river, and point out the different spots where as a boy he had spent hours with his fishing-rod or books. Agatha enjoyed these evenings immensely; but everything has an end, and generally the most unpleasant things come most unexpectedly.

It had been a very hot August day, and Mrs. Vernor was confined to her bed by a bad nervous headache. Agatha was sitting under the only tree in the garden, on a rustic wooden bench, which Mr. Lynn had taken great pains to erect a few days before. She was hoping he himself might come, when the gate opened and he walked in.

'I am so glad to see you,' said Agatha; I was getting positively dull in spite of the new book.'

Mr. Lynn held up a tiny note. 'My mother has sent me with this.' Agatha put out her hand to take it, but he raised it out of her reach.

It is for Mrs. Vernor, but I can tell you its contents.'

'I can guess,' said Agatha; 'it is to go to tea-and I accept.' Mr. Lynn sat down. Vernor?'

'And Mrs.

'I forgot,' exclaimed Agatha. 'Mrs. Vernor will not, I fear, be well enough to go, she has one of her bad nervous headaches.'

'But she will be better I dare say by to-morrow.'

'Oh!' said Agatha, in a tone that had a shade of disappointment in it, 'I thought it was for to-night.'

'To-night I could not have been at home, and I had the vanity to flatter myself that I might be missed.'

Agatha looked up; Mr. Lynn was looking at her, and something in his expression and the low tones of his voice made the colour come to her cheeks. Neither of them spoke for some time, then Agatha proposed that he should read to her, as he generally did whenever he came to the cottage. Mr. Lynn acquiesced at once, but suggested an adjournment to the shady sand-bank which was by the sea-shore; so there they went, and Agatha took out her work, and Mr. Lynn read, in a rich deep voice, Tennyson's Locksley Hall.'

Perhaps Agatha had never felt so

happy as she did that afternoon. We all of us are more or less the victims of circumstances, and he loved her before he discovered a flaw in his idol; and even afterwards, when he saw her as she really was, under the influence of the world's verdict, he loved her still.

How little they thought that August afternoon how long it would be before they were destined again to see the sun sink over that calm broad sea, or watch the little fishing boats dotted far and wide against the horizon; how little Agatha expected to see her brother when, looking up quite suddenly, Captain Valentine Burton was standing before her.

You are surprised to see me, Agatha,' he said, in the same tone that he would have used had they only parted that morning. Agatha was surprised, but she made a desperate effort not to look embarrassed, and after returning his salutation, introduced Mr. Lynn. The two young men bowed, and then Captain Burton continued, 'I found that Mrs. Vernor was in bed, so that, being debarred from the pleasure of seeing her, I came in search of you.'

Agatha tried to appear glad to see him, but she really felt that the constraint was painful; so she got up, took her brother's offered arm, and suggested their return to the house. At the gate Mr. Lynn wished them good-bye. Agatha longed to say something about the invitation, or send some message to his mother, but Captain) Valentine was looking on; so she only gave her hand and asked him if he would not come in. Mr. Lynn declined, and then she followed her brother into the house. After Captain Burton had satisfied his inner man with some needful refreshment, Agatha proposed that they should go out of doors, the evening being intensely hot and the room small. Captain Burton readily acquiescing they strolled into the garden, and sat down on the wooden bench under the tree-the tree that had seemed so different to Agatha a few hours ago. Captain Valentine took out a cigar-case, lit a cigar, and said in a tone of voice that lingered on the borders of a sneer,—

Might I venture to inquire who is the new victim on whom you are now exercising your Vere de Vere talents?'

An angry light flashed from Agatha's eyes, but she said coldly,

If it is any gratification to you, you may-he is a friend of Mrs. Vernor.'

'I should have said of yours,' replied Captain Burton, with an intonation that annoyed Agatha, more than she cared to own even to herself.

'Yes, he is a friend of mine also; his father is a doctor in Denborough.' She tried to say it indifferently, but she felt vexed by conjecturing what her brother would think.

'I must congratulate you, Agatha, on having such distinguished friends.'

'What you choose to think or say of my friends must always be a matter of perfect indifference to me,' said Agatha.

'It may be,' replied her brother, removing his cigar, and lightly knocking off the ashes from the end with his little finger, but how about the Earl?'

The hot blood rushed into Agatha's cheeks.

'I should be obliged to you never to mention his name to me again.'

'I am afraid that your request is impossible, as it is entirely on Lord Dunmore's account that I am now sitting beside my fair sister on this very uncomfortable bench.'

'On Lord Dunmore's account?' 'Yes, Lord Dunmore is at Brighton.'

'I cannot see,' said Agatha, 'how Lord Dunmore's movements can in any way affect mine.'

'My mother has sent me to fetch you home.'

Agatha looked up amazed. 'Back to Brighton?'

'Yes, back to Brighton.'

'I shan't go,' said Agatha, decisively.

'Nonsense, Agatha,' replied her brother, in a tone that was half conciliating; the Earl has been asking for you, and my mother said she was expecting your return in two or three days at the latest, and so

he is remaining on purpose to see you.'

'I thought,' she said, 'he had gone abroad.'

'And so he had, but he has somehow managed to elude his lady mother, and if you ever had a chance of securing the prize, you have it now.'

Oh, Val,' said Agatha, passionately, if you only knew how hateful all this is to me, you would spare me; you would help me to escape the humiliation of trying to marry a man I never could love, in exchange for the doubtful happiness of securing a grand worldly position.'

But Captain Valentine Burton was not in the least persuaded into countenancing what he thought a romantic absurdity; besides which he was really anxious for Agatha's marriage with Lord Dunmore, as being likely to advance a little affair of his own. Captain Burton was not in love, but he was in debt, and this made him extremely anxious to secure the hand and fortune of a certain beautiful Miss Chatterton, who he had met in Dublin; and he believed that a powerful brotherin-law would promote his interests with her friends, when he might otherwise fail. So he told Agatha that it was a case in which he could not interfere, but that having been sent for her all the way into Lancashire, he should really be afraid of the consequences if she refused to return with him: so after a good deal more persuasion, Agatha was obliged to consent, as there seemed no chance of escape, and it was arranged that they should leave St. Helens in a couple of days, Captain Valentine congratulating himself on having obtained a victory, which at the commencement seemed likely to give him some trouble.

The next morning at breakfast, much to Agatha's relief, Captain Burton announced his intention of going out for the day, as he had some friends in the neighbourhood whom he had promised to visit should he ever come into that part of the world. Mrs. Vernor tried to persuade him to join them at Dr. Lynn's in the evening, but this he declined, saying that he should be

home too late, and to Agatha that, however she might reconcile herself to drink tea in the middle of the day with old women and doctors in a poky country town, he certainly had hitherto failed to cultivate his tastes in so exalted a direction.

Agatha never knew how that last evening went; she knew that she expected Mr. Lynn all day, and that he never came, and just after their arrival in High Street it began to rain in torrents, so that going out into the garden was impossible, and the conversation was general. The greatest surprise and sorrow was expressed at Agatha's sudden and unexpected departure by the Doctor and his wife, whilst Mr. Lynn was gloomy, silent, and abstracted. It was not until they were going away that he and Agatha had even a moment's opportunity of speaking to each other in private.

She had hoped all the evening that the rain would cease, and that they might walk home, but this turned out to be impossible; so a fly was ordered, and it was arranged that they should drive. Mr. Lynn had followed Agatha into the hall to find her cloak and hat, which she had left upon the table. What he said Agatha could never clearly recall, but she went to bed that night with a dreamy impression that he loved her, and that he had asked her to remember and to trust him; that he had said some passionate words about the future; that his last look at her had been one of unutterable tenderness; and that the lingering pressure of his hand had been unreproved by her; and she felt as she closed her eyes that she could bear the future better now that she knew HE cared for her. She thought it was only her vanity that was gratified, and not until she saw Mr. Lynn again did she realize how much those who love suffer in comparison with those who do not.

On Agatha's arrival in Brighton, Mrs. Burton was charmed with her improved personal appearance.

Really, Agatha,' she said, 'going to St. Helens was quite the best thing you could have done, and, after all, you have not lost much of Lord Dunmore's society. He came

this morning to ask when I expected you, and we are to meet him on the Parade this evening: but only guess who else is here.'

Agatha shook her head.

'Lady Alice Wendover, and her aunt, Lady Monckton, is trying all she can to secure the Earl. I consider it,' said Mrs. Burton, with rising indignation, forward to a degree, the way those people run after that man, and I'm sure Lady Alice came here on purpose.'

'Is Lord Dunmore making any long stay?' said Agatha.

'I fancy, Agatha,' said her mother, playfully, that will depend very much upon you, and how you play your cards. He has left his mother in Paris, and is supposed to be gone to the Highlands for shooting.'

Agatha felt a far greater antipathy for Lord Dunmore now than she had ever done in London, but she also felt at the same time that any remonstrance on her part would be useless; so she only shook her head, and hinted that Lady Alice had been as great, if not a greater, favourite than herself.

Mrs. Burton would not for a moment admit this, and insisted on going over with Agatha their plans for the ensuing week; so the end of it all was that in a few days Agatha was plunged into such a round of gaiety, that the better influence, nay, almost the remembrance, of peaceful, happy St. Helens was lost to her.

Lord Dunmore's attentions certainly became more decided than they had ever been in London; still there were moments when Mrs. Burton felt most painfully that, after all, he might propose to Lady Alice instead, and she urged Agatha to outshine her rival as much as it was possible. If beauty could have done anything towards attracting Lord Dunmore, Mrs. Burton felt sure that no comparison could ever arise between Lady Alice and Agatha, but it was Agatha herself that she doubted. Sometimes, when the Earl was endeavouring to make himself most agreeable, Agatha would be silent and abstracted, and Mrs. Burton's sufferings would be all the greater, as she feared that any direct interference on her part might only