"You have spoken out at last," said Dorothea, highly offended: "this shall never happen again; nor would it have happened now, had not Margarita herself acquiesced in and even wished this arrangement."

"Impossible!" said Augustus.

"Possible or impossible," returned Dorothea, "it is nevertheless perfectly true; and you are at liberty to question my mother upon the subject: but be it as it may, I will leave you henceforward to take care of her yourself." So saying, she withdrew her hand and fell back, while he remained in a state of the utmost perplexity.

The party were now arrived at a root-house, where a cold collation was prepared; and here they all sat down in a state of such ill-humour, that, had it not been for the talents of the gallant captain, things would have passed off very heavily. However, the captain having exerted himself to some purpose, they prepared to walk again with tolerable complacency, though assorted in a manner very different from that in which they had begun their walk; Lady Harriet having been instructed by her daughter to accompany Augustus, while Margarita was left with Lady Anna Maria.

When Augustus was alone with his aunt, he told her what had passed between him and Dorothea, and asked her if it were possible that Margarita should covet Captain Freeman's society.

"I can make no reply to this question," said Lady Harriet; "judge for yourself: and observe," added this lady, "I would not injure my niece in your opinion for the world."

After this distressing tour, the party returned all dissatisfied with one another: and this kind of dissatisfaction continued several days; during which time, every one appeared to be at cross purposes, no one fully understanding the secret motives by which the conduct of the rest was influenced. Augustus was cold, silent, and reserved; keenly observing all that passed. Dorothea was impenetrable, but affecting unconcern. Margarita kept much to herself, and was very busy with her woollen petticoats, endeavouring not to think of any thing else. Lady Anna Maria in the whole scene saw nothing remarkable, and, as usual, felt for no one but herself;

while the captain, from some unaccountable change of feelings, seemed only occupied by Margarita.

In this manner several days passed; when suddenly Augustus gave notice that he was about to return to Ireland on particular business: and the next morning he took his departure with an abruptness which astonished every one, and for which nobody could assign any probable reason.

When Margarita heard of his departure, after feeling thankful that she had been so little with him and thought so little of him, she returned with new energy to her usual occupations: but Dorothea betrayed a degree of agitation, which she had so little power to conceal, as compelled her mother to use very strong arguments in order to reduce her to reason." He is an odd, a very odd young man, Dorothea,” she said; "he is not worth a serious thought."

"O!" said Dorothea, "I am convinced that it is Margarita who has done this mischief; and I know it is because he believed that she was attached to Captain Freeman that he has left us in this strange way."

"And perhaps he will return in as strange a one by and by," said Lady Harriet. "I only wish that Captain Freeman would take Margarita out of the way, and then every thing would be right again."

66

But do you imagine that Captain Freeman seriously thinks of her?" said Dorothea.

"I do," said Lady Harriet: "I have put it into my sister's head, and she has given the captain encouragement."

"And yet," said Dorothea, "I do not imagine he has any serious thoughts of her."

Why not?" said Lady Harriet; "it would be a great thing for him; Margarita has twelve thousand pounds."

"But she is such an oddity," said Dorothea ;—" such a determined oddity."

"She is however a pleasing modest girl, to do her justice," said Lady Harriet.

"I cannot see it," returned Dorothea; "and I am sure Captain Freeman has no serious thoughts of her."

"I should be much offended," said Lady Harriet, "if such a man as that did not think it an honour to be allied

to a grandaughter of the Earl of GLady Harriet Mowbray."

and a niece of

Dorothea put up her lip at this, but what she meant thereby cannot be easily ascertained.

Now inasmuch as in the course of this narrative I have been obliged to bring forward many characters with the similitudes of which, I trust, you may never be acquainted; and to retail many conversations of no profitable tendency; I shall hasten over as concisely as possible some of the events which followed the departure of Augustus Claverton from Mowbray-hall.-During a week all things remained nearly as Augustus had left them: Margarita being utterly unacquainted with her aunt's schemes relative to Captain Freeman; and Dorothea continually evidencing a degree of dissatisfaction, which her mother attributing to the departure of Augustus, used every means in her power to moderate; often calling upon the captain to walk with her daughter, to play with her at backgammon, and to amuse her in other ways. The agitation of Dorothea did not diminish, and at the end of ten days she and the gallant captain were one morning missing; when, by a letter found on the young lady's dressing-table, Lady Harriet was apprized that she must make up her mind to receive that man as her son-in-law, whom she had never coveted in any other point of view than as a nephew. To paint the rage and indignation of Lady Harriet on this occasion is as unnecessary as it would be difficult. She however made a determination, when she understood that the thing was irrevocable, never to see her daughter more; never to acknowledge her sonin-law; and not to leave her daughter a shilling in her will.

In the mean time, the unprincipled pair made their way with all speed to Scotland, where they were married; after which, they returned to England, and arriving in the neighbourhood of Mowbray-hall, Dorothea wrote a very humble letter to her mother, imploring her pardon. Lady Harriet tore the letter in pieces, and again declared that she henceforward renounced her daughter. A second letter was then sent under cover to Margarita, requesting her good offices; on which occasion this excellent young lady braved the utmost resentment of her aunt, who charged her never more to mention Dorothea's name

before her. At the same time she gave her permission to send Dorothea her books and clothes and whatever else belonged to her. With these things Margarita inclosed five guineas of her own, being the only money she could then command. Dorothea had fifteen thousand pounds; part of which had been left by her father, and the rest bequeathed to her by other relations, of which her mother could not deprive her but not being yet of age, she could not at present touch this money. Margarita therefore supposed that she would be in immediate distress, as Captain Freeman's income was very small; and this circumstance she failed not to state to Lady Harriet: but by so doing she inflamed the anger and resentment of the mother to a still higher degree; for the very thought of her daughter having reduced herself to such straits, hurt the pride of Lady Harriet beyond all conception.

When Dorothea found that nothing was at present to be done with her mother, she accompanied her husband to Ireland, where we will leave them for the present.

In the mean time, Celia returned to Mowbray-hall; and Lady Anna Maria left it, in order to pay a visit to her brother the Earl of G--

Rather earlier in the season than usual this year, Lady Harriet took her family to town; with the double motive of dispelling her grief, and making the world believe that she was not in any degree humbled or cast down by the unfortunate marriage of her daughter. But she had not been long in town when she was seized with a violent disorder, supposed to be the effect of mental uneasiness; by which she was brought into such a state of languor as confined her to her room during the whole winter. At this time, Margarita, finding that the presence of Fanny had a consolatory effect on her mother, begged that she might be kept at home, promising to take the charge of her education.

The winter passed away in a melancholy manner in London, and on the appearance of spring, Lady Harriet returned to the country, leaving Celia with Mrs. Dashwood, who was now become one of the gayest ladies about town.

Shortly after the family had fixed themselves again in the country, a marriage of a much more promising nature

took place, with the sanction of all friends. This was between Edmund and Rachel, who had been attached to each other from childhood. Margarita established them in the little tenement she possessed in Wales, which had been bequeathed to her by Lady Susan; furnishing their house from the money which she had saved during the winter, and regretting that she could not herself go over to see every thing arranged to her own taste. She was

only able at first, however, to supply the young couple with bare necessaries: but she afterwards added the furniture of two pretty rooms at one end of the tenement, in which an old lady had formerly lodged, and where Margarita used often to say she would herself reside when she was grown old.

In this situation Edmund was to have the care of a small farm appertaining to the house, and old Martha Lawley was to live with them, for the purpose of assisting them with her counsel, and helping Rachel in her family cares. This happy little party shed many tears on taking leave of their benefactress, when Edmund confessed that he had known from the very first to whom he was indebted for the numerous favours he had received. Margarita felt an inclination to excuse Edmund from paying her any rent; but Mrs. Hill advised her to receive the rent duly from the young people: adding, "If you choose, Miss Margarita, you may lay the rent by for them till they are old, or make them a present of it in some other form; but do not absolve them from paying it, since you would thereby deprive them of one stimulus to industry: and assuredly if they are not disposed to help themselves, you can do nothing effectually to serve them."

As this sentiment agreed entirely with the spirit of Margarita's favourite book, she soon acquiesced in it. And Rachel being now gone, she devoted her undivided time to her aunt and Fanny; fully convinced that the situation of the family at this time demanded the exercise of all those charitable feelings which had hitherto been engaged only in the easier offices of alms-giving and instructing the poor. Since the loss of her health and the destruction of her projects for Dorothea, Lady Harriet had become highly irritable; and as she somehow or other attributed her failure respecting Mr. Claverton entirely to Margarita, notwithstanding all thekind attentions