"No! no! be not uneasy, I am not hurt; indeed I am not, mamma, dear uncle, dear cousin-I am not much hurt." But even as she spoke, the acute pain overcame her, and she fainted away.

"Perhaps a glass of wine might be of service," said Grunter, ashamed to remain at table without any excuse, when all were so alarmed.

“No,” said Julian, sternly, "Miss Lindsay has fainted from extreme pain; she is quite insensible."

"Had you not better take a glass of wine yourself, Mr. Julian? you look very pale." "None but a brute could think of himself, sir, at such a time as this."

Grunter felt the reproof, crimsoned, and left the table, saying, "I'll run to the surgeon's myself. Servants are so stupid, poor dear Miss Ellen.........." but as he opened the door, in came Mr. Bone.

He desired that every one, save Ellen's mother and sister, should leave the room-this all did, and remained for half an hour in that

most wretched of all suspense, that attendant on the suffering and danger of one dear to us. How much of agony is concentrated into those moments when we know that the surgeon's calm hand is putting to torture (albeit necessary) the being we could die to spare! What is the bodily suffering of the patient, compared to the mental anguish of the watcher, when the strained ear catches, perhaps, nothing but the low moan, or irrepressible cry? And all else is silence and mystery-servants gliding noiselessly about, their scared faces adding to one's terrors, and the surgeon calm, bright, and methodical, apparently as unconscious as his own instruments of the pang he gives perhaps making an occasional remark on the weather or the news, or else silent and unconcerned as a mute at a funeral.

For half an hour, which seemed half a day, Julian, pale and agitated, strode up and down the room, now and then ringing the bell for the latest intelligence, now and then swearing in French at the supine, asthmatic old spaniels, and the screeching cockatoo, who always

took care, in any commotion, that his voice should be pitched the loudest, and heard the longest, and answering angrily to the expressions of interest Grunter thought it wise to make use of, while he hovered round the table on which the dessert was spread, and surreptitiously abstracted a few preserves, bonbons, a fig, or a bunch of raisins.

It was Mr. Lindsay's custom to leave the dining-room directly dinner was over, and to have the dessert in a drawing-room looking on the sea. By this time all was nearly dark without; but Grunter, anxious to escape Julian's angry eye, affected to be gazing from the window, while in reality he was conveying to his mouth the dainties hid in his ample hand. Had he dared, he would have helped himself to a glass of wine; but, just as he was about to do so, he encountered Julian's glance, and turned hastily away.

Mr. Lindsay sat pale and still. Annie continued to weep, and Miss Maxwell drove Julian almost mad by long details of perils incurred, and necks and limbs as gude as

broken, by the rash admirers of the charms of Miss Tibby Maxwell.

At length, agitated and tearful, Augusta came to say that Mr. Bone's opinion was not very unfavourable-that Ellen's arm was broken; but that, being a simple fracture, it had been easily set, and would, probably, soon be well—that her shoulder was severely bruised, and that a blow on the back of her head had rendered it necessary to bleed her freely. This, he, Mr. Bone, had done; she had been carried to her own bed, and, though evidently weak and in some pain, Mr. Bone had said that an opiate and perfect quiet would probably secure her a tolerable night; and she herself had sent her love to all, and an assurance that she would soon be quite well.

"Thank Heaven!" exclaimed at once Mr. Lindsay and his son.

"Jist like Donald o' the brae," said Miss Tibby; "he got a ugly fa' a leaping the fence at the Grange; he swore it was jist naething at a', and yet for twa weeks he did na' stir fra' the best bed at the Grange; and he was

na weel for a lang day, though spitefu' folk did say he made himself waur than needfu' — jist for the sake of being nursed and tended by mysel. I was then a young lassie

"And mony said a bonny ain."

Annie was now weeping for joy; and Grunter, not knowing how else to bring the company to the dessert-table, said, "We've much to be grateful for that it is no worse; let us drink to Miss Ellen's perfect recovery, and a welcome to Mr. Julian."

66

Willingly," said Mr. Lindsay, "if Julian will tell us now where he met with Ellen, and what he knows of this accident."

"That I will do presently," said Julian, whose natural and interesting agitation had, now all danger was past, given way to a somewhat affected superciliousness; "at present the bath and the toilet require my attention. I am often accused of not being attached to my native land, but just now there is more of my native land attached to me (pointing to a few small specks of mud on his diminutive and dazzling boots) than any but the rudest patriot