who would therefore look for all his pleasures at home, than with a youth, perhaps the sport of every whim, likely to change in his feelings, to neglect, perhaps abandon his wife. On such occasions Mrs. Neville, after moralizing very prettily, would support theory by example, and would bring out, carelessly, as if just recollecting it, and perhaps after having mentioned a match or two of unequal ages between others: Now there are my daughters→→→ particularly Miss Neville; it is extraordinary, young as they are, how they see things as I do. I absolutely believe, nay I am quite sure of it, that, had I never endeavoured to lead them on this subject, so important to a mother, their own innate taste would induce them to prefer men full twenty years older than themselves: they say they are 90 much more agreeable, so much dess self-sufficient."

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And then this skilful lady, after well using the tact of which she was mistress, would add, indeed, to own the truth to you, Mr. Tremaine, though it is a matter of too much delicacy even to glance at, if it were not for our very old acquaintance, I should not wish, with my daughter's feelings, and after what I have actually heard her say of you, (not to me, but to her companions, young people like herself,) I should not, I say,wish that is, it is just possible it might be not quite so prudent" and here she would

stop, in so pretty a confusion, that her daughter herself, avowing her sentiments, could scarcely have carried it better.

Notwithstanding the very old acquaintance alluded to, Tremaine in fact knew very little of the lady making the allusion, more than that she was a very great lady, with a very fine countenance, and an immense fortune. She passed much of her time in the world, yet seemed to give all her attention to the direction of a large family, and all without the least stain upon her virtue. He therefore felt pleased and flattered by this sort of confidence, and being himself open as day, had not, with all his disgusts, the least suspicion that Mrs. Neville was angling for him in favour of her daughter, as Hero, in the passage above adverted to, angled for Beatrice in favour of Benedick. He would therefore reply, as perhaps the lady wished; and according as he replied, she would inform him more particularly of what Miss Neville had said; how she had praised his fine air, his manners, his conversation, and had even sometimes added she would prefer dancing with him to the youngest man in the room.

Wiser, and even older men than Tremaine, have been caught with such latent, such well-managed flattery-and the spell was wound up when this Urganda added, as she sometimes would, (if, after consulting the tact that has been mentioned, she

found she was safe,)" In short, my dear Sir, though I should grieve to see less of you in a house which you are pleased to say is agreeable to your taste, and much as I should shudder to compromise my daughter's delicacy, yet I am sure you will allow for a parent's anxiety, and not expose me when I say, that it perhaps would be best for the happiness of both parties, if you saw less of Miss Neville than you do of hers, for the reasons I have with such unaccountable boldness ventured to mention of yours, in order to spare a man of honour the pain of thinking he had even unintentionally made an innocent young person unhappy."

Then protesting she was surprised at her own courage in going so far, and that he was the only man alive with whom she could be thus explicit, she would break up the conference; and if, upon his attempting to make explanations, she found they were not likely to be as precise as she wished, she would say with a laughing air of generosity," Nay, I interdict all sudden resolutions;-with your notions, it cannot be my confidence has been drawn from me solely by a sense of your honour, and I must myself take care that to that honour no improper sacrifice on your part is offered."

It required all, and more than all Tremaine's experience in the world, to be indifferent to a mother and daughter who thought so favourably of him. He

did not exactly say with Benedick, "Love me! why it must be requited," and "the world must be peopled;" but he began to take himself seriously to task. “If," said he, "this good mother, confiding in my honour, commits her delicacy so far, shall I not do wrong if I continue these visits? On the other hand, is not marriage the natural and honourable state of man? Ought I to retire without ascertaining whether I may not myself love?" To this, however, he added another very important question, whether he had not, all his life, been disappointed whenever he came to this point of self-examination?

In truth, the old fault so often mentioned, the natural fastidiousness, not to say waywardness of Tremaine, having been his enemy through life in lighter things, could not fail to influence his fate on this most important part of a man's conduct. With a heart originally warm, liberal, and tender too, his disposition towards marriage was not merely natural, but a principle. Yet he had reached an age not far off forty, without even an engagement. A close self-examination, therefore, in regard to Miss Neville, became absolutely necessary to this man of honour as well as of refinement; and the result was, that he resolved not to discontinue his visits, but strictly to scrutinize her conduct, and his own heart.

All this while, the poor girl was totally unconscious of what was passing; and though her mother

had acquainted her how struck Tremaine had been with her grace and retenue at court, she could not make out why, according to mamma's directions, the moment he appeared, all her spirits, of which she had a great exuberance, were to be repressed, and why at eighteen she was to assume the manners of a woman of thirty.

This could not long be concealed, and Tremaine began to shudder, when dancing with her at a very select ball, she not only gave the Highland fling with something very like violence, but actually turned both himself and others in the dance, two or three times oftener than the dance required.

The very little inclination of Tremaine, not even amounting to penchant, and excited solely by the appeal made by the mother to his feelings, began to give way. It is impossible, said he to himself, that this girl can prefer a man twenty years beyond her in age; there must be some mistake. In this frame of mind, calling suddenly at Neville House when mamma was out, he found her at high romps with her sister and a cousin, a young Cantab, little more than her own age.

The dreadful sounds of "Tom, be quiet," alarmed him on the stairs, and his fear was completed when entering the drawing-room, he found his Sophonisba heated with play, holding up the fragments of Tom's cravat in noisy triumph, while her own dress ex