of Mrs. Henderson for no harm happening when Lady Mary should become violent.

Mrs. Henderson entreated me not to make this attack on me public, and endeavoured to persuade me to remain, assuring me that she was confident the earl would double my salary, as she saw I was so proper a person to be about his sister in her lucid intervals.

It may be easily imagined that nothing could tempt me to remain in such a situation.

I was too unwell from the fierce attack to leave my bed for several days, but when I did so, I hastened to order a hackney-coach, and left the house, without again seeing its distracted mistress.

No one offered to pay me what was due, and I did not like to ask for it.

As usual, I drove to my old shelter at kind Mrs. Davies's, who was highly incensed at my being "taken in " as she called it, and lost no time in repairing to Dr. Matson.

It was through that gentleman's influence I had obtained the situation, but Mrs. Davies would not believe he could have known the

VOL. II.

D

state of Lady Mary's mind; and she hastened therefore to tell him all that had passed.

The good doctor was, as may be supposed, wholly ignorant of it. He simply knew that Lady Mary was of retired and rather eccentric habits, and therefore willingly complied with the wish of her ladyship's physician to recommend a proper person as her attendant.

Dr. Matson felt much annoyed at having been so deceived, and complained bitterly of it to his brother doctor, who, however, declared that Lady Mary was so seldom "excited" that he did not think it worth mentioning.

In the mean time, Dr. Matson, who found that I had not been remunerated for the time I had been with Lady Mary, undertook (unknown to me) to speak to her brother, the Earl of on the subject, and he sent me, by the doctor, twenty pounds, in consideration of the treatment I had received.

And thus ended my connexion with Lady Mary

CHAPTER III.

"Some are unwisely liberal, and more delight To give presents than pay debts."

vantage of her advice as to taking a situation almost immediately offered to me in the family of Sir Thomas and Lady Dryden.

Mrs. Davies heard of it through a dashing milliner, who proposed taking me to Street that very evening.

As I was anxious to be employed, I accompanied Madame Lenoir, and was ushered through a hall full of servants in splendid liveries to the boudoir of Lady Dryden. She was just going to retire to dress for dinner,

but with great cheerfulness admitted us to her toilette.

She asked me very few questions, except about my taste in dress. She laughed heartily when Madame Lenoir told her that I had lived only two months with Lady Mary, and had left her ladyship because I found the place too dull. This was madame's version, which I did not think it necessary to contradict, as I had no wish to expose the unhappy state of the poor lady whom I had just quitted.

"I am not surprised at your running away from Lady Mary," said Lady Dryden, "for I never saw such a formal, gloomy-looking creature in my whole life. You left the Duchess of Beaulieu, I understand," she added, carelessly, "on account of your health. I hope you are strong now, and can come immediately, for my late maid married unexpectedly and has left me in the lurch; and if it were not that Madame Lenoir took compassion on me, and let me have one of her young people, I don't know what I should have done, for as

to suffering one of those plebeian creatures called housemaids to touch me, it is quite out of the question."

It was soon settled that I was to come to her the following morning, and her ladyship, without a moment's hesitation, agreed that I should have a table and rooms to myself.

In less than a week I found myself quite at home in my new abode.

My Lady Dryden was the gayest and most thoughtless of human beings, except, perhaps, her husband. Nothing but routs, balls, and parties from morning till night.

I do not think that I was ever in bed (while in their house) before three or four o'clock in the morning; but then I was never wanted till eleven or twelve o'clock the next day, when I took her ladyship some chocolate while she was in bed; after which she got up. Her toilette and her company occupied all her time and all her thoughts.

Lady Dryden was not handsome, but she had a degagée, fashionable air and manner