father admires, and that is his mother." (Dear
thing.)

Upon my word, as Robert and I said to each
other ever so many times, what a sight it is to
see the squire and Pet. One has read of the
flying people, who were altogether perfect with
their feather dress on, but helpless and miserable
without it. That was just the case with our
squire. He was incapable and wretched without
Pet. But with Pet, he is handsome, lively,
clever, positively a little "larky," which I hear
is now the proper word to express spirit.

Here he is talking of Erasmus's tea-party.

"Not for worlds would I enter into rivalship
with the presiding genius that makes
Myrtle Cottage the perfection of a home"
("Quite true, don't cry, Patty," whispered
Robert. " True as Sanscrit," cries Erasmus),
"but it would give my wife and myself infinite
pleasure to welcome the same party to the Hall
the day after to-morrow."

"You darling old thing," whispered Pet.

"Excellent, excellent," cried Erasmus. I
wonder if he will take his Dresden shepherdess
to the Hall.

CHAPTER III.

"PATTY," says Erasmus to me, in the intermediate
day between our tea-party and that to
take place at the Hall, " what relation is Miss
Ross to Mrs. Arundel?"

"Well, Erasmus," said I, delighted to have
something to say against that person, and so
speaking with the greatest emphasis, " there is
a relationship between them. I am not, brother,
one of those who go about asserting one thing,
when I know it is another, and I take it for
granted, as I ought to do, that people try to
speak the truth."

"My dear Patty," interrupted Erasmus,
meekly, "have I asked anything wrong?"

"Goodness gracious, no, Erasmus."

"Patty merely wishes to prepare your mind,
Erasmus, for hearing that Mrs. Arun—ahem!
that Miss Ross is niece to the wid—who, in her
turn, calls her cousin. In fact, our pretty little
friend tells fibs."

"Is it not strange, Robert," mused Erasmus,
"the power that beauty possesses over all other
influences? From the earliest ages, we trace
through the history of man—-"

But, my goodness me, it is quite impossible
I can remember, much less write down all that
Erasmus said on the power of beauty. It was
quite a lecture. He soared up to the gods and
goddesses, and he went down nobody knows
where; indeed, I should be ashamed to mention,
and he brought up all sorts of Helens, Circes,
and Aspasias, and indeed there was such a
conglomeration of names, that, without doubt, I
should mix them all wrong, putting those together
who were centuries apart, and setting
Erasmus humming at the sad mistakes. But he
wound up at last by saying,

"Do you happen to know the christian name
of Mrs. Arundel?"

"Antoinetta," answered I, a little sulky.

"Antoinetta! Half Roman, half French.
Hum, hum! All wives, in my opinion, should
be called Patty, Robert."

"A little inconvenient, I think, Erasmus."

"I mean, you know, pleasant homely names,
like Patty, Mattie, Molly, Maggie."

"Miss Ross's name is Maggie."

"Is it, indeed? Now, is it, indeed?" said
Erasmus, with an amount of eagerness in his
voice, as if he had discovered a new comet with
three tails.

Dear me; I could have kissed somebody for
joy, only Robert does not like such things in
public, and Erasmus would have seen nothing
in it, and only said, " Patty, my dear, I thank
you."

"Now," said I to myself, as I was going upstairs
to dress for the Hall tea-party, "why am
I such a mean little woman as not to desire
Erasmus to marry this pretty little person, and
yet be pleased if he would fancy Miss Ross?
Answer me that, Mrs. Patty, if you can, for you
know as much of the one as the other."

It was true I knew as much of the one as the
other, but that knowledge was sufficient to
show me that Erasmus would be happy with the
one and miserable with the other. False she
was in many things; what might she not prove
on more intimate acquaintance? And Miss
Ross was exactly a different character, and in
an amiable admirable manner kept her aunt in
tolerable order. In Miss Ross every day I saw
some new thing to admire; in that person every
day some fresh thing to dislike.

But, however, I would go to the Hall tea-party,
and think only of being happy and gay,
and making myself as agreeable as I could,
even if I saw Erasmus as usual plant himself
opposite that person, and stare at her—his
usual habit; while she would use all her little
arts—"Could you?" (just to arrange her lace
shawl); " Would you?" (just to put down her
cup of tea); " Might I?" (just take his bouquet
out of his button-hole, smell it, play with it,
keep possession of it). Now I just appeal to
any one if it was possible for any man to resist
such ways, especially a man so clever that he
had not half the ordinary use of his common
senses.

"Patty looks very nice, does she not, Erasmus?"
said Robert, as I came down ready
dressed.

"She always looks nice to me," answered
Erasmus. " I never know how she is dressed."

Now to think of a good kind fellow, capable
of saying such dear little speeches, being thrown
away on that person. It was enough to make
one cry.

However, it was time to set out for the Hall.

We were overtaken by the village fly, conveying
Mrs. Arundel and Miss Ross.

"Will you not join our walking party?" said
Erasmus, eagerly; " 'tis such a lovely evening."

"Exquisite," murmured she; " but could I?''
and she showed, as Erasmus opened the fly door,
the tiniest little foot, in the tiniest black satin
slipper.