ball; while there a carriage drove up and two ladies alighted-they were her sisters! with a toss of the head they passed her, exclaiming, "What impudence, to be sure, to come here !"

Lucy had waited but a minute when she heard her father's angry voice exclaim

"Tell the woman I know no such person; and desire her to leave the house immediately, and never show her face here again."

A choking sensation stopped her utterance when the servant delivered the message, that servant who, in former days, had waited on her slightest wish, was now ordered to drive her from the door. She wandered she knew not where, till, exhausted, she sank upon a step and wept.

Pause we now, a single moment, to point out to our fair readers two pictures : the first, the Maid of Honour, so admirably portrayed by our engraver,—the other, the poor, forlorn, forsaken Lucy, whose portraiture, alas, needs no artist's aid; its faithful representative may be but too frequently seen in the highways and by-ways of the great metropolis at the present day. The one a proud beauty, luxuriating in all the splendor of a court, and receiving, as her undoubted right, the homage of the titled and the noble of the land; breathing the rarest perfumes; by whom the richest dresses and most costly jewellery are thrown aside for the last new fashion; and who, amidst the profusion of a regal table, will taste of a dozen dishes, without appetite for either, and think eating a vulgar necessity of human nature-though rather partial, as our artist has not forgotten to shew, to the decoction of the tea plant: the other, a wandering outcast, with a starving infant, no shelter, no. friends, no hope! That, Lucy as she was: this, Lucy as she is!

The starving mother sat weeping on the step; while thus absorbed in grief she was recognised by one who had formerly been her servant.

"My dear Madam, what afflicts you?" said the tender-hearted girl, grieved to see her late mistress in tears.

Lucy looked up on hearing a consoling voice, the first she had heard for weeks, she recognised the girl but could only sob out, " My babe, my babe is dying for want of nourishment!"

The affectionate girl burst into tears at hearing her mistress's distress, and readily gave her the few shillings she had about her, and procured her a lodging, becoming answerable for the rent. With tears of gratitude Lucy thanked her benefactress: hers was the first kind hand that had assisted her in her distress, and Lucy felt that she could never be sufficiently grateful. Early on the following morning the young woman visited her again, and having heard the particu. lars of her mistress's distress, promised to use her interest with some ladies, and procure for her their needlework; which promise she fulfilled on the following day.

Lacy now felt happy to think that she could do something for her own support; and, as she plied her needle the hours seemed not so long; yet often. would she look on the smiling face of her little girl, and think how different would have been its prospects had her dear Charles lived; at such reflections a gloom would come over her, but it was speedily dispelled by some of the child's little engaging ways.

Two years had elapsed, and Lucy found herself again plunged into distress by the removal of her patrons to a distant part of the country. Her former servant had been her only visitor during these two long years, and now she again befriended her, but the trifle she could assist her to was insufficient; in vain she applied to her former friends; alas, how strangely does adversity alter friendship! she tried them all, but failed of obtaining even an interviewand those to whom she wrote returned no answer. Thus was she deserted by all except one faithful girl who had been her domestic, and she could ill afford to spare the trifling pittance; but even this at last was stopped, for owing to a severe illness the young woman was removed to an hospital, and thus Lucy was deprived of her last prop. Hunger drove her once more to ask relief of her father. Neither herself nor child had tasted food that day, when, in the dusk of evening, she met her father as he was returning from a walk; with tears she besought him to relieve her, he would have passed her by, but she threw herself upon her knees before him, imploring for the means to purchase a bit of bread for her famishing child. With a sarcastic smile he told her to live on love since she married for affection, and then coolly passed on, leaving his daughter upon her knees weeping. But, hard as was his heart, his feelings as a parent prevailed, and retracing the steps he had taken, he threw her a few pieces of silver, at the same time telling her never to let him see her again.

Lucy hastened to procure food for her child, and then returned home. But her constitution gave way under the weight of accumulated trouble and privation, and in less than a week she was confined to a bed of sickness. Her landlady, fearing lest she should actually die of want, applied to a gentleman, known for his charity in the neighbourhood. Having stated the case to him, he promised to visit her on the following morning. At the time appointed the benevolent stranger made his appearance at Lucy's lodging. He was a young man, rather above the middle height, and dressed in deep mourning. The landlady led him up to the small back attic occupied by the sick woman. The gentleman had scarcely entered the room, when Lucy sank upon her pillow-she had fainted.

"Poor thing, (said the landlady,) it is weakness-she often faints, but then she takes no nourishing food to strengthen her."

"She does seem ill, indeed (said the stranger)—the flesh is wasted from her bones." As he assisted the woman to chafe her temples and apply restoratives, he half muttered" Poor creature, how much those features put me in mind of my dear angel; how pale and wasted, and yet how beautiful." Turning to the woman, he enquired if any physician had been sent for.

"No, sir, she has not the means of paying for one."

"Thank heaven I have-(said the gentleman, and, taking some silver from his purse, he said)-procure for her the necessaries she may want; in the mean. time I will send a physician, and at this time to-morrow I will call again."

On Lucy's recovering she looked round for the stranger, and being informed he had left, she sank again upon her pillow, but still she seemed to have something on her mind, several times giving utterance to broken sentences: "How much like him-did I not know to the contrary, I should believe it was himself. Oh, that countenace! so much like his."

"Ah, dear me-still lightheaded," said the landlady.

"She will be more easy to-morrow, (observed the physician). Give her the things I have ordered, and after the composing draught she will be better."

"On the following day the gentleman again visited the poor creature he had already so much befriended; on entering the room, he approached the patient. Lucy opened her eyes to see who was near her, when, giving a faint scream, she uttered the words, "Charles! 'tis Charles !" and fainted.

The stranger sprang forward, and caught her in his arms, exclaiming, “It is -it is, my Lucy!"

It was some considerable time before she returned to a state of consciousness but, at last, after the application of various restoratives, she gradually recovered. And oh, what joy! each that had thought the other dead, were locked in a fond embrace.

In a few days Lucy was sufficiently recovered to allow of being removed to his own residence, where, with her mind at rest, and the best of attendance, she speedily regained her health.

It is needless to say that the young woman who had been so kind to Lucy during her distress was not forgotten by her mistress, now that she was again in affluence. The faithful creature was removed from the hospital, and, after her recovery, was taken into the family, in the capacity of lady's maid, where she continued for many years.

It now remains to be cleared up how Charles escaped from the sinking vessel. He related to his wife that on the foundering of the vessel he was sucked down in the whirlpool; but, after struggling for a short time, he succeeded in freeing himself, and reached the surface in an exhausted state; fortunately, a portion of