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him like one who, having opened a box which he conceives to be empty, finds it full.

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Then, without uttering a word, he stepped into the middle of the floor, and, raising his eyes, encountered the large portrait of Mr. Herbert that hangs over the mantelpiece.

"I believe it was the first time he had seen his likeness since he left the house; for if you remember," addressing the old butler, "all the other portraits of him were put away the very day he went." "Yes, yes," was the sorrowful answer; "I remember."

"Well, what came next?" questioned Ursula, in a tone of breathless eagerness.

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Seeing that he appeared deeply moved-as well he might be," continued Willson, struggling with her own feelings, "I quietly slipped into the dressing-room, for fear he should think I was watching him."

"After gazing at the picture for full five minutes, he moved a little away from it, and gave a long, deep sigh. I ventured a glance at him, and when I saw the expression of misery which was depicted upon his countenance, I really pitied him."

"That's more than I do!" remarked Browning, in an undertone. "He does not deserve your pitié," said Juliet, shrugging up her shoulders; "it's for madame je suis fâché."

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"Ah, if we only had what we deserve,” replied Willson, meaningly, our own case would be, perhaps, as deplorable as his."

"There seems no end of her wise reflections, to-day," said Browning, in an aside to the cook.

Aloud he answered,

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Well, Mrs. Willson-pray go on." "I waited until Mr. Seymour had regained his usual manner, and then I walked into the bedroom again. On getting sight of me, he observed, quite kindly,

"I see I was mistaken in concluding that the room would have a neglected appearance.'

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Yes, sir,' I answered; it has been my endeavour, ever since Mr. Herbert's departure, to keep everything in precisely the same state as he left it.'

"Here I stopped, for I was quite frightened at the strange look that passed over his white face.

"Don't you know,' he said, clenching his hands, and speaking in a hoarse whisper, 'that I have positively forbidden you to pronounce that name in my hearing?'

"Of course, I replied in the affirmative.

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Why, then,' he continued, in the same suppressed tone, ' do you run the risk of incurring my severe displeasure by thus disobeying my commands?'

"Ah, sir, forgive me,' said I, summoning up all my courage; 'I am an old woman, and have not much longer to live in this world, but before I die, I will tell you the truth, be the consequences what they may.'

"I paused a minute for strength to proceed, as the excitement was almost more than I could well bear; but he made no attempt to interrupt me, and I went on,

"You ask me, sir, why I disobey your commands?'

"Yes; why should you?' he demanded, sternly.

"But you forget, sir, that you have disobeyed the commands of

One far higher in authority than any earthly power; supposing, therefore, He should see fit to call you to account for it, how will you be able to reconcile

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"What in the world are you talking about, my good Willson ? ' he inquired, soothingly; for he evidently fancied I was in my dotage. "Well, sir, what I mean is this-you consider yourself fully justified in being angry with me for simply mentioning the name of your absent son; how, then, can you expect to go unpunished, who have so cruelly broken the precept laid down in the Holy Scriptures concerning this very matter?'

"You should have seen the look of amazed incredulity with which he regarded me.

"Which particular precept is visible at the present moment to your mind's eye?' he inquired, with a sort of sneer.

"And then I answered, in fear and trembling,—

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Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.'"

"Capital!" exclaimed Browning, in an ecstacy of delight.
"He did not think it capital," returned Willson, thoughtfully.
"What did he say?" questioned the butler.

"Very little, but he gave me a look which made me shake. Presently, however, his countenance softened somewhat, and he spoke in a gentler tone,

"As you said just now, Willson, you are an old woman, otherwise I should deem it my duty to reprove you for using such strangely exaggerated language. As it is, I am inclined to overlook your apparent presumption, believing that, however much you may be mistaken, your meaning is good.'

"At all events, you will allow me to put Mr. Grafton in the pink chamber, instead of bringing him here?' I pleaded.

"Nonsense!' he hastily exclaimed; 'I am particularly anxious

for him to have this room.'

"It would be little short of desecration,' I answered, boldly.

"Pooh, pooh!' he exclaimed, smiling contemptuously, though I could see his lip quivering. And then he took another survey of the apartment.

"What is that?' he suddenly asked, pointing to the toilet-table. "I at once saw that it was the magnificent dressing-case (all fitted up with gold, and furnished in the most expensive way) that he had himself given to Mr. Herbert, which had arrested his attention. 'Is it possible,' he cried, going forward and opening it, as I put the small gold key into his hand, that he left this behind him?'

"Yes, sir,' I replied; and you will find the greater part of his jewellery here also.'

"After lifting the covers, and taking up several valuable studs, chains, rings, etc., as if to assure himself that they were genuine, he reclosed the lid, and handed me the key without a word.

"Then, for the first time, he appeared to notice the various other costly articles scattered over the room, all which belonged, properly speaking, to Mr. Herbert; and perceiving that the sight of them had the effect of awakening his better feelings, I thought it well to bring forward the young master's watch."

"His watch!" ejaculated Ursula; enough to leave it?"

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surely, he was not foolish

"He had two," explained Browning, rather impatiently.

"Yes; it happened that on one of his birthdays, the master and mistress bought him one, without mentioning their intention to each other. Mrs. Seymour's was a plain gold watch, with his name cleverly traced in a scroll on the back, while his father's present consisted of a splendid repeater, surrounded by forty diamonds. This was, of course, worth five or six times as much as his mother's, and yet Mr. Herbert chose the latter."

"Did Mr. Seymour make any remark when you called his attention to it?" asked the old butler, rubbing his chin with the forefinger of his right hand.

"No; he gazed at it for nearly ten minutes in perfect silence, turned it over and over in his hand, carefully examined its crimson velvet case in search of Mr. Herbert's initials, which are printed in gold letters inside the lid, together with the date on which it was presented to him, and then finally laid it down upon the table."

"And then?" said Browning, eagerly, as she paused.

"And then," repeated Willson, with the same significant smile that had visited her face at the commencement of the conversation, "then he threw another long, wistful glance around him, set his lips firmly together, and walked slowly and deliberately out of the

room."

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Making no further allusion to Mr. Grafton? " Willson nodded.

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Upon the strength of which," remarked the butler, "you adhered to your former plans."

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"Just so," was Willson's prompt response; having received no positive orders to the contrary, I had Mr. Grafton's luggage conveyed to the pink chamber immediately on its arrival."

"I wonder whether the master knows

-" began Eilza, reflectively. "To be sure he does," said Browning, cutting her short; "what is there he does not know? "

"Do you suppose, then, that he approved———”

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Permits would be a more suitable word," interposed the staid butler, in a voice of calm decision. "He saw no doubt that Mrs. Willson was in earnest, and though his pride prevented him from yielding his sanction to the proposed arrangement, his fatherly feelings, on the other hand (recently awakened by the sight of so many mementoes of his ill-used son), would not allow him to go the length of actually prohibiting her from carrying out her plan. At present you see the responsibility rests entirely with Mrs. Willson.”

"I am quite willing to bear it," she answered, cheerfully; "it would almost break my heart, I believe, to see the dear young master's room taken possession of by Mr. Grafton."

"Ah! there is the carriage,” cried Browning, starting up; “I must go and see whether my master requires me."

Thus saying, he hastily made his exit; and soon afterwards the butler followed his example, albeit in a slower and more dignified manner; and Juliet also repaired to Mrs. Seymour's dressing-room, to offer her services in arranging that lady's hair for dinner.

CHAPTER LXII.

MRS. SEYMOUR REFUSES TO RECEIVE REGINALD's friends. "I seek not to wax great by others, waning,

Or gather wealth I care not with what envy."

"I pity all that evil are

I pity and I mourn;

But the Supreme hath fashioned all,

And, oh! I dare not scorn.'

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"You and me's leev'd lang enough
To ken the ills and dangers

That folk hae aft been landed in,
Through tamperin' wi' strangers."

ROBERT NICOLL.

FOR a week or two after Mr. Grafton's arrival at the Park he continued assiduous in his endeavours to gain the favour of his uncle and aunt. But he could not change his nature, or refrain, with all his studied caution and circumspection, from giving them an occasional glimpse of his real disposition.

With Mr. Seymour this mattered little, as he was prepared to make every excuse for any trifling delinquency, and put the most lenient construction upon all he did. As regards the lady, however, it was quite otherwise. She, not unnaturally, viewed him in the light of a disagreeable interloper, who wished to make a gain of her beloved son's misfortunes, and enrich himself at his expense. Consequently her estimate of his character was by no means a flattering one.

It seemed as if Reginald had some suspicion of the kind of feelings Mrs. Seymour entertained towards him, by the earnestness and pertinacity with which he endeavoured to overcome her prejudices, and induce her to treat him less coldly and ungraciously. His uncle took note of his indefatigable zeal in this respect with exceeding pleasure, and sincerely hoped he might succeed. It would be far more satisfactory for all parties, he thought, if she could be brought to regard him with complacency.

For a time Mr. Vernon's politeness kept pace with that of his friend; but, not having the same object to gain in appearing otherwise than what he really was, he gradually became less and less guarded in his behaviour, until the cool contempt with which he had at first inspired Mrs. Seymour, was exchanged for umitigated

aversion.

Her husband, perceiving that the young man's society was peculiarly distasteful to her, privately suggested to his nephew the expediency of giving his friend a gentle intimation of the fact, and civilly proposing that his visit should come to an immediate end.

This duty Reginald undertook, and accomplished in as graceful a manner as could, under the circumstances, be expected; and Mrs. Seymour soon had the gratification of seeing one of her obnoxious visitors leave the Park.

After his departure, Reginald firmly resolved on comporting himself with double circumspection, and he certainly contrived to get through a fortnight very creditably.

Then-alas, for his good intentions! in an evil hour he made the acquaintance of Edmund Hastings; and, finding that his society fully compensated for the loss of his confidential companion, Mr. Vernon, he at once attached himself to him, and was, without much difficulty, raised to the honour of being admitted as a member of that unprincipled young man's coterie.

Mrs. Seymour's formal parties (which she now continued more from habit than because she derived any particular pleasure from them) he voted an intolerable bore; but Edmund Hastings' noisy and convivial entertainments were irresistibly pleasing to his badly organised mind.

Such constant and close intimacy with these ungodly and dissipated young men could not long remain unattended by some kind of result. A change, imperceptible at first, but becoming more and more decided as the time passed on, marked Reginald's general conduct; and though his self-interest would not allow him to relax in his efforts to win Mrs. Seymour's good opinion, the hours which he devoted to her were more grudgingly given then heretofore-especially when he discovered, to his infinite chagrin, that, with all his endeavours, he had utterly failed in advancing one step in her esteem.

She was always courteous and ladylike, but never warm or even friendly in her manner towards Reginald; and while anxious to afford him no shadow of excuse for charging her with treating a guest either rudely or uncivilly, she was equally determined to avoid the very remotest appearance of conniving at any transaction intended to invest him with those rights and privileges of which her own son had been so ruthlessly deprived.

It happened one day that Reginald Grafton, taking advantage of the singular kindness and indulgence Mr. Seymour had shown him ever since his arrival at the Park, invited a few of his particular friends to dine with them that same evening.

He suffered no uneasiness as to the issue of this experiment until he met his uncle and aunt at luncheon, and remembered that he ought to tell them what he had done. Then he experienced a degree of embarrassment which surprised himself.

However, as the announcement must be made, he thought he might as well get over it as quickly possible; and calling his usual sang froid to his aid, he observed in a tone of well-feigned careless indifference,

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By the bye, I was almost forgetting to mention that I have asked a few friends to dine here this evening. I hope you don't mind it, my dear aunt ?"

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Certainly not," answered Mr. Seymour, smiling blandly. N.B. His wife said nothing.

"I knew you would have no objection," returned Reginald, beginning to feel a sensation of profound relief; " you and my aunt are so well known for your kindness and hospitality, that

"Perhaps you will be good enough to inform us who you have invited," remarked Mrs. Seymour, mercilessly interrupting him in the middle of this complimentary flourish ;""a few friends' is rather too vague an expression for me to understand, all unacquainted as I

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