"Here she is," continued Lady L—. "Let us see what lame excuses she will make to extricate herself from her present dilemma."

The marchesa on entering the room appeared confounded at sight of the austere Lady L, and still more so at that of Lord Henry, as she no doubt had expected a tête-àtête with his lady.

Lord Henry at once informed the marchesa of the reason of her presence being required, and begged that she would immediately do him the favour to inform him of the name of

the

person who had volunteered so many calumnious reports respecting his conduct.

The marchesa hesitated, and then tried to persuade his lordship that Lady Henry must have mistaken her on some points, and that on others she was really only joking."

"Those sort of jokes are rather too serious, madam," said Lady L-," and I beg to say that the happiness of an affectionate husband and wife are not to be joked away, and I must inform you at once, that unless you can pro

.

duce the author of these atrocious calumnies, we shall be obliged to suppose that they orinated with yourself, and shall in consequence be compelled to withdraw from your society, and inform our English friends of our reasons for so doing."

"My dear signora," said the marchesa, listen, and believe me, it was not I who invented this shocking story, indeed I never believed it, and told our friend here that I was convinced it was false."

"If you were convinced that it was false, why propagate such atrocious untruths? at least why reiterate them in the ears of my beloved wife?" asked Lord Henry.

"Ah! my dear signor, I did not think she would take such a trifle to heart."

"A trifle!" echoed Lady Henry, who now spoke for the first time.

"A trifle, you did not appear to consider it a trifle when you conversed with me on this painful subject, poor deluded fool that I was."

"I want to come to the fact," said Lord

Henry," and I ask you, madam, for the last time, from whom you derived the information which you so kindly and carefully conveyed to my wife."

This was said in so determined a tone that the marchesa was obliged to give a decisive

answer.

It was from her maid, she said, that she had derived all her information.

"I will trouble you then, madam, to send for her," said Lord Henry, ringing at the same time the bell.

The marchesa could not refuse, and a message was in consequence despatched with her carriage to convey her maid to the scene of action.

The woman soon arrived, and was immediately shown into the saloon where we were all assembled, when what was the surprise, the amazement of Lord and Lady Henry and myself, to find that the soubrette of the marchesa was no other than Sophie, the cruel tormentor of poor Carlos.

No sooner did this bold and bad woman VOL. III.

G

make her appearance, than I almost acquitted the marchesa of having been the inventress of the malicious reports which had caused so much misery to Lord and Lady Henry and myself.

I felt convinced, from all I had heard and seen of Sophie, that she was quite capable of committing any act of cruelty and injustice, and that it was most probable revenge had been her principal motive for the part which she had played on this distressing occa

sion.

CHAPTER V.

"No, be assur'd, you shall not find me, daughter, After the slander of most step-mothers."

SHAKSPEARE.

A FILM seemed to have fallen from the eyes and imagination of the hitherto unhappy Lady Henry, when she discovered who was the authoress of the detestable reports against her beloved husband and myself.

Sophie, who had fancied that her lady had been taken ill and wanted her assistance, was at first completely confounded when she found herself in the company of her former lord and lady; but she soon recovered her usual effrontery, and gave her answers to the questions put to her with dauntless impudence. So far from attempting, like her mistress, to equivocate or deny what she had asserted, she merely