where her ladyship purchased a curious little heath for her aunt; and as she seemed anxious to take it back with her, I carried it. As soon as we reached the house, the door of which was open, we mounted the stairs, and Lady Helen desiring me to follow her with the plant, we entered the drawing-room together. The scene that presented itself opened at once the eyes of the unhappy Lady Helen. Her faithless lover was standing near the fireplace, with his arm round the waist of the heartless flirt, and her head was reclining on his shoulder. A groan which escaped Lady Helen and an exclamation from myself startled the two culprits. Sir Edward did look ashamed and confounded, but Miss Lovelyn turned a look of triumph on her victim, and said, carelessly,

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Well, what is the matter, Helen?"

"Oh! Edward," exclaimed the latter, while sobs checked her utterance, and she sunk into a chair.

He approached her, and was about to say something, when Miss Lovelyn stopped him by saying, "It is only a jealous fit, Sir Ed

ward. Everybody is jealous of me, you know; but I am sure I cannot tell why."

The gentleman turned an admiring look on the syren, which did not escape Lady Helen, who rose to leave the room. Sir Edward did not attempt to prevent her; and with difficulty I led her upstairs to her own chamber. When there, she threw herself on a couch, and covering her face with her hands, burst into tears.

I could offer her no consolation, as I felt convinced that Miss Lovelyn had wrought such an extraordinary and complete change in Sir Edward's feelings, as to make it very doubtful whether he would ever return to the allegiance he owed to Lady Helen. Besides, I considered the artifice which had been used by him and the heartless flirt to keep Lady Helen in ignorance of the good understanding, which had certainly subsisted between them ever since we had been at Cheltenham, was one of the worst symptoms of the affair.

After a while, Lady Helen became rather more composed, and by dinner time was able to join the family party. Sir Edward was

silent, while Miss Lovelyn was in high spirits, and declared she had given up a very gay ball in order to amuse the two gloomy-looking lovers, as she called them, adding, "To see you both, any one would imagine that you had been married a twelvemonth."

Lady Helen's heart was too full to reply to her cousin's gaiety, and finding that Sir Edward continued silent and abstracted, and only gave short and constrained answers to the little she said, she could not restrain her tears, and taking the hand of her altered lover, while Miss Lovelyn had risen to go to the piano, she said softly, “What has happened, Edward, to make you act so strangely and coldly towards me, while to my cousin you are all kindness.”

"I am sorry I cannot please you, Lady Helen," he said. "Once you reproached me for being too formal to Miss Lovelyn, and now that I am civil to her you are angry.”

Angry! and Lady Helen! Oh, Edward, what do you mean? for Heaven's sake do not make me miserable."

"I should be very sorry," he coldly replied,

"to do any thing to make Lady Helen St. Clare miserable, and, therefore, as I cannot please her, it would be as well perhaps to take my leave."

He rose as he said this, while poor Lady Helen's tears flowed afresh.

As he passed the piano, he bade Miss Lovelyn good night.

"Good night?" she repeated, " indeed you shall not run away thus. Have I not stayed at home on purpose to amuse you, you ungrateful man. Come, sing the second of this song, you know it is not every body that I like to sing with, therefore you ought to be extremely flattered." Saying this she looked so bewitchingly in his face that he remained by her side the rest rest of the evening. Lady Helen could bear this conduct no longer, and quitted the room as quietly as she could, during a duet which was being sung by her two tormentors. I was in her ladyship's dressingroom when she entered, tears streaming down her sweet face. I could no longer re

strain my indignation, as I felt too sure who had caused them to flow. She laid her throbbing head on my bosom, while she with sobs related all that had passed.

very

It may, perhaps, seem strange that she should speak thus openly, and on such a subject, to a person in my situation, and whom she had known only one year; but as she herself told me, she had no female relative in England nearer to her than those with whom she was now domesticated, and having lived a secluded life with her invalid father, had no very intimate friend. I had been her almost incessant companion, and she had received such extremely partial and high testimonials of me from my incessant friend, Lady Eustace, in addition to those from Dr. Matson, that when she found I was, (as she was pleased to say,) as well-informed as herself, she would not suffer me to be other to her than a companion and friend, while a young woman was engaged to wait upon her ladyship. Having thus explained how we were situated with