soul before Him in prayer, but a sudden faintness overpowered me. I threw myself on the bed. I believe I slept ; at any rate, I remained a long time in a state of insensibility -three or four hours, I should think-for when I awoke it was nearly dark. My daughters had covered me with a counterpane, thinking I was asleep. I got up, but I felt very feeble; my body is, indeed, brought low, but my mind, thanks be to God! has regained its strength.

When I went downstairs, I found Mr. Shirley sitting by the fire. I know that young man has a feeling heart, for he took my hand with an affectionate pressure that vibrated through my breast. He saw that we were sad, but he was too delicate to appear to notice it. I could not prevail upon myself to tell him of my involvement with Thomson, it is such a reflection upon my prudence; but I informed him of Doctor Plufty's letter, in order to account for my gravity, for I was afraid he would think the seeming coldness of my reception of him was on account of his not yet having paid me his little debt. I have not the heart to forbid his visits, he appears so happy with us, and makes himself so entirely at home. He told me, poor young man, with tears in his eyes, that he had neither father nor mother, and that he counted it quite a blessing to be allowed to come to us in a domestic way: no doubt, it reminds him of his own fireside. How, then, can I say to him otherwise than that he is welcome? besides, it perhaps keeps him out of the dissipated society which he is so exposed to, by his unfortunate profession. I often wish he was anything but what he is. My neighbours, too, may, I fear, think it unseemly that I should be thus familiar with a player. I fancy sometimes they look upon me more coldly than they were wont to do; but, perhaps, they may have heard that I am in disgrace with Doctor Plufty.

Mr. Shirley coloured with indignation when I told him of the doctor's letter-his temples and forehead were quite red; but he seemed to think of it more as an affront, an ungentlemanly thing," as he strangely expressed himself, than as an injury striking at the very root of my means of subsistence: he is yet too young to think much of pecuniary things.

COLLEGE BILLS AND THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS.

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"I shall tell the doctor what I think of his behaviour, one day," said he.

"Are you, then, acquainted with him personally?" I inquired.

Enough to speak my mind to him, when an opportunity may occur," he replied.

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'Do you know the young ladies?" asked Lucy.

"About as well as I do their father," he said..

They are very clever, are they not?" continued Lucy. "I have not found it out," replied the young man, with rather an odd sort of smile; "but the youngest is, I believe, of a disposition rather amiable than otherwise." And here the discourse dropped, for neither my daughters nor myself had the spirits to continue it; and the young man, seeing that we could not shake off the burthen that oppressed us, considerately took his leave. Margaret went with him to the door, to open it for him, and I think he said something kind and consolatory to her as he went out, for her countenance wore an expression of hope and serenity when she returned, that seemed to cheer my heart also.

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."

"The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in Him."

CHAPTER XXV.

COLLEGE BILLS AND THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS.

AFTER the explanation that had taken place between Mrs. Plufty and the doctor, things went on much as usual at Gormanton. Miss Plufty sat with her embroidery at the window, watching for visitors; and Miss Emily Eleonora pursued her rural rambles, much to the advantage of her complexion, and apparently of her spirits.

One morning Miss Plufty's patience was rewarded by the sight of a couple of equestrians approaching the house. In one of them she recognised Clement Courtney; the other she did not know, and, therefore, naturally decided that it must be Lord Orville, and so it was.

"Good morning, Mrs. Plufty! good morning, Miss Plufty!" said Clement. "Give me leave to present my friend, Lord Orville."

And then the parties all bowed and smiled to each other, and Mrs. Plufty said,

"Very happy, I'm sure, to see his lordship, and the doctor would have been so happy too, but he's gone to Cambridge, to a public meeting, and Emily is out walking. How very unlucky it is!-how sorry she will be !-and how sorry the doctor will be !"

And then his lordship hoped he should be more fortunate another time, and Mrs. Plufty hoped that now he had found his way to the Rectory, they should have the pleasure of seeing him very often; and then his lordship bowed, and said something about being "very happy ;" and then the conversation turned upon the country, and then upon Cambridge, and then upon amusements, and then upon the theatre.

"I believe there is a very clever actor at Barnwell now," said Miss Plufty, "of the name of Shirley."

Courtney looked at Lord Orville with a peculiar expression. Miss Plufty thought she detected a heightened colour on the brow of each.

"Yes," said his lordship, "he is a very clever actor, and a very clever fellow too; he and I have had many a frolic together. I played Aimwell once to his Archer, in the 'Beau Stratagem,' to a select audience, in a private barn.” Mrs. Plufty drew herself up.

"But I thought," said she stiffly, "that this Shirley was a professional player, a regular actor."

"Why, as for that," said his lordship, "he is and he is not. In the first place, he is not regular in anything any more than I am. I persuaded him to come to Cambridge with me this term, by way of companionship, and so he thought he would just astonish the people by giving them a specimen of his histrionic abilities."

Mrs. Plufty and her daughter were lost in amazement that a young man of Lord Orville's rank should choose a person so much beneath him for a companion. Had it been Doctor Plufty's son that he had formed an intimacy with, that would have been only natural and becoming. Their

inward cogitations on the subject were interrupted by the entrance of the footman, with a card for Lord Orville. "The gentleman wishes to speak a word with his lordship."

"Show the gentleman up," said Mrs. Plufty.-"No," said his lordship, who had turned rather pale as he looked at the card, "I will go to him. Excuse me."

He hastily left the room, throwing the card to Courtney, who, casting his eye upon it, exclaimed, "Shirley! God grant all may end well. Excuse me a moment," and off he

also darted.

"How very odd !" said Miss Plufty. "I hope it is not a challenge!"

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My dear, how absurd! Can you imagine it possible for a player to challenge a lord!" The player and the lord at that moment were seen rapidly crossing the lawn arm in arm, and in earnest conversation. They mounted their horses at the gate, and galloped off together.

Courtney returned to the drawing-room, evidently agitated. "I come to make Orville's apologies," said he; "Shirley has brought him intelligence that requires his immediate presence at Cambridge."

"Nothing dangerous, I hope," said Mrs. Plufty.

I fervently hope not," said Courtney; "but I must follow him. Pray excuse my abruptness; I will come again very soon."

And so the brief visit ended; and the long, long-wished for introduction of Lord Orville had actually taken place, without a single good resulting from it, excepting that, at any rate, he could now have a card sent him for the ball.

Just as this consolatory consideration suggested itself, in came Miss Emily Eleonora, somewhat fatigued, and slightly

nervous.

"Well, Emily, now how provoking it is," said her mamma;" only think, you will never guess who has been here!"

"I know, mamma," said Miss Emily, with a flutter proportioned to the occasion; "I met them in the lane."

"Them! Who do you mean? How do you know they have been here? You could only know Mr. Courtney, at any rate, not the other two," said Miss Plufty.

"No," said Miss Emily, colouring very deeply, "but I,that is, I-one of them was the gentleman that came over

the garden-wall." A flood of tears relieved Miss Emily's agitated bosom.

"Well, my dear, do not cry," said her mamma, encouragingly; "it was most likely Lord Orville."

"Or Mr. Shirley," said Miss Plufty, with a somewhat disdainful toss of the head.

"It fluttered me so," said the weeping heroine.

"Well, my dear," said Mrs. Plufty, "you will see his lordship again, at any rate, for he has promised to come to our ball, and we will send out the cards this very day; so take off your bonnet, and let us begin to make out the list."

Poor Emily was really tired; for what is so fatiguing as a long, sauntering stroll, without achieving the end for which it has been undertaken? and then to think that if she had stayed quietly at home she would have seen the very individual she went out to see! and still more provoking, that she would also have been seen by him to so much more advantage, for she had sense enough to know that young ladies never appear more really amiable or agreeable than at home. It certainly was very trying to her philosophy; but how many young ladies, on the look-out for husbands, run about from place to place on the continent, after having exhausted all the fashionable marriage-marts in England, and then returning to their own firesides, in all the despairing calm of anticipated celibacy, find the destined suitor quietly waiting for them, perhaps in the person of one of their nearest neighbours!

The various consultations that took place respecting who should be included and who omitted, in the invitations; who were genteel and who ungenteel; who were desirable and who undesirable-occupied the ladies so fully, that dinnertime and the doctor arrived before they had filled up a single card.

The doctor was accompanied by his son: neither of them appeared in very good humour, either with themselves or with each other. The visit of Lord Orville was, of course, the first topic introduced. The doctor lamented his bad fortune in being out of the way. Miss Emily Eleanora cast her eyes down in interesting confusion, whilst his lordship's vivacity and condescending manners formed the theme of