suing him, "to hear how you make it out with gentlemen; it must be vastly edifying.-Suppose you were to begin, now, with your brother dandy there, (looking at Mr. Beaumont,) or Mr. Tremaine; I think they are exactly suited to meet you."

Had the lady studied the whole range of ill-nature, (which however was not her intention,) she could not have hit harder than she did upon this occasion; for Mr. Horton was a person with whom it flattered neither of the gentlemen to be compared. He was a man of large stature, and heavy, ungraceful limbs; with what is called a bull head, designed as it should seem by nature for that of a downright English yeoman; but being born to a respectable fortune, he affected the élégant among his brother squires; more eminent, however, in the club-house in St. James's Street, or the subscription room at York, than for knowledge of the stable or activity in the field. At the one place when in town, and at the other when in the country, he was to be seen the whole day long concealing his dearth of ideas under a most impervious solemnity of countenance. This latter has been known to have exhibited itself for three hours together at the window in St. James's Street, in the apparent occupation of observing the passengers that flitted before it; and, indeed, as the eyes were open the whole time, there seemed to be

no reasonable foundation for supposing the contrary.

$

The first object of this gentleman's ambition was to be a member of White's,-in which he had failed; and the second was to imitate Mr. Beaumont,-in which he certainly had not succeeded: and as Mr. Beaumont felt his reputation cruelly invaded, even by the attempt of such a person to imitate him, and Tremaine looked down upon him for his total want of cultivation, this comparison between them by the Amazon, made a deep incision in the pride of

both.

"Come," said the lady, "why don't you begin? I assure you it will do you a great deal of good, and bring you into fashion."

"Bring me into fashion!" exclaimed Horton, with a mortified smile.

"Yes! Mr. Beaumont brings any body into fashion he pleases; only they say he's going a little out of fashion himself."

Here Mr. Beaumont, who was not so absorbed with Lady Gertrude as to have escaped the conversation, was observed for the first time in his life to look actually disconcerted.

Giddy-brain against the field!" said Evelyn to

Tremaine.

To the latter gentleman the storm seemed now

VOL. II.

E

coming round. "Pray, Mr. Tremaine," said the lady, "may I ask how you like your retirement ?" "Far better, Madam," replied he, "than bad company."

"Oh! your most obedient," returned the lady; "that, I see, was levelled at me;" and perceiving Lady Gertrude looked pleased, she went on-" I'm glad to have given you an opportunity of restoring yourself by it to my Lady Gertrude's good graces.To say truth, you have not been even commonly civil to her, though she is at home;-though indeed I may be wrong, for as you are both of you Exclusives, who are above all common comprehension, you may have been very attentive to one another for all that."

Lady Gertrude coloured, and Tremaine bowing with great dryness, asked her if she had any more commands for him.

"None in particular," she replied; "only if you will help Miss Carysfort to make out why you cut Lady Gertrude and Mrs. Neville before dinneryou, who used to be so intimate with them both— you will relieve that good lady from considerable anxiety. She has been talking about it ever since.". "Talking about it!" cried Tremaine, with evident disgust.

1

"Yes! she will have it that either Lady Gertrude

or Miss Neville refused you, or that you refused them—she does not know which-before you went out of Town; and that that was the reason you shut yourself up. Now, I follow the old maxim, and never believe above half what the world says; so I think it can only have been one of the two ladies mentioned. But now you are both here, it is quite convenient, and you will make Miss Carysfort quite happy, I'm sure, if you'll tell her; she'll be delighted at such an opportunity of getting at it from authority."

The effrontery of this speech seemed to affect both the parties concerned. Lady Gertrude coloured deep red—then turned white-and gave evident signs' of resentment. For want of something else, however, she fell to pulling a rose from her bosom, and tore it all to pieces; while Tremaine, who hated Miss Carysfort's mischievous meddling, so as to shudder at her very name, shewed palpable marks of alarm, as well as of anger, from which he was not relieved even by the secession of his persecutrix; who went, only, as she said, to bring Miss Carysfort to him.

The Lady Gertrude did not feel much happier. All exclusive as she was, having taken refuge with Georgina, she could not help condescending to notice her with a few words. Indeed it was necessary to relieve herself, and divert the attention of others from

the effects of the Amazon's attack, by appearing

engaged.

"What an odious, bold, impudent person said Lady Gertrude-" don't you think so, Miss Evelyn ?"

"I scarcely know her," answered Georgina, “but. she seems to have great spirits."

Horribly great, indeed," returned Lady Gertrude;" and I hate spirits-they are so vulgar." "Yet they seem natural in her," replied Georgina.

29

"Oh! dear yes! but not the less vulgar on that account." Then feeling a little relieved at her absence, she added-" My aunt, the Duchess, says, there is nothing marks the difference between a real gentlewoman and a common person so much as what are called spirits; and I am sure if she were to see this person, she would only be confirmed in her opinion.

66 Country girls, perhaps, think themselves priviledged," said Georgina.

"Girl! do you call her," observed her companion; "why she is thirty at least."

"And the men call her Jack," added Mr. Beau

mont.

"Yet Mrs. Neville," remarked Georgina, "thinks there is no harm in her."

"That is very extraordinary," said Lady Ger