dies. Her ladyship soon penetrated into the situation of Euphemia's heated fancy, and drew from her, without bgtraying herself, that she expected to see her master the following day. Lady Sara, stung to the soul, immedi ately quitted the rooms, and in a paroxism of disappointment, determined to throw herself in his way, as he went to their house.

With this hope she had already been traversing' the square upwards of an hour, when her anxious eye at last caught a view of his figure, proceeding along Margaret street. Hardly able to support her tottering frame, shaken as it was with many contending emotions, she accos ted him first; for he was passing straight onwards, without looking to the right or the left. On seeing her ladyship, he stopped, and expressed his pleasure at the meeting.

I

"If you really are pleased to meet me," said she forcing a smile," take a turn with me round the square. want to speak with you."

Thaddeus bowed, and her ladyship put her arm through his, but remained silent for a few minutes in evident confusion. The count recollected that it must now be quite two. He felt the awkwardness of making the Misses Dundas wait; and notwithstanding his reluctance to ap pear inpatient with lady Sara, he found himself obliged to say,

"I am sorry that I must urge your ladyship to honour me with your commands, for it is already past the time, when I ought to have been with the Misses Dundas."

"Yes," cried Lady Sara, angrily, "Miss Euphemia told me as much; but, Mr. Constantine, as a friend, I must warn you against her arts, as well as those of another lady, who would do well to correct the boldness of her manner.'

"Who do you mean, madam!" interrogated Thaddeus surprised at her warmth, and totally at a loss to conjecture to whom she alluded.

"A little reflection would answer you," returned she, wishing to retreat from an explanation, yet stimulated by her double jealousy to proceed; "She may be a good girl, Mr. Constantine; and I dare say she is; but a wo

man that has promised her hand to another, ought not to flirt with you. What business had Miss Egerton to command you to wear an English dress? But she must now see the danger of her conduct, by your having presumed to obey her."

"Lady Sara," exclaimed the count, much hurt at this speech, "I hardly understand you; yet I believe may venture to affirm, that in all you have just now said, you are mistaken. Who can witness the general frankness of Miss Egerton, or listen to the candid manner with which she avows her attachment to Mr. Montresor, and conceive that she possesses any thoughts that would not do her honour to reveal! And for myself," added he lowering the tone of his voice, "I trust the least of my faults is presumption. It never was my character to presume on any lady's condescension, and if dressing as she desired, be deemed an instance of that kind, I can declare upon my word, that had I not felt other motives besides her raillery, my appearance should not have suffered any change."

"Are you sincere, Mr. Constantine ?" cried Lady Sara, now smiling with pleasure.

"Indeed I am; and happy, if my explanation have met with your ladyship's approbation.

"Mr. Constantine," resumed she, "I have no motive but one, in my discourse with you; friendship." And casting her eyes down, she sighed profoundly.

"Your ladyship does me honour."

"I would have you regard me with the confidence that you pay Lady Tinemouth. My father possesses the first patronage in this country; therefore, I have it a thousand times more in my power than she has, to render you a service."

Here her ladyship overshot herself; she had not calculated well on the nature of the mind that she wished to

ensnare.

"I am grateful to your generosity," replied Thaddeus, "but on this head I must decline your kind offices. Whilst I consider myself the subject of one king, though he be in a prison, I will not accept of any employment under an other that is in alliance with his enemies."

Lady Sara discovered her error the moment he had made his answer and, in a disappointed tone exclaimed. "Then you despise my friendship!"

"No, Lady Sara; it is an honor far beyond my merits; and my gratitude to Lady Tinemouth must be doubled, when I recollect that I possess it through her means.” "Well," cried her ladyship, "have that as you will; but I expect as a specimen of your confidence in me, that you will be wary of Euphemia Dundas. I know that she is artful and vain, and finds her amusement in attracting the affections of different men; and then, notwithstanding her affected sensibility, she turns them into a subject for laughter."

I thank your ladyship," replied the Count; "but in this respect, I think I am safe both from the lady and myself."

"How!" asked Lady Sara, rather too eagerly, "is your heart!"-she paused and looked down.

No madam," replied he, sighing as deeply as herself, but with his thoughts far from her and the object of their discourse, "I have no portion of my heart to give to love. Besides the quality in which I appear at Lady Dundas's, would preclude the vainest man alive, from supposing that such behaviour from any to hin could be possible. Therefore, I am safe; though I acknowledge my obligation to your ladyship's caution."

Lady Sara was satisfied with the first part of this answer. It declared his heart unoccupied; and as he had admitted her professed friendship, she doubted not, but that when assisted by more frequent displays of her fas cinations, she could destroy his lambent nature, and in the end light up in his bosom a similar fire to that which consumed her own.

The almost unconscious object of all these desires, began internally to accuse his vanity of being too fanciful in the formation of suspicions, which, on a former occasion, he had believed himself forced to receive; and, blushing at a quickness of perception that his contrition denominated a weakness, he found himself at the bottom of Harley

street

Lady Sara called her servant, to walk nearer to her; and, telling Thaddeus, she should expect to meet him the next evening at Lady Tinemouth's, wished him a good morning.

He was certain that he must have staid at least half an hour beyond the time when he had promised to be with the sisters. Anticipating very haughty looks, and perhaps a reprimand, he knocked at the door, and was again shown into the library. Miss Euphemia was sit ting alone.

The Count offered some indistinct excuse for having made her wait, but Euphemia, with good humoured alacrity interrupted him.

"O pray dont mind; you have made nobody wait but me, and I can easily forgive it; for mamma and my sis ter chose to go out at one, it being May-day, to see the chimney-sweepers dine at Mrs. Montague's. They did as they liked; and I preferred staying at home to repeat my lesson."

Thaddeus thanked her for her indulgence, sat down, and taking the book, began to question her. Not one word could she recollect. She smiled.

"I am afraid, madam you have never thought of it since yesterday morning!"

"Indeed I have thought of nothing else; you must forgive me, I am very stupid Mr. Constantine, at learning languages, and German is so harsh at least to my ears! Cannot you teach me any other thing? I should like to learn of you all things, but do think of something else besides this odious jargon! Cannot you teach me how to read poetry elegantly? Shakespeare, for instance; I doat upon Shakespeare!"

"That would be strange presumption in a foreigner." "No presumption in the least," cried she; "if you can do it pray begin! There is Romeo and Juliet,"

Thaddeus pushed away the book with a smile,

"I cannot do it. I understand him with as much ease, as you, Madam, will soon do German, if you apply! but I cannot pretend to read him aloud.”

"Dear me, how vexatious !-But I must hear you read something. Do take up that Werter,-My sister got it

from the Prussian ambassador, and he tells me it is sweet

est in its own language."

The Count opened the book.

derstand a word of it."

"But you will not un

"I don't care for that; I have it by heart in English and if you will only read his last letter to Charlotte, I know I can follow you in my own mind."

To please this whimsical little creature, Thaddeus turned to the letter, and read it forward with a pathos that was natural to his voice and character. When he came to an end, and closed the volume, the cadence of bis tones, and the lady's memory, did ample justice to her Bensibility. She looked up, and smiling through her watery eyes, which glittered like violets wet with dew, she drew out her perfumed handkerchief, and wiping them, said:

"I thank you, Mr. Constantine. You see, by this irrepressible emotion, that I can feel Goethe,. and did not ask you a vain favour.".

Thaddeus bowed for he was at a loss, as to what kind of a reply could be expected by such a strange creature. She continued:

You are a German Mr. Constantine. Did you ever see Charlotte ?"

"Never Madam,"

"I am sorry for that; I should have liked to have heard what sort of a beauty she was. But don't you think she behaved cruel to Werter? Perhaps you know him?" "No Madam; this lamentable story happened before I was born."

"How unhappy for him! I am sure you would have made the most charming friends in the world! Have you a friend, Mr. Constantine.

The Count looked at her with surprise. at the expression of his countenance.

She laughed

"I de 't mean such friends as one's father, mother, and relations; most people have enough of them. I mean a render confiding friend, to whom you unbosom all your secrets; who is your other self, a second soul! In short a creature in whose existence you forget your own?"

Thaddeus followed with his eyes the heightened colour