Poor Joe's panic lasted for two or three days; during which he did notvisit the house, nor during that period did Miss Rebecca ever mentionhis name. She was all respectful gratitude to Mrs. Sedley; delightedbeyond measure at the Bazaars; and in a whirl of wonder at the theatre,whither the good-natured lady took her. One day, Amelia had aheadache, and could not go upon some party of pleasure to which the twoyoung people were invited: nothing could induce her friend to gowithout her. "What! you who have shown the poor orphan what happinessand love are for the first time in her life--quit YOU? Never!" andthe green eyes looked up to Heaven and filled with tears; and Mrs.Sedley could not but own that her daughter's friend had a charming kindheart of her own.

As for Mr. Sedley's jokes, Rebecca laughed at them with a cordialityand perseverance which not a little pleased and softened thatgood-natured gentleman. Nor was it with the chiefs of the family alonethat Miss Sharp found favour. She interested Mrs. Blenkinsop byevincing the deepest sympathy in the raspberry-jam preserving, whichoperation was then going on in the Housekeeper's room; she persisted incalling Sambo "Sir," and "Mr. Sambo," to the delight of that attendant;and she apologised to the lady's maid for giving her trouble inventuring to ring the bell, with such sweetness and humility, that theServants' Hall was almost as charmed with her as the Drawing Room.

Once, in looking over some drawings which Amelia had sent from school,Rebecca suddenly came upon one which caused her to burst into tears andleave the room. It was on the day when Joe Sedley made his secondappearance.

Amelia hastened after her friend to know the cause of this display offeeling, and the good-natured girl came back without her companion,rather affected too. "You know, her father was our drawing-master,Mamma, at Chiswick, and used to do all the best parts of our drawings."

"My love! I'm sure I always heard Miss Pinkerton say that he did nottouch them--he only mounted them." "It was called mounting, Mamma.Rebecca remembers the drawing, and her father working at it, and thethought of it came upon her rather suddenly--and so, you know, she--"

"The poor child is all heart," said Mrs. Sedley.

"I wish she could stay with us another week," said Amelia.

"She's devilish like Miss Cutler that I used to meet at Dumdum, onlyfairer. She's married now to Lance, the Artillery Surgeon. Do youknow, Ma'am, that once Quintin, of the 14th, bet me--"

"O Joseph, we know that story," said Amelia, laughing. "Never mind abouttelling that; but persuade Mamma to write to Sir Something Crawley forleave of absence for poor dear Rebecca: here she comes, her eyes redwith weeping."

"I'm better, now," said the girl, with the sweetest smile possible,taking good-natured Mrs. Sedley's extended hand and kissing itrespectfully. "How kind you all are to me! All," she added, with alaugh, "except you, Mr. Joseph."

"Me!" said Joseph, meditating an instant departure "Gracious Heavens!Good Gad! Miss Sharp!'

"Yes; how could you be so cruel as to make me eat that horridpepper-dish at dinner, the first day I ever saw you? You are not sogood to me as dear Amelia."

"He doesn't know you so well," cried Amelia.

"I defy anybody not to be good to you, my dear," said her mother.

"The curry was capital; indeed it was," said Joe, quite gravely."Perhaps there was NOT enough citron juice in it--no, there was NOT."

"And the chilis?"

"By Jove, how they made you cry out!" said Joe, caught by the ridiculeof the circumstance, and exploding in a fit of laughter which endedquite suddenly, as usual.

"I shall take care how I let YOU choose for me another time," saidRebecca, as they went down again to dinner. "I didn't think men werefond of putting poor harmless girls to pain."

"By Gad, Miss Rebecca, I wouldn't hurt you for the world."

"No," said she, "I KNOW you wouldn't"; and then she gave him ever sogentle a pressure with her little hand, and drew it back quitefrightened, and looked first for one instant in his face, and then downat the carpet-rods; and I am not prepared to say that Joe's heart didnot thump at this little involuntary, timid, gentle motion of regard onthe part of the simple girl.

It was an advance, and as such, perhaps, some ladies of indisputablecorrectness and gentility will condemn the action as immodest; but, yousee, poor dear Rebecca had all this work to do for herself. If aperson is too poor to keep a servant, though ever so elegant, he mustsweep his own rooms: if a dear girl has no dear Mamma to settle matterswith the young man, she must do it for herself. And oh, what a mercyit is that these women do not exercise their powers oftener! We can'tresist them, if they do. Let them show ever so little inclination, andmen go down on their knees at once: old or ugly, it is all the same.And this I set down as a positive truth. A woman with fairopportunities, and without an absolute hump, may marry WHOM SHE LIKES.Only let us be thankful that the darlings are like the beasts of thefield, and don't know their own power. They would overcome us entirelyif they did.

"Egad!" thought Joseph, entering the dining-room, "I exactly begin tofeel as I did at Dumdum with Miss Cutler." Many sweet little appeals,half tender, half jocular, did Miss Sharp make to him about the dishesat dinner; for by this time she was on a footing of considerablefamiliarity with the family, and as for the girls, they loved eachother like sisters. Young unmarried girls always do, if they are in ahouse together for ten days.

As if bent upon advancing Rebecca's plans in every way--what mustAmelia do, but remind her brother of a promise made last Easterholidays--"When I was a girl at school," said she, laughing--a promisethat he, Joseph, would take her to Vauxhall. "Now," she said, "thatRebecca is with us, will be the very time."

"O, delightful!" said Rebecca, going to clap her hands; but sherecollected herself, and paused, like a modest creature, as she was.

"To-night is not the night," said Joe.

"Well, to-morrow."

"To-morrow your Papa and I dine out," said Mrs. Sedley.

"You don't suppose that I'm going, Mrs. Sed?" said her husband, "andthat a woman of your years and size is to catch cold, in such anabominable damp place?"

"The children must have someone with them," cried Mrs. Sedley.

"Let Joe go," said-his father, laughing. "He's big enough." At whichspeech even Mr. Sambo at the sideboard burst out laughing, and poor fatJoe felt inclined to become a parricide almost.

"Undo his stays!" continued the pitiless old gentleman. "Fling somewater in his face, Miss Sharp, or carry him upstairs: the dearcreature's fainting. Poor victim! carry him up; he's as light as afeather!"

"If I stand this, sir, I'm d------!" roared Joseph.

"Order Mr. Jos's elephant, Sambo!" cried the father. "Send to Exeter'Change, Sambo"; but seeing Jos ready almost to cry with vexation, theold joker stopped his laughter, and said, holding out his hand to hisson, "It's all fair on the Stock Exchange, Jos--and, Sambo, never mindthe elephant, but give me and Mr. Jos a glass of Champagne. Boneyhimself hasn't got such in his cellar, my boy!"

A goblet of Champagne restored Joseph's equanimity, and before thebottle was emptied, of which as an invalid he took two-thirds, he hadagreed to take the young ladies to Vauxhall.

"The girls must have a gentleman apiece," said the old gentleman. "Joswill be sure to leave Emmy in the crowd, he will be so taken up withMiss Sharp here. Send to 96, and ask George Osborne if he'll come."

At this, I don't know in the least for what reason, Mrs. Sedley lookedat her husband and laughed. Mr. Sedley's eyes twinkled in a mannerindescribably roguish, and he looked at Amelia; and Amelia, hangingdown her head, blushed as only young ladies of seventeen know how toblush, and as Miss Rebecca Sharp never blushed in her life--at leastnot since she was eight years old, and when she was caught stealing jamout of a cupboard by her godmother. "Amelia had better write a note,"said her father; "and let George Osborne see what a beautifulhandwriting we have brought back from Miss Pinkerton's. Do youremember when you wrote to him to come on Twelfth-night, Emmy, andspelt twelfth without the f?"

"That was years ago," said Amelia.

"It seems like yesterday, don't it, John?" said Mrs. Sedley to herhusband; and that night in a conversation which took place in a frontroom in the second floor, in a sort of tent, hung round with chintz ofa rich and fantastic India pattern, and double with calico of a tenderrose-colour; in the interior of which species of marquee was afeatherbed, on which were two pillows, on which were two round redfaces, one in a laced nightcap, and one in a simple cotton one, endingin a tassel--in a CURTAIN LECTURE, I say, Mrs. Sedley took her husbandto task for his cruel conduct to poor Joe.

"It was quite wicked of you, Mr. Sedley," said she, "to torment thepoor boy so."

"My dear," said the cotton-tassel in defence of his conduct, "Jos is agreat deal vainer than you ever were in your life, and that's saying agood deal. Though, some thirty years ago, in the year seventeenhundred and eighty--what was it?--perhaps you had a right to be vain--Idon't say no. But I've no patience with Jos and his dandified modesty.It is out-Josephing Joseph, my dear, and all the while the boy is onlythinking of himself, and what a fine fellow he is. I doubt, Ma'am, weshall have some trouble with him yet. Here is Emmy's little friendmaking love to him as hard as she can; that's quite clear; and if shedoes not catch him some other will. That man is destined to be a preyto woman, as I am to go on 'Change every day. It's a mercy he did notbring us over a black daughter-in-law, my dear. But, mark my words,the first woman who fishes for him, hooks him."

"She shall go off to-morrow, the little artful creature," said Mrs.Sedley, with great energy.

"Why not she as well as another, Mrs. Sedley? The girl's a white faceat any rate. I don't care who marries him. Let Joe please himself."

And presently the voices of the two speakers were hushed, or werereplaced by the gentle but unromantic music of the nose; and save whenthe church bells tolled the hour and the watchman called it, all wassilent at the house of John Sedley, Esquire, of Russell Square, and theStock Exchange.

When morning came, the good-natured Mrs. Sedley no longer thought ofexecuting her threats with regard to Miss Sharp; for though nothing ismore keen, nor more common, nor more justifiable, than maternaljealousy, yet she could not bring herself to suppose that the little,humble, grateful, gentle governess would dare to look up to such amagnificent personage as the Collector of Boggley Wollah. The petition,too, for an extension of the young lady's leave of absence had alreadybeen despatched, and it would be difficult to find a pretext forabruptly dismissing her.

And as if all things conspired in favour of the gentle Rebecca, thevery elements (although she was not inclined at first to acknowledgetheir action in her behalf) interposed to aid her. For on the eveningappointed for the Vauxhall party, George Osborne having come to dinner,and the elders of the house having departed, according to invitation,to dine with Alderman Balls at Highbury Barn, there came on such athunder-storm as only happens on Vauxhall nights, and as obliged theyoung people, perforce, to remain at home. Mr. Osborne did not seem inthe least disappointed at this occurrence. He and Joseph Sedley drank afitting quantity of port-wine, tete-a-tete, in the dining-room, duringthe drinking of which Sedley told a number of his best Indian stories;for he was extremely talkative in man's society; and afterwards MissAmelia Sedley did the honours of the drawing-room; and these four youngpersons passed such a comfortable evening together, that they declaredthey were rather glad of the thunder-storm than otherwise, which hadcaused them to put off their visit to Vauxhall.

Osborne was Sedley's godson, and had been one of the family any timethese three-and-twenty years. At six weeks old, he had received fromJohn Sedley a present of a silver cup; at six months old, a coral withgold whistle and bells; from his youth upwards he was "tipped"regularly by the old gentleman at Christmas: and on going back toschool, he remembered perfectly well being thrashed by Joseph Sedley,when the latter was a big, swaggering hobbadyhoy, and George animpudent urchin of ten years old. In a word, George was as familiarwith the family as such daily acts of kindness and intercourse couldmake him.

"Do you remember, Sedley, what a fury you were in, when I cut off thetassels of your Hessian boots, and how Miss--hem!--how Amelia rescuedme from a beating, by falling down on her knees and crying out to herbrother Jos, not to beat little George?"

Jos remembered this remarkable circumstance perfectly well, but vowedthat he had totally forgotten it.

"Well, do you remember coming down in a gig to Dr. Swishtail's to seeme, before you went to India, and giving me half a guinea and a pat onthe head? I always had an idea that you were at least seven feet high,and was quite astonished at your return from India to find you notaller than myself."

"How good of Mr. Sedley to go to your school and give you the money!"exclaimed Rebecca, in accents of extreme delight.

"Yes, and after I had cut the tassels of his boots too. Boys neverforget those tips at school, nor the givers."

"I delight in Hessian boots," said Rebecca. Jos Sedley, who admiredhis own legs prodigiously, and always wore this ornamental chaussure,was extremely pleased at this remark, though he drew his legs under hischair as it was made.

"Miss Sharp!" said George Osborne, "you who are so clever an artist,you must make a grand historical picture of the scene of the boots.Sedley shall be represented in buckskins, and holding one of theinjured boots in one hand; by the other he shall have hold of myshirt-frill. Amelia shall be kneeling near him, with her little handsup; and the picture shall have a grand allegorical title, as thefrontispieces have in the Medulla and the spelling-book."

"I shan't have time to do it here," said Rebecca. "I'll do itwhen--when I'm gone." And she dropped her voice, and looked so sad andpiteous, that everybody felt how cruel her lot was, and how sorry theywould be to part with her.

"O that you could stay longer, dear Rebecca," said Amelia.

"Why?" answered the other, still more sadly. "That I may be only themore unhap--unwilling to lose you?" And she turned away her head.Amelia began to give way to that natural infirmity of tears which, wehave said, was one of the defects of this silly little thing. GeorgeOsborne looked at the two young women with a touched curiosity; andJoseph Sedley heaved something very like a sigh out of his big chest,as he cast his eyes down towards his favourite Hessian boots.

"Let us have some music, Miss Sedley--Amelia," said George, who felt atthat moment an extraordinary, almost irresistible impulse to seize theabove-mentioned young woman in his arms, and to kiss her in the face ofthe company; and she looked at him for a moment, and if I should saythat they fell in love with each other at that single instant of time,I should perhaps be telling an untruth, for the fact is that these twoyoung people had been bred up by their parents for this very purpose,and their banns had, as it were, been read in their respective familiesany time these ten years. They went off to the piano, which wassituated, as pianos usually are, in the back drawing-room; and as itwas rather dark, Miss Amelia, in the most unaffected way in the world,put her hand into Mr. Osborne's, who, of course, could see the wayamong the chairs and ottomans a great deal better than she could. Butthis arrangement left Mr. Joseph Sedley tete-a-tete with Rebecca, atthe drawing-room table, where the latter was occupied in knitting agreen silk purse.

"There is no need to ask family secrets," said Miss Sharp. "Those twohave told theirs."

"As soon as he gets his company," said Joseph, "I believe the affair issettled. George Osborne is a capital fellow."

"And your sister the dearest creature in the world," said Rebecca."Happy the man who wins her!" With this, Miss Sharp gave a great sigh.

When two unmarried persons get together, and talk upon such delicatesubjects as the present, a great deal of confidence and intimacy ispresently established between them. There is no need of giving aspecial report of the conversation which now took place between Mr.Sedley and the young lady; for the conversation, as may be judged fromthe foregoing specimen, was not especially witty or eloquent; it seldomis in private societies, or anywhere except in very high-flown andingenious novels. As there was music in the next room, the talk wascarried on, of course, in a low and becoming tone, though, for thematter of that, the couple in the next apartment would not have beendisturbed had the talking been ever so loud, so occupied were they withtheir own pursuits.

Almost for the first time in his life, Mr. Sedley found himselftalking, without the least timidity or hesitation, to a person of theother sex. Miss Rebecca asked him a great number of questions aboutIndia, which gave him an opportunity of narrating many interestinganecdotes about that country and himself. He described the balls atGovernment House, and the manner in which they kept themselves cool inthe hot weather, with punkahs, tatties, and other contrivances; and hewas very witty regarding the number of Scotchmen whom Lord Minto, theGovernor-General, patronised; and then he described a tiger-hunt; andthe manner in which the mahout of his elephant had been pulled off hisseat by one of the infuriated animals. How delighted Miss Rebecca wasat the Government balls, and how she laughed at the stories of theScotch aides-de-camp, and called Mr. Sedley a sad wicked satiricalcreature; and how frightened she was at the story of the elephant! "Foryour mother's sake, dear Mr. Sedley," she said, "for the sake of allyour friends, promise NEVER to go on one of those horrid expeditions."

"Pooh, pooh, Miss Sharp," said he, pulling up his shirt-collars; "thedanger makes the sport only the pleasanter." He had never been but onceat a tiger-hunt, when the accident in question occurred, and when hewas half killed--not by the tiger, but by the fright. And as he talkedon, he grew quite bold, and actually had the audacity to ask MissRebecca for whom she was knitting the green silk purse? He was quitesurprised and delighted at his own graceful familiar manner.

"For any one who wants a purse," replied Miss Rebecca, looking at himin the most gentle winning way. Sedley was going to make one of themost eloquent speeches possible, and had begun--"O Miss Sharp, how--"when some song which was performed in the other room came to an end,and caused him to hear his own voice so distinctly that he stopped,blushed, and blew his nose in great agitation.

"Did you ever hear anything like your brother's eloquence?" whisperedMr. Osborne to Amelia. "Why, your friend has worked miracles."

"The more the better," said Miss Amelia; who, like almost all women whoare worth a pin, was a match-maker in her heart, and would have beendelighted that Joseph should carry back a wife to India. She had, too,in the course of this few days' constant intercourse, warmed into amost tender friendship for Rebecca, and discovered a million of virtuesand amiable qualities in her which she had not perceived when they wereat Chiswick together. For the affection of young ladies is of as rapidgrowth as Jack's bean-stalk, and reaches up to the sky in a night. Itis no blame to them that after marriage this Sehnsucht nach der Liebesubsides. It is what sentimentalists, who deal in very big words, calla yearning after the Ideal, and simply means that women are commonlynot satisfied until they have husbands and children on whom they maycentre affections, which are spent elsewhere, as it were, in smallchange.

Having expended her little store of songs, or having stayed long enoughin the back drawing-room, it now appeared proper to Miss Amelia to askher friend to sing. "You would not have listened to me," she said toMr. Osborne (though she knew she was telling a fib), "had you heardRebecca first."

"I give Miss Sharp warning, though," said Osborne, "that, right orwrong, I consider Miss Amelia Sedley the first singer in the world."

"You shall hear," said Amelia; and Joseph Sedley was actually politeenough to carry the candles to the piano. Osborne hinted that he shouldlike quite as well to sit in the dark; but Miss Sedley, laughing,declined to bear him company any farther, and the two accordinglyfollowed Mr. Joseph. Rebecca sang far better than her friend (thoughof course Osborne was free to keep his opinion), and exerted herself tothe utmost, and, indeed, to the wonder of Amelia, who had never knownher perform so well. She sang a French song, which Joseph did notunderstand in the least, and which George confessed he did notunderstand, and then a number of those simple ballads which were thefashion forty years ago, and in which British tars, our King, poorSusan, blue-eyed Mary, and the like, were the principal themes. Theyare not, it is said, very brilliant, in a musical point of view, butcontain numberless good-natured, simple appeals to the affections,which people understood better than the milk-and-water lagrime,sospiri, and felicita of the eternal Donizettian music with which weare favoured now-a-days.

Conversation of a sentimental sort, befitting the subject, was carriedon between the songs, to which Sambo, after he had brought the tea, thedelighted cook, and even Mrs. Blenkinsop, the housekeeper, condescendedto listen on the landing-place.

Among these ditties was one, the last of the concert, and to thefollowing effect:

Ah! bleak and barren was the moor, Ah! loud and piercing was the storm,The cottage roof was shelter'd sure, The cottage hearth was bright andwarm--An orphan boy the lattice pass'd, And, as he mark'd its cheerfulglow, Felt doubly keen the midnight blast, And doubly cold the fallensnow.

They mark'd him as he onward prest, With fainting heart and weary limb;Kind voices bade him turn and rest, And gentle faces welcomed him. Thedawn is up--the guest is gone, The cottage hearth is blazing still;Heaven pity all poor wanderers lone! Hark to the wind upon the hill!

It was the sentiment of the before-mentioned words, "When I'm gone,"over again. As she came to the last words, Miss Sharp's "deep-tonedvoice faltered." Everybody felt the allusion to her departure, and toher hapless orphan state. Joseph Sedley, who was fond of music, andsoft-hearted, was in a state of ravishment during the performance ofthe song, and profoundly touched at its conclusion. If he had had thecourage; if George and Miss Sedley had remained, according to theformer's proposal, in the farther room, Joseph Sedley's bachelorhoodwould have been at an end, and this work would never have been written.But at the close of the ditty, Rebecca quitted the piano, and givingher hand to Amelia, walked away into the front drawing-room twilight;and, at this moment, Mr. Sambo made his appearance with a tray,containing sandwiches, jellies, and some glittering glasses anddecanters, on which Joseph Sedley's attention was immediately fixed.When the parents of the house of Sedley returned from theirdinner-party, they found the young people so busy in talking, that theyhad not heard the arrival of the carriage, and Mr. Joseph was in theact of saying, "My dear Miss Sharp, one little teaspoonful of jelly torecruit you after your immense--your--your delightful exertions."

"Bravo, Jos!" said Mr. Sedley; on hearing the bantering of whichwell-known voice, Jos instantly relapsed into an alarmed silence, andquickly took his departure. He did not lie awake all night thinkingwhether or not he was in love with Miss Sharp; the passion of lovenever interfered with the appetite or the slumber of Mr. Joseph Sedley;but he thought to himself how delightful it would be to hear such songsas those after Cutcherry--what a distinguee girl she was--how she couldspeak French better than the Governor-General's lady herself--and whata sensation she would make at the Calcutta balls. "It's evident thepoor devil's in love with me," thought he. "She is just as rich asmost of the girls who come out to India. I might go farther, and fareworse, egad!" And in these meditations he fell asleep.

How Miss Sharp lay awake, thinking, will he come or not to-morrow? neednot be told here. To-morrow came, and, as sure as fate, Mr. JosephSedley made his appearance before luncheon. He had never been knownbefore to confer such an honour on Russell Square. George Osborne wassomehow there already (sadly "putting out" Amelia, who was writing toher twelve dearest friends at Chiswick Mall), and Rebecca was employedupon her yesterday's work. As Joe's buggy drove up, and while, afterhis usual thundering knock and pompous bustle at the door, theex-Collector of Boggley Wollah laboured up stairs to the drawing-room,knowing glances were telegraphed between Osborne and Miss Sedley, andthe pair, smiling archly, looked at Rebecca, who actually blushed asshe bent her fair ringlets over her knitting. How her heart beat asJoseph appeared--Joseph, puffing from the staircase in shining creakingboots--Joseph, in a new waistcoat, red with heat and nervousness, andblushing behind his wadded neckcloth. It was a nervous moment for all;and as for Amelia, I think she was more frightened than even the peoplemost concerned.

Sambo, who flung open the door and announced Mr. Joseph, followedgrinning, in the Collector's rear, and bearing two handsome nosegays offlowers, which the monster had actually had the gallantry to purchasein Covent Garden Market that morning--they were not as big as thehaystacks which ladies carry about with them now-a-days, in cones offiligree paper; but the young women were delighted with the gift, asJoseph presented one to each, with an exceedingly solemn bow.

"Bravo, Jos!" cried Osborne.

"Thank you, dear Joseph," said Amelia, quite ready to kiss her brother,if he were so minded. (And I think for a kiss from such a dearcreature as Amelia, I would purchase all Mr. Lee's conservatories outof hand.)

"O heavenly, heavenly flowers!" exclaimed Miss Sharp, and smelt themdelicately, and held them to her bosom, and cast up her eyes to theceiling, in an ecstasy of admiration. Perhaps she just looked firstinto the bouquet, to see whether there was a billet-doux hidden amongthe flowers; but there was no letter.

"Do they talk the language of flowers at Boggley Wollah, Sedley?" askedOsborne, laughing.

"Pooh, nonsense!" replied the sentimental youth. "Bought 'em atNathan's; very glad you like 'em; and eh, Amelia, my dear, I bought apine-apple at the same time, which I gave to Sambo. Let's have it fortiffin; very cool and nice this hot weather." Rebecca said she hadnever tasted a pine, and longed beyond everything to taste one.

So the conversation went on. I don't know on what pretext Osborne leftthe room, or why, presently, Amelia went away, perhaps to superintendthe slicing of the pine-apple; but Jos was left alone with Rebecca, whohad resumed her work, and the green silk and the shining needles werequivering rapidly under her white slender fingers.

"What a beautiful, BYOO-OOTIFUL song that was you sang last night, dearMiss Sharp," said the Collector. "It made me cry almost; 'pon myhonour it did."

"Because you have a kind heart, Mr. Joseph; all the Sedleys have, Ithink."

"It kept me awake last night, and I was trying to hum it this morning,in bed; I was, upon my honour. Gollop, my doctor, came in at eleven(for I'm a sad invalid, you know, and see Gollop every day), and, 'gad!there I was, singing away like--a robin."

"O you droll creature! Do let me hear you sing it."

"Me? No, you, Miss Sharp; my dear Miss Sharp, do sing it." "Not now,Mr. Sedley," said Rebecca, with a sigh. "My spirits are not equal toit; besides, I must finish the purse. Will you help me, Mr. Sedley?"And before he had time to ask how, Mr. Joseph Sedley, of the East IndiaCompany's service, was actually seated tete-a-tete with a young lady,looking at her with a most killing expression; his arms stretched outbefore her in an imploring attitude, and his hands bound in a web ofgreen silk, which she was unwinding.

In this romantic position Osborne and Amelia found the interestingpair, when they entered to announce that tiffin was ready. The skeinof silk was just wound round the card; but Mr. Jos had never spoken.

"I am sure he will to-night, dear," Amelia said, as she pressedRebecca's hand; and Sedley, too, had communed with his soul, and saidto himself, "'Gad, I'll pop the question at Vauxhall."