sidered this unlucky accident a most provoking interruption to her tête-à-tête with Fitzroy-but she felt no pang of jealousy. She looked upon his attending lady Enderfield home as the indispensable duty of humanity, and she should have felt grieved, nay, have absolutely hated Fitzroy, could he have acted otherwise than he did. She concluded lady Enderfield had slept at the Castle inn, and calculated that in slowly walking there, and quickly back again, and allowing ten minutes for etiquette and formal civilities, that half an hour must necessarily elapse before Fitzroy could return.

her

Patiently Julia walked for this half-hour, eyes often directed to the church-steeple, to mark the now slow progress of time; but that glided by, and minute after minute, in listening, gazing expectation—but no Fitzroy appeared. The clock struck nine, and the chimes announced another half-hour gone for ever; and hope after hope, mounted buoyant on her bounding heart, had sunk back to the dreary shore of disappointment, as conviction told her the passing footstep, the approaching figure, were not those she waited for.

The benignant doctor Sydenham, with

kindness and paternal affection beaming in eyes, that even age had not power to dim, met her, as, with languid melancholy steps, she, in obedience to the breakfastbell, advanced towards the house, her mind imbibing ten thousand apprehensions from the machinations of lady Enderfield, who had thus found means, by some potent spell, to detain Fitzroy from fulfilling his own appointment with her; for that his absence was involuntary she had no doubt.

The languid countenance, and want of cheerfulness, conspicuous in our heroine, were placed to the account of fatigue and late hours; for as only Mrs. Goodwin knew of her assignation, so no one else knew of her disappointed expectations.

Breakfast had been ended but a short time, when lord Francis Loraine was announced. He entered with a countenance that bespoke mental disquietude, though the veil of affected cheerfulness was evidently thrown over it. His conversation and manners were always pleasing, and prone to gaiety; but now they were lively to excess; and whilst his large, fine, and intelligent eyes were sunk in sadness, he rattled and talked of every thing mirthful,

with a whimsicality that excited the emulating vivacity of the chief part of the circle; but which, to the eye of the observer, was clearly assumed to banish thought, and wrest him from himself.

After some time passed in rattling, general chit-chat, lord Francis obtained a seat by Julia, and asked her, "had she any commands to Vienna ?"

"To Vienna !—why, who would execute them for me?" said she.

"I would, with the greatest pleasure; I am going thither immediately in two hours' time I set off for town, to arrange for

my speedy departure."

"But why you go to Vienna, when you did tell to me, my lord, one day before yesterday, you greatly much disliked Austria?"

"To Vienna, Lapland, any where I'll go, to fly, if possible, from-myself!"

Julia was shocked, and the tone of voice in which his lordship uttered this, grieved her very heart; and with mild, pity-beaming eyes of inquiring friendly solicitude, she looked upon him.

He caught her hand, which he grasped with fervour, but averted his eyes." I am "I not well," he said, "and change of air and

scene, I think, will be the best prescription I can follow."

"Not well!-Too surely," said Julia, much affected, "your hand is cold for death, and so tremulous, it is quite grief for me. I hope, lord Francis, you do mean to have very good medical advice before you London leave?"

"Oh, no!" replied lord Francis, with a visible exertion of gaiety-" no: my most efficacious plan must be to dash about to every part of the Continent, where I shall be permitted to go; and when I revisit my native land, I trust I shall be able to take the hand of my friend's wife without such tremour. Before I return, Miss De Clifford, you will, I hope, be united to Fitzroy ; and may your mutual happiness be the peculiar care of Heaven! When we went home last night, I had a long and interesting conversation with Fitzroy. My fears of lady Enderfield's machinations were vain; and fervently do I hope the ardent affection which my friend feels for you may prove reciprocal. You, I am convinced, would be happy with him: and in wishing you to be the wife of Fitzroy, I know-I see-I feel-I wish him every blessing under heaven." He now

turned from Julia, who was considerably affected by his manner and his kindness, and addressed doctor Sydenham with some questions relative to his journey.

"We shall travel so slowly," said doctor Sydenham," or I would ask you to join our little party to town."

"I go the other road, or should be extremely happy to join you, sir," replied lord Francis, with stifled emotion.

"I thought your lordship was in a hurry to get to London; and that road is seven miles longer than the one we mean to go,” said the good doctor.

"Man is a capricious, wayward animal, doctor Sydenham. We often go the most lengthened ways to attain our wishes, and sometimes take arduous pains to fly from and shun that which we would give worlds to obtain." And now again lord Francis turning to Julia, asked her, "how long since Fitzroy had left the rectory, and whither he was gone?"

"He has not been at all here this morn

ing," she replied.

Lord Francis was astonished and alarm

66

ed." Why," said he, Fitzroy left the Priory at an early hour this morning, all