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having vainly tried to ascertain by standing on her tip-toes and on a stool in the room, ventured an adroit peep from behind a curtain.

"It is Sir Peter Riskwell, my love," exclaimed the mother, hastily throwing herself into a bergère in a dégagé attitude, "in the most dashing carriage, dearest; such horses! such liveries!-two handsome powdered giants behind, and a Daniel Lambert in a three-cornered hat and wig on the box! Don't give him a positive refusal, my love, you may repent of it; temporise a little, darling, say you cannot make up your mind at once; at any rate, do not quite reject him."

The door was thrown open, and Sir Peter entered. Sir Peter, as a man of business, was generally punctual to a minute, but as his heart had acted as watch on the present occasion, he was a little before his time. He was a man of about forty, somewhat bald, sandy, and florid, with very light eyelashes, and no perceptible eyebrows-a quick and restless eye and a smiling mouth; his face and form were rather embonpoint, and though his daring

speculations and reputed wealth had introduced him to all the men about town, and his great object was to acquire an aristocratic and fashionable air, to achieve which he tried to out d'Orsay d'Orsay, and employed his tailors, he could never contrive to seem any thing but a respectable middle-aged man. He attempted a dark wig and whiskers; they made him look old and surly, and therefore more respectable still. In a very dashing equipage he appeared, 'as he well knew, more what he aimed at, than on any other occasion, but he could not drive his equipage into a drawing-room; in common with many who have little else to boast of, he wished he could.

He had sometimes seen himself in crowded rooms, reflected in endless pier-glasses, while some aristocratic fop (bent on borrowing of him) was hanging on his arm, and calling him his "Dear Risk well," and though he looked a quiet, respectable, moneyed man, and the fop appeared what he was, a roué scamp almost "done up," he would gladly have given him ten times the sum he was trying to wheedle him

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out of, for his thin aquiline or Grecian nose, haughty eye, and cold hereditary sneer and stare ; yes, and have thought it the most glorious speculation he ever entered upon - but all in vain. The glass still reflected them as they stood together-the proud face and tall form of the aristocrat with an hyperion fabric on his head, either natural or artificial, and the white thin hand on Riskwell's round short armall this, contrasted with Sir Peter's ever-polished shining bald head, with a little sandy hook of hair on each temple, round florid cheeks, red bullish neck, large ears, and short fat hand-and seeing this, all the "dear "Riskwells," and "my good fellows," and "devilish neat turn-out, that of yours," and "I've a real regard for you, Riskwell, have, 'pon honour;" all these, and such as these, lost their effect, and Riskwell inwardly vowed not to help him who so completely eclipsed him in the drawing-room, to cut him out in Hyde Park, where he resolved, in the "neatest thing of the season," nearly to drive over the aristocrat, who, being just then poor as a rat,

would of course be either on foot, on an humble hack, or in a shabby jobbed cab.

After trying on all the gayest articles in his wardrobe for this important occasion, Sir Peter had decided that he looked most distingué in a whole suit of light brown; some dandy of the day, whom nothing could disfigure, having appeared with great éclat in such a one. The choice was not judicious; never had Augusta been so struck by his "repectable, clerk-like appearance" as on that day. Mrs. Lindsay sighed, and thought "If he could but have entered in his new carriage!"

Augusta, as she looked at him, resolved not to disgrace her elegant noble-looking cousin by giving him such a rival; she felt almost in dignant that so plebeian a lover should present himself with so much smiling assurance, to the proudest and most beautiful daughter of the ancient house of Lindsay.

Sir Peter looked rather disappointed at perceiving Mrs. Lindsay seated with the immoveable air of a person resolved to remain. He began, as all Englishmen do, with the

weather, on which he made some very contradictory remarks. Mrs. Lindsay then admired his equipage, and, taking advantage of this opening, he turned to Augusta, and said, "that he hoped, if he were so fortunate as to meet with a lady of refined taste to direct his own, no equipages would be able to vie with his."

Augusta smiled, and affected not to understand him.

"You surely understand me, lovely Miss Lindsay," he exclaimed, turning very red, and speaking rapidly," the object of my visit you are already aware of. I lay myself and my fortune at your feet; your own fortune, whatever it may be, shall be settled on yourself, and....," he hesitated, "and etcetera, in addition to which, I will settle fifty thousand pounds upon you, and the estate of Riskwell, in case of your surviving me, as my widow, if you remain unmarried, the estate . . .

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Pause, Sir Peter," said Augusta, proudly, "it is useless to provide for me as your widow, since I have no intention of becoming your wife."

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