"La, cousin, how do you do?" Let the woman of feeling, unjustly accused of cruelty-the man of honour, maliciously pronounced dishonourable— No, we are wrong-indignation were here legitimate. Rather let the worthless wife, long glorying in impunity, when first convicted of her guilt-let the systematic slanderer, boastful of his affected truth, just detected in falsehood -let these, and such as these, recall the anguish of their shame, and they may faintly image the consternation of Miss Patty Muddleton.

She spoke not-she moved not; some very inquisitive glances from her noble attendant appeared to increase her agitation. It has been whispered to us, but we do not announce it as a fact, the noble lord had just before inquired who was that miserable object? and that Miss Patty had succinctly replied that, upon her honour! she did not know.

Mrs. Egerton was awakened from her

benevo

benevolent belief that Mrs. Barbara had made a mistake, by the second exclamation of that good woman.

"There now-I see I have vexed her! Well, I am very sorry-she often tells me I must not speak so loud in company."

Poor Miss Patty! she sickened beneath the calm contempt of Mrs. Egerton's speaking glance, and splashing through the kennel, rushed forwards.

Womanly curiosity, that bane of womanly repose, gave new pangs to her humiliation, when, looking back upon the party, she beheld his right honourable lordship, with his two right honourable hands, actually removing the obtruding wheelbarrow. Nor were the loud and reiterated thanks of the grateful cripple, nor the graceful move with which Mrs. Egerton acknowledged the courtesy, lost upon her-all, all were thorns and thistles to her fretted bosom. 'Little even did she approve the sort of exulting

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exulting smile, with which his lordship, when he again joined her, announced his happiness in having been instrumental to the service of "her worthy cousin."

At the bottom of the village stood the newly-arrived Mr. Knowlesdon, a mirthful spectator of the scene.—" Your experiment was too severe," said he, drawing the pressing arm of Mrs. Barbara from Mrs. Egerton's into his own;

good Miss Patty was in her boiling point, when in contact with the earl, and you too abruptly sunk her to the freezing point by the approximation of Mrs. Barbara. There is no thermome ter in the world that can bear such rapid changes without powerful agitation."

He then proceeded, as he slowly moved towards Mrs. Barbara's humble dwelling, to give many instances of Miss Muddleton's exquisite sensibility: how he once had discovered the bank

ruptcy

ruptcy of a tradesman, by the chill glance that took place of Miss Patty's usual warm salutation (N. B. the man was a bachelor), and how he had also ascertained the truth of a floating rumour, that a certain youth was left sole heir to his uncle, by her cool courtesy being transformed into a glowing shake of the hand.

Laughing, they reached Mrs. Maude's abode. The little apartment, generally neat and well arranged, was in a state of disorder, the glass had been removed from its nail, and the table was scattered with curl-papers, combs, and pins.

"Bless us! here's a confusion!" said Mrs. Barbara, instantly occupying herself in replacing the glass, and removing the heterogeneous articles from the table.

"Your children have been playing sad tricks here," said the solicitor.

"Children!" exclaimed Mrs. Egerton. "Did you not know Miss Barbara had a family?" answered the solicitor.

"La! bless you, my dear sir, they are none of mine! only two orphans, bequeathed to me by a dead pennyless brother. Oh, how much have I to be thankful for, in being able to maintain them, poorly indeed, but decently!”

It was a picture worthy the pen of a philosopher-it was a picture worthy the pencil of an artist-an infirm, aged, suffering female, bereft of affluence, and bowed down by disease, thanking her Maker--for what? the privilege of sharing her pittance with the fatherless, and those who had no other helper.

Tears of veneration rolled in large drops down the cheeks of Helena-even the hardy solicitor, "albeit unused to the melting mood," twinkled away a tear, that would rise as he said-" And so these children of yours derange your household ?"

"Heaven bless them! not they, for they are at school hard by-No, this is cousin Patty's doing; she often steps in

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