bye!" and waiving her white hand till his curricle was out of sight, when she turned round, her desires were gratified, for the elegant stranger was standing with his eyes fixed on that hand. But, had she known, that for any cognizance they took of its beauty, they might as well have been fixed on vacancy, she would not have pulled down the window, and reseated herself, with such an air of triumph.

The count took his seat with a sigh, and lady Tinemouth did the same.

"So that is the son of Sir Robert Somerset !"

"Yes," replied her ladyship, and what do you think of him? He is called very handsome."

"Your ladyship has forgotten that I am near sighted," answered the countess, "I could not discriminate his features, but I think his figure fine. I remember his father was a handsome man, and a man of wonderful talents."

"That may be," resumed lady Sara, laughing, and anxious to excite some eniotion of rivalry in the breast of Thaddeus, “ I am sure I ought not to call in question his talents and taste, for he has often wished that fate had reserved me for his son." Her ladyship sighed and looked down.

man.

This sight and gesture had more effect upon her victim, than all her exhibited graces. So difficult it is to break affection and habit. Any thing relating to Pembroke Somerset, could yet so powerfully interest the count, as to stamp itself on his features. Besides, the appearance of any latent disquietude, where all seemed splendour and vivacity, reminded him painfully of the chequered lot of His eyes were resting upon her ladyship, full of tender commiseration, pregnant with compassion for her, himself, and all the world, when she raised her head. The meeting of such a look from him, filled her with agitation. She felt something strange at her heart. His eyes seemed to have penetrated to its inmost devises. Blushing, like scarlet, she got up to hide an embarrassment not to be subdued; and, hastily wishing the coun tess a good morning, curtsied to him and left the room. Her ladyship entered the carriage with feelings all in commotion. She could not account for the confusion

which his looks had occasioned; and, half angry at a weakness so like a raw inexperienced girl, she had determined to become one of lady Tinemouth's constant visitors, until she should have brought him (as she had done most of the men about court) to her feet.

These were her ladyship's cogitations, as she rolled along towards St. James' Place. But she a little exceeded the fact in her statement; for, notwithstanding she could count as many lovers as any woman, both before and after her marriage, yet few would have ventured so far as to trust the consequence of a kneeling petition. Somehow, the worthy lords and gentlemen had all to a man adopted the oracle of the poet, that,

"Love fleet as air, at sight of human ties,

"Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies !"

They all professed to adore lady Sara Capel; some were caught by her beauty, others by her eclat, but none had the most distant wish to make this beauty and eclat his own legal property.

The young marquis of Severn fluttered round her ladyship during the first year of his appearance about court; but at the end of that time, instead of offering her his hand, he married the daughter of a rich city banker.

Lady Sara, who was at her father's house in the country, when this intelligence arrived, was so incensed, that to show her disdain of this apostate lover, she set off the same evening for Scotland with Hary Roos, the grandson of the duke of Lincoln. They were married, and her ladyship had the triumph of being presented to her majesty the same day with the marchioness of Severn.

The first whirlwind of her resentment subsided, she began most dismally to repent her union.-She loved cap, tain Roos as little as she had loved lord Severn. She had admired the rank and gallantry of the one; and the profound adoration of the other, had made a complete friend of her vanity. But now, since her revenge was gratified, the homage of Hary Roos ceasing to excite the envy of her companions from the hour in which he became her husband, she grew weary of his attentions, and was very

happy when the admiralty ordered him to the command of a ship bound to the Mediterranean.

The last fervent kiss which he imprinted on her lips, as they breathed out the cold " Good bye, Roos, take care of yourself?" seemed to her the seal of freedom; and she returned into her dressing-room, not to weep, but rejoice in the prospect of a thousand festivities and a thousand lovers.

Left at an early age without a mother and ignorant of the duties of a wife, she thought that if she kept her hus band and herself out of Doctors Commons, she should do no harm by amusing herself with the heart of every man that came in her way. Thus she hardly moved without a train of admirers. She had already attracted every one worth the trouble; and had listened to their compliments and insolent presumptions, till she was nearly tired of both; when Miss Egerton related to her the countess's rencountre with the gallant foreigner.

As soon as her ladyship heard that he was of rank, (for Miss Egerton had not been backward to affirm the dreams of her own imagination,) she formed an earnest wish to see him; and when, to her infinite satisfaction, he did present himself, in her eyes he exceeded every thing that had been described. To secure such a conquest, she thought would not only raise the envy of the women, but make the men look about them to discover some novel and more attractive way than they had hitherto attempted to portray the extent of their devotion.

Whilst lady Sara was meditating on her new plans, the count and lady Tinemouth remained alone. Her ladyship talked to him on various subjects; but he answered ill upon them all, and sometimes very wide of the matter. last feeling that he must be burthensome, he arose, and looked paler and more depressed than when he entered, wished her a good morning."

At

"I am afraid, Mr. Constantine, that you are unwell?" Thaddeus, like most people who desire to hide what is passing in their minds, gladly assented to this, as an ex-. cuse for, a taciturnity which he could not vanquish.

Then" cried her ladyship, "I hope you will favour with your card, that I may know where to send ?”

Thaddeus was confounded, and looked down for a mo. ment; then returning into the room, took up a pen which lay on the table, and said,

"I will write my address to a place from whence any of your ladyship's commands will reach me: but, I will do myself the honour to repeat my call very soon.'

"I shall always be happy to see you," replied the coun

tess, while he was writing; but, before I engage you in a promise of which you may afterwards repent, I must tell you, that you will meet with dull entertainment at my house. I see very little company; and were it not for the inexhaustible spirits of Miss Egerton, I believe I should become a complete misanthrope."

"Your house will be my paradise!" exclaimed the count, with an eagerness, to the force of which he did not immediately attend.

Lady Tinemouth smiled.

"I must warn you here, too," cried she; "Miss Eger. ton must not be the deity of your paradise. She is alrea dy under engagements that would preclude all hope on that head."

Thaddeus blushed at being mistaken, and wished to explain himself.

"You misunderstand me, madam, I am not insensible to beauty; but, upon my word, at that moment I had nothing else in my thoughts than gratitude for your ladyship's kindness to an absolute stranger.

"That is true, Mr. Constantine; you are an absolute stranger, if the want of a formal introduction, and an ignorance of your family, constitute that title. But your protection introduced you to me; and there is something in your appearance which convinces me, that I may not be afraid of admitting you among the scanty number of my friends."

Thaddeus immediately perceived the delicacy of lady Tinemouth; who wished to know who he was, yet felt repugnant to give him pain by a question so direct that he must answer. As she had proposed it, she left him entirely to his own discretion; and he determined, as far an be could, without exposing his real name and circumstan -oss, to satisfy her very proper curiosity

The countess, whose benevolent neart was deeply interested in his favour, observed the changes of his counte pance with an anxious desire that he would be ingenuous. Her solicitude did not arise from any doubt that she entertained of his quality and worth, but she wished to be enabled to reply with promptness to the inquisitive people who might see him at her house.

"I hardly know," said Thaddeus, in what words to express my sense of your ladyship's generous confidence in me; and that my character is not undeserving of such distinction, time, I trust, will ratify." He paused for a moment, and then resumed: "For my rank, lady Tinemouth, it is now of little consequence to my comfort; rather, perhaps, a source of mortification; for-" he hesitated, and then proceeded, with a faint colour tinging his cheek, "exiles from their country, if they would not covet misery, must learn to forget; hence I am no other than Mr. Constantine; tho' in acknowledgment of your ladyship's goodness, I deem it only just, that I should not conceal my real quality from you.

"My family was the first in Poland. Even in banishment, the remembrance that its virtues were as well known as its name, affords some alleviation to the conviction, that when my country fell, all my property and all my kindred, were involved in the ruins. Soon after the dreadful sealing of its fate, I quitted it; and by the command of a dying parent, who expired in my arms, sought a refuge in this island, from degradations, which otherwise, I could neither repel nor avoid."

Thaddeus stopped; and the countess, struck by the graceful modesty with which this simple account was related, laid her hand upon his.

"Mr. Constantine, I am not surprised at any thing you have said. The melancholy of your air induced me to suspect that you were not happy; and my sole wish, in penetrating your reserve, was to show you that a woman can be a sincere friend."

Tears of gratitude and respect glistened in the Count's eyes. Incapable of making a suitable reply, he pressed her hand to his lips. She rose; and, willing to relieve a