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Why, dear Amy, put them all on; the more the merrier." "What nonsense!"

"Don't be indignant, sweet Amy; think gently of my limited capacity. Let me consider; if you wear only one at once, I imagine it is quite immaterial which; the one you appear in will, undoubtedly, be the most bewitching for the time, being set off by the lovely young lady within it."

"Just as if you thought so; and do you know, the jeweller wont let me have my bracelet in time; you ought not to tease me; that is quite enough distressing."

"Is it? I should have thought your large powers of forbearance called for a larger test. At least I hope you will allow me to congratulate the audience, Amy. Their eyes would have certainly been too much dazzled for the ears to have been of any use, if you had shone before them with the bracelet as well as yourself and the three dresses."

"The three dresses! Now, Raimond, do think which."

"Let me see-which of the three? That makes a rhyme, does it not? I hope I am not waxing poetical, Amy; that would be an unjust invasion of your department. Are you sure you only want one for the concert? It is choice more puzzling than one among the Graces, to say nothing of the Muses, which perhaps would be still more appropriate to you. I really must try to assist in your dilemma. Ah! yes; that would unquestionably be charming! You would look surprisingly well, dear Amy, in the light pearl-coloured black satin, trimmed with primrose lace."

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The light pearl-coloured black! Oh, Raimond! how can you? How specially absurd! I must choose for myself; it really is too bad from one's only brother."

"So you don't like my choice, Amy? That really is rather ungrateful for all my trouble in selection. But trust to your own -never mind-no doubt your last new hero will think you enchanting if you don't wear any of them; I am only afraid he may not be there."

"And when you know I shall not have my bracelet!"

"It is extremely puzzling to my weak intellect how so bewitching a lady as Miss Amy de Vesci can regret the absence of a mere external ornament; how can you think, Amy, when you are there any one will miss the bracelet ?"

"And what matter is it if they do?" inquired papa, who had been giving me for some time his disapproving countenance. "If all the world were like you we should have more lamentation than enough about every little thing." “What an

"All the world like Amy!" exclaimed Raimond. idea! We should have flown off to the moon, Amy's patron planet, long ago."

"What a good thing it would be if the world were filled with

people half as nice as you and I, dear papa," said I. "We always understand each other. I am sure you perceive I intend to enjoy this concert particularly, so I shall issue orders for my black satin; it will be a sort of slight mourning for my bracelet.' "Don't mourn for it at all, Amy," advised Raimond; remember the nursery rhyme you once had the honour of teaching me"For every evil under the sun

There is a remedy, or there is none;

If there is one. try to find it;

If there is not, never mind it."

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So that you see this logic consolingly suggests to you to never mind it."

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Very consoling indeed," said I; "good bye, Raimond."

"Well, as you are going to issue orders for your dress, as you said, which are certainly of the greatest importance, I wont detain you. But after all, dear Amy, wont you take my advice? I recommend the pearl-coloured black satin trimmed with prim

rose

I ran out of hearing before the description was finished.

Well, the concert came and went. I will tell you all about it which concerns the performers in process of time. As our souls are so much in sympathy, probably you would rather just now hear something of the audience. I am happy to oblige you. The next morning appeared my inimitable brother.

"The top of the morning to you, dear Amy. The sun is just risen (very late up indeed, it is nearly twelve o'clock) the firmament clear; would you very much like to take a walk with your only brother?"

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I don't feel any particular objection."

"You don't! very grateful indeed for my paternal offer."

"Paternal? I should not have guessed my gratitude was due to you on that score, Raimond."

" Is it not? You know, dear Amy, I always get puzzled with your ideas of relationship. Didn't you tell me the other day that you quite understood how your particular friend Miss Merton had a maternal affection for Mr. Seymour, who is about a year older than I am? so I though if a year made so much difference, probably it was a paternal affection I ought to have for you."

"I think that, as Mr. Seymour would probably say, follows as a non sequitur. You talk more nonsense, Raimond, every day." "Do I? Even in that case, ought you, Amy, to contemn my feeble efforts to imitate your sublime style of conversation ?" "I don't see the slightest resemblance."

"Don't you, really? How unfeeling of you to tell me so! You ought rather to encourage my humble endeavours to approximate to you the fourth Grace-the tenth Muse; a lady who exemplifies the happy result of a complete literary edu

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"Now that would certainly have been a bathos after the Graces and the Muses, Raimond, so my good nature interrupts you. If you have quite finished lecturing me, I have a small admonition to give you about last night."

"Ah! the concert! I have not forgotten it. So you managed to be present without your bracelet? I think it was fortunate; that additional brilliancy would certainly have put the wax candles out-extinguished them. I wonder how they stood Mr. Seyton's glances."

"Mr. Seyton's glances are too gentle to put anything out. But now be serious, dear, a minute; I have something to say to you." "That sounds a very serious beginning indeed. Is it anything very terrible, dear sister?"

"Oh, no! something quite for your good."

"Then it must be terrible. Things meant for one's good have always been so since the days of the fairy who would assist her of the glass slipper."

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"But sometimes they have sweet uses,' Raimond, like the doings of Cinderella's godmother. So make up your fortitude to hear me."

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"Well, if I must,-but you will not be more lengthy than is consistent with your accustomed aversion to the laconic, dear sister?"

"I will be as short as possible; but very likely, Raimond, you can anticipate my remarks. Really you ought to be more popular. The future representative of our family, you ought not to look as if you cared nothing about people. You ought to me more polite and attentive."

"Really, Amy, you are quite giving me a speech! Polite and attentive when there is no one to be attentive to! People must

attend to themselves if they require so much attention."

“Now, Raimond, I am sure you know I am perfectly reasonable."

"Of course, dear sister."

"Well now, just consider. Did you offer your arm to Mrs. Lennox last night ?"

"I! no, nor my leg either, I can't spare either of them, I assure you."

"And yet you know she is quite a connection of your friend, Lord'

"Of course she is,-like all the rest of the people you know,great-grand-mammas to half the nobility in the country. There's that worthy lady with a voice that got cracked some years ago, and has never been cemented since,-Mrs. Malone don't you call her? Isn't she mother-in-law to Lord Bacon, or something of the kind, did you not tell me?"

"Absurdity can receive no reply."

"No reason at all why you should not answer your brother, Amy."

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Only think, Raimond. What did you say to Mr. Seymour, when he asked you if Mr. were not a very high churchman ?” "I think I said nothing, but that he was a great tall man." "And there was his special friend, Sir

within ear shot!"

standing quite

"Then he had the opportunity to make any addition to my remark that he liked."

“I am sure, Raimond, you must know my observations are very sensible, whether you admit it or not. You are aware, of course, you ought to be popular."

"To be sure! Popular! Popular's the word. I have it by heart, I ought to be popular! Really, dear Amy, your valuable remarks are not constructed on the principle of unexpectedness." "I should think not,-for I never heard of it."

"Indeed! has not your novel-reading included Headlong Hall? Don't you remember the landscape-gardener, who proposed laying out a park on the principle of unexpectedness,-on which the owner, with a rational principle of invitation inquired, Pray, sir, what name do you give that principle, the second time you go over the grounds?' Now I think of it, Amy, on the principle that one good turn deserves another, I fancy I have a good lecture to confer on you. Pray, did I hear my name, combined with some offer of a picture you were making to Mrs. Lennox last night?"

"Perhaps you did, at least you might have done. She is extremely fond of paintings, so I was just telling her that you lately received a beautiful madonna from Italy, and if she would call I should be very happy to show it to her."

"A nice way of being popular, certainly. I must request for the future, that you will popularize out of your own stores, not mine. I won't have my pictures turned into a show gallery,-I won't have my library invaded-"

"And what must I say to Mrs. Lennox if she calls, Raimond ?" "Say, why that you were mistaken in supposing that your brother kept paintings for the benefit of the public,-even for that invaluable part of it who are related to all the nobility."

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'Very well, she will form a high opinion of your courtesy. And I suppose I must give the same message to Ima Severton? she thought she should like to see it."

"Who told you to do so? Ima Severton is not the public,she is a friend of ours."

"I thought Mrs. Lennox also had that enviable distinction." "Oh, no, she is merely a person to whom you know I am to be 'popular.' Suppose I commence popularizing in your engaging way, dear Amy,-shall I ask Mr. Merton to come and try

your grand piano to-morrow? or to practise an hour with you on the guitar?"

"I should think not-how monstrous,-don't mention such a thing."

"Merely an attempt to follow your lead, dear Amy. Don't despise it so. Perhaps you will be kind enough some day to give me a lesson in the art of being 'popular,' which I may be allowed to imitate unblamed, by my gentle sister."

Here this very agreeable tête-à-tête was interrupted by the approach of Mr. Malone, who being very far from the sunny side of my esteem, did not inspire me with any inclination to give Raimond the lesson he requested just then. Mr. Malone might have seen that, if he had been at all penetrating,-as he is not so, he recollected that he had a call to make in the direction in which we were walking, in which I silently acquiesced,-Raimond thought proper to second the proposal with warmth.

"I hope, Miss De Vesci," said Mr. Malone, "you are in favour of the new reading-room, at F-—?”

"Indeed I am not," said I, "I think the old room sufficient for all purposes, and far more conveniently situated for the poorer subscribers."

"But the larger accession of new subscribers, we anticipate for the larger room, will enable us to let the smaller subscriptions be reduced much below their present moderate amount, and we find that our poorer friends will willingly extend their walk to the room for this advantage."

"It was only the other day widow Chiloe was regretting the proposed change to me. She had difficulty in walking the present distance, and feared she will be obliged to give up reading new books altogether, if it were increased."

"I cannot see why she should. Cannot her grandson procure them for her?"

"She is a prudent grandmother," said Raimond, "and fears her boy may be ensnared by the gaieties of the new locality of the reading-room."

"If he were never to be exposed to them, that might be worth consideration, but—”

"And," said I, "I don't like to give up the present dear old room, with its antique shelves and old busts-"

"And very dusty tables, and half-rotten chairs," said Raimond. "I should not object to have those replaced by new ones." "How liberal," said Raimond.

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Miss De Vesci's liberality is so well known that I am in great hopes she will reconsider her objections, altogether," said Mr. Malone.

"We are anticipating her valuable influence on our side, with great satisfaction."

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