turn the current of her thoughts, and cause her, if I mistake not, to forget the threatened examination of Mr. Herbert's letters." But if it should fail in having this effect?" queried Willson, apprehensively. Then there will be no harm in administering a second, allowing, of course, a few hours to elapse between the two doses." "I fear this is only putting off the evil day," sighed Willson. "Well," after a moment's reflection, during which a queer little smile disturbed the even tenor of the doctor's professional gravity," in the event of Mrs. Seymour's persisting in her present resolution, you have my full permission to accede to her wishes." "But would that be wise?" asked Willson, in amazement. "I will be responsible for the consequences," returned Dr. Leslie, with the same unaccountable smile. Something in his face encouraged Willson to hope that these consequences might after all be less disastrous than her fears led her to imagine. There was no remaining trace of a smile upon Dr. Leslie's lips when he rejoined Mr. Seymour, and repeated to him, without any comment of his own, the substance of the conversation which had taken place between himself and Mrs. Seymour. "It's just as I feared," murmured Mr. Seymour, in accents of despair: "sooner or later she must know all; and then-" He stopped, and leant his elbow upon the mantelshelf, while his eyes gloomily sought the ground. "There's no use in looking on the dark side of things," said the doctor, trying in his way to administer consolation. "I see no reason why you should abandon hope." "It is all very well to cherish it so long as there are any tangible grounds to go upon," replied Mr. Seymour, dejectedly; "but when everything conspires to render one's plans abortive, it seems like madness attempting to swim against the tide." "Nay, nay; it has not come to that yet," protested Dr. Leslie, with a smile. Mr. Seymour shook his head, but a more hopeful expression came into his eyes as the doctor proceeded to speak of counteractive measures he proposed to adopt, by way of meeting this new contingency, and gave him some practical information regarding the most successful mode of lulling the suspicions which might possibly from time to time be awakened within the poor lady's breast. After a lengthened conversation, the two gentlemen parted on the best of terms, and directly the doctor had left the house Mr. Seymour walked softly upstairs, and entering his wife's dressing-room he cast a searching glance around him, as if to make sure that it was tenantless. Having satisfied himself on this point he hastily advanced to a small writing-table that stood in a distant corner, and taking therefrom the beautiful little gold-clasped desk in which Mrs. Seymour kept her son's old letters, he carried it off with him to his library. At first he evidently intended to secure not only the letters, but also the desk; for, opening one of the drawers of his escritoir, he made room for it among his own private papers, and was about to lock it up, when a sudden thought served to change his purpose. "No," he murmured, half aloud, "this will not do at all; there would be quite a commotion in the house if the desk itself should have disappeared. Besides, it may probably contain something or other which she prizes, and of which we have no object in depriving her." Thus saying, he applied himself to a careful examination of its contents. It was a painful task, more so by far than he had anticipated. He put Herbert's letters one by one aside, without trusting himself to read them. Nevertheless his eye caught a glimpse of a sentence or two here and there, every word of which stabbed him as with a dagger's point. It was well for him that Dr. Leslie had so earnestly expatiated on the necessity there was for expediting matters, and taking prompt and energetic measures towards removing Mrs. Seymour, nolens volens, from the Park; otherwise he might have spent hours in bitter self-upbraiding and reprehensive reflections upon his cruel and unfatherly conduct. As it was, the remembrance of the many onerous duties which required his immediate attention came to him as a sort of respite; and shaking off with a prodigious effort the cloud of melancholy thought that was beginning to enwrap him in its sable folds, he heaved a sigh of consequent relief, and lifting his son's letters he turned once more to his escritoir, touched a spring in the upper part, and deposited them in a box-like compartment, the secret of which was only known to himself. Then he returned all the other articles to Mrs. Seymour's desk, carried it upstairs, and replaced it in its former position on the writing-table; and afterwards proceeded, with a mind partially eased of its burden, to give orders respecting the dismantling of the principal apartments, and the packing of his own and his wife's wardrobe, preparatory to their departure for Leamington. The medicine from which Dr. Leslie expected so much was not without effect. During the remainder of the day Mrs. Seymour continued perfectly happy and contented, making no further allusion to Herbert, and appearing quite charmed with the idea of being at length permitted to leave her retirement. The following morning, however, she again adverted to her son, expressing considerable surprise at his long-protracted absence, and desiring Willson to bring forward the before-mentioned desk, in order that she might satisfy herself as to the young man's promise and intentions, and also find out the exact amount of information she had gained from the perusal of his letters before agreeing in Dr. Leslie's pretended supposition, that the idea of his return, etc., was merely the imaginative result of a dream. As her mistress made this request, poor Willson grew pale with apprehension. Her frightened appealing glance at Mr. Seymour, who happened to be just then in the room, brought him instantly to her side. "It can't be helped," he murmured in her ear; "you had better do as she says." "But I am afraid, sir!" she hurriedly replied. Perhaps it may not be so bad as you imagine," returned Mr. Seymour, in a low, unsteady voice. "Not gone yet, my good Willson?" asked her mistress, looking around in astonishment. "Just take this first, ma'am," cried the anxious attendant, suddenly recollecting the medicine; "it will keep you from being too much excited." "You foolish woman," said Mrs. Seymour, half amused and half irritated at the delay; you are always trying to make me believe that I am excitable." 66 "Even the calmest temperaments are apt at times to be roused," replied her husband, smiling, and endeavouring to speak carelessly; "and you, my dear, can scarcely expect to be able to wade through a whole budget of letters without having your interest in some degree excited by what you read. "Yes, I dare say," responded Mrs. Seymour, in rather an unconvinced tone. 66 Still, in this case-" Ere she could add another word, a wine-glass containing the medicine was unceremoniously put to her lips by Willson; and though she frowned at the old woman for interrupting her, she did not refuse to swallow the insidious draught. Poor Willson! she was greatly in hopes that by taking this precautionary measure, she might be saved the necessity of complying with Mrs. Seymour's demand. But it was not so. No sooner had the latter finished her dose than she impatiently pushed the glass aside, and turning to Willson, peremptorily repeated her demand. With a sinking heart the old woman went to fulfil her behest, and after the lapse of few minutes she came back, bring the desk in her hand. At a sign from her mistress she laid it down upon a work-table which stood close to Mrs. Seymour's chair, and then of her own accord she retreated to a distant part of the room, from whence she could-herself quite unobserved-watch the lady's slightest movement. A smile was trembling on Mrs. Seymour's lip, and a tender light shone in her eye, as she opened the desk, and began her search for Herbert's deeply prized letters. It is unnecessary to say that the search was unavailing. 46 "Dear me, what is the meaning of this?" she asked, looking up in bewilderment, when she had turned everything over. 'Willson," in a quick abrupt voice," where are the letters? "The letters, ma'am!" echoed the good woman, in unaffected surprise; "have you not got them?" "Got them!" rather angrily. "No; surely you must know where to find them." "I!" exclaimed Willson, completely mystified. "I assure you 'Just consider for a moment; what did you do with them the last time we had them in this room?" "I put the packet into that corner," opening the desk, and pointing to the spot. "Then where is it now?" persisted Mrs. Seymour. Willson shook her head. "It's very strange!" soliloquised the lady; "are you certain, my good Willson, that they really were returned to the desk?" "Perfectly so; don't you remember, sir?" appealing to Mr. Seymour, who nodded assent. "But you may have removed them afterwards?" observed her mistress, in a tone of eager inquiry. "No; I have never even touched the desk since," confidently returned Willson, as she thought upon Dr. Leslie's proposition, and wondered whether he could have had anything to say to their abstraction. CHAPTER LXXV. SOPHISM. "It is curious to observe the triumph of slight incidents over the mind; and what incredible weight they have in forming and governing our opinions, both of men and things-that trifles light as air shall waft a belief into the soul, and plant it so immovable within it, that Euclid's demonstrations, could they be brought to batter it in breach, should not all have power to overthrow it."-Beauties of Sterne. "But who shall so forecast the years, TENNYSON. It was a relief to at least two of the party when a tap at the door announced the arrival of Dr. Leslie. He was accompanied by the celebrated London physician who had so seasonably visited Mrs. Seymour once before; but, as she had not the smallest recollection of ever having seen him, Leslie merely spoke of him as an old friend of his own, who was going to spend some weeks with his wife and family at Leamington, and whom he had taken the liberty of introducing, thinking that she might be pleased to make his acquaintance. She received him reservedly, yet with an air of well-bred courtesy; while her husband came forward with an alacrity too natural to be assumed, and, holding out his hand to the stranger, expressed his pleasure at the prospect of knowing one whom he had frequently heard mentioned in terms of the deepest respect. Having cordially responded to Mr. Seymour's salutation, the newcomer turned again to the lady, and made an attempt to engage her in conversation. She proved for some time a very careless and unsatisfactory listener-her thoughts being still occupied with the missing letters; but the stranger, taking no apparent heed of her lack of interest, went on from one subject to another, without betraying the slightest shadow of surprise, far less impatience, at the vague and often ludicrous answers she returned to many of his questions. Ere long, however, she became struck with the quaintness and eccentricity of his manner; and on rousing herself to observe him more attentively, she discovered that there was something very striking and original about him. His lively and humorous temperament, his singular versatileness, and the sprightly ease and vivacious rapidity with which he discoursed on almost every topic, presented a marked contrast to the slowness and deliberation of his bodily movements. Without appearing to have any such design, he skilfully adapted his conversation to the present state of Mrs. Seymour's feelings; and when he saw that she was really beginning to take an interest in what |