?" I exclaimed.

"He this instant passed you," replied my companion.

"Was that the Marquis St. George?" I asked eagerly, thinking with shame of my coolness in giving him the trouble to search out the books for me in the morning.

"Yes," she replied; "he arrived late last night, but gave orders not to have his arrival announced till he had seen the duke.

"So we knew nothing of it till just as the duchess had finished her toilette. How ab

surd," she added, "taking people by surprise in this way. The duchess could not refuse to admit him to pay his respects, though she had rather have seen the devil himself!

hope is that he will not remain long."

All I

"Oh! mon Dieu, it is not very pleasant I think for our amiable duchess to see him occupy the place which she wishes for her own son. But what do you think of the marquis?"

I replied that I thought him very handsome, and with a particularly pleasing expression of countenance and manner.

Why you do not mean to compare him to the charming Adolphe ?"

I could not help smiling, for indeed I could not mean to compare that spoilt, conceited, pretty, girlish-looking lad to his noble-looking brother.

"Truly, Therèse," she said, "I detest that St. George!"

I almost started, so bitterly did she express herself, and so malevolent was her look at the

moment. I had not believed her capable of such feelings, as she was generally all smiles.

I was about to remonstrate with her, when her grace's bell summoned us, and we hurried to answer it.

She was in a very gloomy humour, and desired Mittonet to dress herself immediately to accompany her in the carriage, as she " did not feel well," she said.

I was thus left alone for some time, and found from Kitty that all the old servants were rejoiced at the unexpected return of the young marquis, who was as greatly beloved as his spoilt brother was disliked and despised.

For a few days the duchess still appeared restless and out of humour. She sent for me one morning to read to her as she lay listless on the sofa, then, changing her mind, made me play and sing to my guitar.

In the middle of this the door opened, and her grace's page announced the Marquis of St. George.

She started, and seemed for a moment

VOL. I.

confused; at length recovering herself, she begged his lordship to be seated.

"I only came," he said, "to take my leave of your grace, as I am about to start for town, where I shall stop a few days, therefore do not let me interrupt you."

I was, of course, about to leave the room, when the duchess, who for some reason or other seemed to have lost her usual fluency, made some remark upon my singing, saying,

Perhaps your lordship would like to hear her sing."

To this he assented, and her grace, without at all attending to my confusion at thus being obliged to exhibit before the marquis, desired me to go on.

I sang as short a song as I could, but the marquis seemed pleased, and asked for another, and in so obliging and polite a manner that it put me rather more at my ease.

At the end of my performance, he said in a low voice to the duchess, "Elle est bien belle!”

My confusion was completed when her

grace (who had in some measure recovered her spirits,) laughed and said, "Your lordship must not speak French or Italian before her, as she understands both the languages as well as you do."

The marquis appeared distressed, and was going to say something, when the duchess dismissed me, saying, "Wait in the ante-room till I ring."

I felt for the first time distressed and shocked at being treated as a dependent, and when I reached the ante-room I burst into tears. Before I could recover myself, the door of the drawing-room opened and the marquis appeared.

I hastened to open the opposite door leading into the gallery, as I concluded it to be my duty, having seen Mittonet do the same when he before passed through the rooms.

He kindly endeavoured to prevent me, at the same time thanking me for having so much delighted him by my performance. Then looking kindly in my face, and perceiving that I had been weeping, he added, “I hope I did