all; my husband passed it with his new
friend, "and, at the appointed hour, when I
had engaged to be ready to receive him, and
wonderful to say not before, he brought him,
and introduced him to me. Nothing could
surpass the suavity and easy politeness of his
manner, and in a few minutes I felt as if I
had known him all my life. I watched him
when we heard Mary's step in the passage,
and his eyes lighted up with a pleasant smile;
she looked really beautiful after the first
awkwardness of meeting him; her dress was
the most elegant and becoming her mother's
taste could advise, while her heightened
colour, and eyes cast down till the long lashes
rested on her glowing cheeks, sufficiently
betrayed her agitation. The evening passed
pleasantly in social unconstrained conversation,
in which the stranger took an animated
part, and when we separated he asked
permission to escort Mary and her mother home.
I ran up-stairs and watched them with
intense interest till they turned the corner of
the street.

"Not to lengthen my story, I will tell
you at once that he soon proposed and
was accepted. After having satisfied my
husband that he was neither an impostor
nor a papist; indeed, notwithstanding his
worldly appearance, he had really very proper
sentiments.

"Mary and Mr. Williams were very happy
for a few lovely summer days, and then it
became necessary for him to return to
Manchester; when this necessity was forced upon
him he came to us to beg that I would aid
him in persuading Mary to accompany her
mother and me on a visit tof his house, where,
he said, we might find some alterations to
propose; he had waited to obtain our sanction
and acceptance of his invitation before
he had named it to Mary. My husband was
highly pleased with the plan, and we had
little difficulty in inducing Mary to acquiesce
in it.

Mr. Williams preceded us by a few days,
and then he met us at the Bank Top Station.
To our astonishment our humble luggage—
and how humble it did look I cannot describe
—was consigned to the care of two livery
servants, while he conducted us, with great
empressement to an elegant carriage which
was waiting in the station-yard. In silence
and astonishment we were conveyed rapidly
through the thronged streets to one of the
pleasant suburbs about four miles from town,
where we alighted at a magnificent residence
surrounded with pleasure-grounds and
numerous tokens of wealth. Within everything
was on a fitting scale, and I who had noticed
Mary's increasing paleness, as she had leaned
back in the carriage silent and wondering, was
not surprised to see her burst into a flood of
tears when Mr. Williams welcomed her to
her future home. How he soothed her and
manifested lover-like concern and attention.
Of course I need not describe; but, at
I last, she grew calm enough to bear with
equanimity, the sight of a charming little
room fitted up expressly for herself.

"One soon accustoms one's-self to pleasant
things; in a few hours the elegancies
surrounding us, instead of oppressing, elevated
our spirits. Mrs. Wigley and I enjoyed them
thoroughly; the stately housekeeper, the
obsequious servants, the conservatories, the
elegant equipages belonged to us, and were
part of our pomp and state; while Mary was
engrossed with Mr. Williams as to be
almost oblivious of her grandeur. I like to
see lovers, and those two were lover-like
enough to satisfy me.

"We had been three or four days in
Manchester, when Mr. Williams proposed to
drive us to Dunham Park: Mrs. Wigley
cared little for rural pleasures, and preferred
the enjoyment of the consequence about her;
so Mary and I went alone with Mr. Williams.
If ever mortal enjoyed perfect worldly
happiness, it was Mrs. Wigley when she
watched her daughter driving out in the
carriage of the man she was going to marry.
She re-entered the house with a full-blown
delight. In great benignity of spirit she
entered into conversation with the stately
housekeeper, and naturally introduced Mr.
Williams's name.

"' I do not know any Mr. Williams,' said
the housekeeper.

"'Goodness gracious! ' cried Mrs. Wigley,
" who then is the owner of these domains—of
this mansion, these carriages, this grandeur?
Who is the gentleman who is driving out my
daughter and her friend? '

"' That is Mr. Gordon,' replied the
housekeeper, ' the servants have noticed, ma'am,
that you all called him by another name,
and some said it was Mr. Williams, but I
did not think so; his name is Frederic
William Gordon, and if he is deceiving you,
ma'am, I think it is only just to put you on
your guard. To be sure he is the owner
of this property, but there is never any good
in hiding one's proper name.'

"In this Mrs. Wigley so heartily agreed, that
she immediately wrote to my husband in
much perplexity and tribulation; and, after
a long deliberation, she decided upon not
disturbing us with the discovery till she received
his answer.

"We had a delightful day at Dunham. I
do not make a bad third, and so often found
| objects of interest to engage my attention,
that the others really grew unconscious of
my presence. We returned late in the afternoon
and found Mrs. Wigley moody and
taciturn. Mr. Williams and Mary sat apart
and conversed in low tones throughout the
evening, while I lounged luxuriously in an
easy-chair, and mentally reviewed the events
which had domiciled us amidst so much
magnificence.

"The next morning Mr. Williams met us
with a grave and pre-occupied air, and