those they had left, to admit of their cowardice being awakened; but at length, coming to the verge of a steep and long hill, open on one side to a deep valley, roused Biddy's fears, which were instantly communicated to her mistress, and both at once now called vehemently to the postboy to let them out.

Although Mrs. Goodwin had for some years after her marriage dashed about in her own carriage, she had never been famous for courage in it; yet custom had then, in a great degree, conquered her natural apprehensions, and pride led her, when possible, to conceal them; but for the last few years of her life she had never been in a carriage of any description; and now her fears, awakened by long disuse, added to the smacking of the postboy's whip, and the rapidity with which two spirited horses whirled them on, were increased to agonies, only to be surpassed by Biddy O'Connor's; and the remainder of this little journey was performed almost on foot by our travellers, which to Julia proved rather a pleasant circumstance; for when in the carriage, Mrs. Goodwin and companion, in terror, spent their time in letting down the windows, as

fear of overturns perpetually recurred, in squalling, groaning, sighing, praying, and exclaiming to the driver to take care of them.

There were three stages from London to Z. Their first driver was a remarkably civil man, who attended to all their fears, and kindly soothed them; the second postilion proved a sullen fellow, offended at their want of confidence in his skill, and enraged at being so long detained by their choosing. to walk so much, and the additional delay of stopping so often to let them in and out, when he said "Time was so precious upon account of the approaching contested elec-tion at Z. which gave them so much to do,. that it was not worth while to drawl along, with cowardly foolish women, who did not ought to take up chaises and horses in that there creeping manner, but ought for to go in the vehicle most fitted for such cowards -the common stage waggon.".

This was an insult Biddy's pride, wounded for Miss De Clifford and the blood of the O'Neils, could not endure; and the rest of this stage was spent in her altercations with the surly fellow, and in Mrs. Goodwin's vain attempts to subdue his wrath. The

last postboy turned out to be a humourist; who, in revenge for being so long detained unnecessarily upon the road, maliciously augmented their terrors by gravely giving in to them, and enumerating for them, with a demure countenance, all the shocking overturns, and consequent accidents, as lately happening upon that very road, which he could possibly rack his brain plau sibly to invent.

As they approached nearer to Z. the bustle of the election (which was to commence next day but one) increased. Every person and horse they saw were decorated with party-coloured ribbands; and as they passed along, from Mrs. Goodwin's straw hat being trimmed with purple, and Biddy having a fine pink topknot on (the colours of the two most unpopular candidates), they got most horribly mobbed and hooted, particularly by the women.

When they had arrived within about four miles of Z. as they were all miraculously in the carriage, Mrs. Goodwin and Biddy fanning themselves most laboriously, striving to cool their faces, which from their excess of weeping in the morning, and their subsequent terrors, and walking so

much in an intensely-hot sun, were now become of a bright carmine tint-they heard all at once the most violent and joyous shouting from the last village they had passed through; and shortly after, a sociable and six, gaily ornamented with orange and pale blue banners, ribbands, &c. attended by several outriders, swiftly passed them, yet not so rapidly as to prevent Julia's perceiving that one of the four gentlemen the sociable contained was Mr. Fitzroy; and most fervently did she congratulate herself upon her party's being at that moment fortunately out of the way of observation.

They travelled about a mile further, when they passed this very sociable, which was standing empty at the door of a farmhouse.. -"Fitzroy for ever!" exclaimed their postboy, which was loudly reiterated by several men who were standing with the servants round the sociable; and as they proceeded further on, they found the parties of pedestrians and equestrians going to and returning from Z. accumulating to a surprising: degree, when their driver told them, it be-ing market-day, added to the approaching. election, caused the great concourse of people they saw.

Immediately below the town arose a very steep, and certainly a formidable hill, which Mrs. Goodwin and her fearful attendant, of course, determined to walk up; but Julia, apprehensive of being overtaken by the sociable, and seen by Mr. Fitzroy with two such attractive companions, induced her to plead (what she really felt) fatigue, and to remain in the chaise. Nor can we wonder at our heroine's not wishing to be recognized by any one while walking with such a terror-struck pair; for, beside the obnoxious colours they wore, rendering them marked objects for derision and insult, the carmine of their countenances, and the strange disorder of their dress, made them conspicuous. Mrs. Goodwin had taken off her pelisse and untied her hat, to cool the heat her walking and terrors had thrown her into; and Biddy had taken off her bonnet entirely, to show more plainly, as it seemed, her fine pink ribband; her gloves, too, she had discarded; her gown-sleeves were both ripped almost off in getting so often into the chaise, and the skirt was tattered and torn by some brambles she had, to escape a fancied impending overturn, alit amongst; and added to this, the pins which