It has been long maintained by many a sager disputant, that although in matters requiring solidity of judgment, or steady and undeviating policy, the wisdom of man may be more conspicularly useful; yet for sudden thought, and promptitude of action, woman's intellect is always preferable-hence, the hasty resolution of our heroines, as well as its concomitant execution, however strange or incredible it may at first appear, is not in reality surprising; they were youthful and inexperienced, it is true, but fiery-spirited (especially, Caroline) and intrepid by nature; and if they possessed the foibles of their sex, were also gifted with its better attributes.

Now let us survey them in another situation. The house

in which they had found refuge on the evening of their second clandestine removal (in the immediate neighbourhood of Drury Lane) was occupied by a Mrs. Montague, who represented herself as a widow of respectability, but reduced to the necessity of accommodating lodgers for a subsistence: here then they could not hope to remain long, without the means of satisfying their hostess for the shelter she afforded them: but they were both accomplished and vigorous; competent to instruct, and capable of enduring labour, and their ignorance of humble life permitted them not to entertain a doubt of procuring employment. We leave them to their efforts for a while, in order to introduce, and enter into a very short description of Mrs. Montague and her daughter.

She appeared about the age of thirty-five: her complexion was extremely fair-her hair auburn, and she had evidently once possessed beauty, although the wreck of it alone was now discernable: sorrow seemed to have finished its work early upon the frame of Mrs. Montague, and to have been maliciously determined on leaving nothing therein to admire; her cheeks were pale and sunken her locks neglected, and her form thin and emaciated. Her daughter, Melissa Montague, was in many respects exactly the reverse of her mother: she was dark, lively, and beautiful: her jetty ringlets curled in soft luxuriance around her oval countenance, somewhat swarthy indeed, though not, the less expressive; her eyes were large and sable, but their mild orbs were never fixed on any one that felt not instantly a prepossession in her favour; her lips were not pure coral, but they seldom opened without diffusing a charm around that kept every one else silent :-it was easy to perceive, her native temper of mind was not cheerfulness, it being but a garb which she wore to, enliven her mother, who she had discrimination enough to perceive was becoming far too grave; since only during Mrs. Montatrue's presence did the vivacity of her daughter display

itself on her departure she would sigh, look vacantly around until the tears started in her eyes, and then brushing them hastily away, usually rose and followed her:-it was this conduct of Melissa's, that first intimated to Caroline and Ethelia the distressing peculiarity of Mrs. Montague's situation, whose whole wealth was now indeed reduced to the possession of this amiable girl who yet, in spite of her filial conduct, calumny had whispered, or if not calumny, curiosity had been busy and avouched was not her daughter, but only a projegee, with the care of whose education she had been entrusted: be this as it might, reader, you and I must not regard calumny, and curiosity is a despicable attribute; we must regard her therefore as we ought, with the eye of the world at large and shall call her, as the world called her-Melissa Montague. bode of t.. big 1 546

It chanded one evening as Mrs. Montague and her daughter were sitting in the same apartment with our forlorn wanderers, each equally dejected (for their design of industriously maintaining themselves had completely failed) but of whose society they had now become too deeply enamoured to meditate for an-instant depriving them of a home, that the discourse happened to turn upon former scenes, and former remembrances: the kindness of their new friend had engaged the heart of Ethelia, and softened even the imperious Caroline; and they left nothing untold pertaining to their misfortunes, or the hopeless situation in which they were placed; the last trinket they were worth, and even their clothes being disposed of, to procure them the bare necessaries of subsistence their compassionate: hostess listened with unusual: attention: when she heard them name the village of →→→→→→, she1 drew her hand suddenly over her forehead, where something like a hectic tinge seemed as suddenly to have supplanted the lily-like paleness that had hitherto distinguished it but whether from the effect of that hand's unwonted pressure, or

from another source, remained yet to be determined :—on their conclusion, she repeated in an inward tone, as if questioning not so much their veracity, as the probable fallacy of her own conjectures, the name of the hamlet they had mentioned; and enquired, with much incertitude of manner, whether they remembered a villa formerly the residence of the marchioness of Grandeville, situated in that neighbourhood?

Perfectly," rejoined Ethelia," where it is alleged she expired of grief for the loss of her children, and the cruelty of her husband.",

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Mrs. Montague said no more; but Ethelia thought as she awaited her answer, seemed to shiver greatly, and her hand was again placed upon her forehead.

After a silence of some time, during which Melissa was wholly occupied in revolving over again the adventure she had just heard, their hospitable, and hitherto esteemed hostess began to sob with violence, and it was not until she removed her hand from her now altered and contracted brows, that they perceived her face was bathed in tears: at thèse alarming symptoms the tender-hearted Melissa was instantly busied in soothing, and administering to the consolation of her afflicted parent; it seemed evidently not the first time she bad beheld her thus affected, although rarely, as appeared by her increasing terror, to such an immoderate degree as her total forgetfulness of situation and circumstances now manifested: she writhed in the arms of her daughter, shrieking wildly for compassion, with a fierceness of delirium that nearly approximated to insanity; and calling aloud in a fit of desperation upon the name of Arthur, with which she often mingled that of Agatha, and deprecating his perfidy; and then in a paroxysm of agony entreating his forgiveness, sank down exhausted at the feet of the astonished girls, whom she 'angi