my heart, it had occurred to me. But I am afraid the simple fact is, that I saw a valley, some trees, and a stream, (in the highly oriental language of our parish it is called a river,) and fancied that they would be pretty outworks to a cottage."

"But you are not entirely insensible to the pleasures of contrast ?”

"I am afraid I am. I do not think I should leave M, if every house in it were five times as beautiful as you pretend that mine is. But I shall be glad to know, Mr. Morton, what right you have to slander my village? It ought to delight you particularly."

Why so?"

Surely it is a glorious triumph of the principle of utility, which you preach, over my frivolous notions about taste and beauty."

"It is very free from those feudal abominations, I must confess," said Morton.

Certainly; and who will give you credit for renouncing the Baal which your countrymen worship, while you retain a reverence for his altars and his groves?" said Lady Edward.

"I always professed an exception in favour of his priestesses," said Morton.

They had now reached the cottage, and Lady Edward led them through a conservatory into a

breakfast-parlour. The room they had entered before, was fitted up with remarkable elegance; but there was an almost savage plainness in this, which Eustace thought scarcely worthy of the cottage, the garden, and the owner. His surprise was diminished, but it gave place to an alarm not very unaccountable, considering the event of the evening but one before, when he saw a Quakeress sitting in it, and was introduced to her as the Mrs. Franklin he had come to visit. A glance at her countenance extinguished these feelings at once. It was worn and wrinkled, and bespoke a person past sixty. It could have belonged to no one who had not suffered long and bitterly-far longer and more bitterly than those who think themselves privileged to hate their kind and their Creator. Here, every line that spoke of endurance spoke also of gentleness. She might, or might not, have been good-natured in youth. It was difficult to suppose that she was ever otherwise, yet scarcely less difficult to believe that so superficial a feeling had ever governed her actions, or been expressed in her face. Deepsettled benevolence was now its single characteristic. Her eyes were sunk, and had lost their brilliancy, but were very mild and beautiful. Her smiles seemed to have been fetched a long way,

yet they came as readily as those which are always 'lurking at the corners of the mouth. In short, it was a physiognomy of which you felt certain; for there are such, even as there are human characters, of which you can be certain; and let persons say what they will about the deceitfulness of the countenance, it is not more deceitful than that of which it is the image.

She was reading Francisca's letter when they entered; and Eustace observed that her eyes swam with tears when Morton and Lady Edward withdrew, she exclaimed

"What a kind, noble creature this is! friend Green; I think that is thy name; thou art indeed a welcome messenger for bringing me tidings of her, even if thou wert not, as she says in her letter, the brother of her dearest friend. I hope we shall see a great deal of thee."

The friend was so gentle, her welcome so hearty, and the language in which she spoke of Francisca, with whose history Eustace remembered that she was acquainted, so delightful, that I almost doubt whether this invitation gave him less pleasure than the one which he received a few minutes after from a much younger and fairer person. That, too, was expressed very cordially. "The more they saw of a friend of Mr. Morton's," Lady

Edward said to him, "the more they should be gratified."

He retired to his lodgings very well contented that he had listened to Francisca's advice in choosing a hiding-place.

CHAPTER VIII.

The reason firm, the temperate will,
Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill,

A perfect woman, nobly plann'd

To warn,

to comfort, and command;

And yet a spirit still, and bright

With something of an angel light.

WORDSWORTH.

IF our hero had been alone, he might have treated these invitations as ordinary civilities, only authorizing an occasional visit. But Morton would not allow any such construction. He said that he had lounged away most of his time there before his friend came; that the foolish people in the village of course had started a hundred reports about him; and though Lady Edward was an Irish woman, and did not heed them, yet she would doubtless be grateful if he made the simplicity of his intentions evident by bringing a friend. These arguments received strong confirmation from the kindness of his hostesses, so