THE MAIDEN AUNT. sign of complete approbation. Soon afterwards we rose to quit the dining-room, the colonel holding the door open for us with profound politeness. As we passed out, he stopped Janet, put his arm round her waist, and kissed her cheek, I suppose, in token of complete reconciliation. After all, he is a good creature, and I like him very much. "I dare say he does," rejoined I, observing that "Well, I scarcely know how it all happened, Anna apologized for leaving me alone with her and, indeed, I hardly understood it, even then-but sister till tea-time. She is learning German, and after a few incoherent attempts to talk as usual, he her master, who has many engagements in Exeter, broke quite desperately into the subject. My dear which is fourteen miles from Duncombe Park, is father,' said he, will you forgive me for the first able to attend her only at this unusual hour. I was disobedience to your commands of which I have not sorry for the opportunity of improving my ac- ever been guilty? My-' here he hesitated- you quaintance with my youngest and most attractive know, my-the strength of my affection for Adêle niece; so we sat down together on the sofa, and in-for Mademoiselle de Millebrun, and'-My father a very short time she was chattering away with innocent freedom, and with a fluency, for which I had scarcely given her credit. "But, tell me," said I, after listening with interest to her glowing description of the last year which they had spent at Rome, when, as she observed, she was beginning to be old enough really to enjoy the wonders, and appreciate the advantages, around her, "tell me something about Charles. Was he with you at Rome?" "No," she replied, casting down her eyes, while her face was overspread with sadness; it had all happened before then." stood up, and his face was terrible with anger-it Anna and was quite white, and he drew his lips together as if he were almost afraid of speaking. Janet,' said he, in a very low, quick voice, 'go to your own rooms-I do not choose that you should hear this.' Anna got up, and left the room directly, and I stole after her, quite terrified, for, you know, I love Charles so very dearly, and so I could not help lingering a little, and was just going to take his hand, for sometimes, when papa is angry, he lets me coax him, and is quite kind again. But I did not understand how terribly serious he was now, and I met a glance from his eye which frightened me so much, that I dared not stay. Half-an-hour passed-oh, what a half-hour it was! I was by myself, and in the dark-I had a kind of feeling that I would not ring for a candle, lest the servants should find anything out, so I sat down on my bed, and cried, I hardly knew why, and tried to hear the sound of their voices in the room below, but I only heard Charles' voice now and then, and that was a bad sign, for when papa is excessively angry, he always speaks low. Suddenly there was total silence; "Married!" repeated I, in utter amazement, yet and, a minute afterwards, I heard a step at my door, scarcely able to keep from laughing at the absurdity and a whisper, Janet, are you there? I ran forof the thing-that my heedless nephew should be a wards, and poor Charles clasped me in his arms, husband, and that he should employ his little sister and kissed me again and again. I felt his hot tears clandestinely to convey a letter on the subject to upon my cheek, and I sobbed, so that I could not me, his almost unknown aunt, was really altogether speak to him, and he said nothing but Good-by, so very astonishing, and so completely puzzling, that my own darling! God bless you! good-by!'-at the eagerness with which I demanded further infor- last he seemed to make a great effort to control mation was no more than might have been expected. himself, and said to me, hurriedly, and in a whisper, Janet informed me, that Charles had become at- as if he was afraid of being interrupted or overtached to a young French lady at Nice, and that, heard, 'My dearest Janet, you are not old enough his father's prejudice against an alliance with a for- to understand all that has happened, but thus much eigner being absolutely insurmountable, he had mar- I must tell you. I am married to Mademoiselle de ried her privately, about four years ago. With all Millebrun-she is now my wife, and she already the sanguine ardor of his character, he hoped that loves you as a sister-and Anna, too, of course. the colonel would pardon him when the thing was But my father is very angry about it, and has deirrevocably done, though he never would have per- sired me to go away, and refused to see my wife, mitted him to do it. He was wofully mistaken. or to allow me to see you, my own sisters, again. "Oh, aunt Margaret," said the innocent narrator, He says he will never forgive me, and though he did "I never shall forget the evening when it all came not blame Adêle so much, because she is so very out. It was very dreadful. Charles had been away young, only seventeen, he said over and over again, for about a fortnight-he pretended it was to make that as long as he lived, I should never set foot a little tour-but, in reality, he had gone to be mar- within his doors again. I am afraid he will keep ried to Mademoiselle de Millebrun. We were all this promise only too strictly, and so I have stolen sitting at tea, when there was a loud ring at the up stairs to say good-by to you, and to beg you, bell, and the next moment the door opened, and in as you grow older, never to forget this last converhe came. He looked odd and excited, as I after-sation-never to forget how much I love you, nor wards remembered, but at the time I was so pleased to see him return unexpectedly, that I did not notice it, but jumped up to kiss him, while papa said, a little gravely, Why, Charles, you have taken us quite by surprise. We have not received any letter -but I suppose you wrote, to announce that you were coming? Papa particularly dislikes surprises of any kind." that I have told you, that upon my word and honor, your new sister, Adêle, is as innocent as a child, and that you must think of her with affection, and never suffer anybody to teach you to think unkindly either of her or of me. Will you promise me this?' You can fancy how I felt, aunt Margaret, and what I answered, as well as I could for my tears. I am not telling you about myself, you know, but about Charles. He then went on to say, that he was afraid of doing wrong in telling such a child as I was to hide anything from my father, but he did not know what to do, he could not bear to go on without hearing from me and writing to me. So he settled this plan. We have an old nurse who has lived with us ever since papa married, and who is so fond of Charles that she would cut off her hand to do him a pleasure. Twice a year Charles was to write to me under cover to her, and I was to answer his letter, and trust to her to get it taken secretly to the post-" "It was not right, my love," interposed I; "he should not have done it. I pity him very, very much -but, indeed, it was wrong." "It is more my fault than his," returned Janet, blushing with earnestness. "In the second letter that Charles sent me he told me that he felt he had done wrong, that his conscience was uneasy on the subject, and that, great as was the sacrifice, he must give up hearing from me. But I could not bear it; so I persisted in writing to him just the same, and, you know, he could not help answering my letters." "Well, well," said I, inwardly feeling that in poor Charles the boy was truly father to the man, and that he had grown up the same impetuous, warm-hearted creature, governed by impulse rather than principle, that he was at fourteen-"well, well, Janet, go on with your story." in his circumstances. He has tried to support himself by giving lessons in English, Latin, and drawing, in which he is a proficient; but he got very few pupils, and now he has three persons besides himself to maintain, and he grows poorer and poorer. At first, he could not bear that Adêle should work too, but he has been obliged to give up his objeetion, and she embroiders, and teaches music, but still they earn very little." "Has Adêle no relations?" interrupted I. "No, none," said Janet. "Her family was wellnigh extirpated at the time of the revolution. Her mother was its only living representative besides herself, and she died a year after Adêle's marriage. I believe her fortune, which is very, very small, is all they have to live upon except their earnings." "And his father can bear to know this?" exclaimed I. CHAPTER II. Janet proceeded with her story-"The last letter from Anna's friend arrived about five weeks ago, and gave a most melancholy account of them. They had been then several months without any pupils at all, and the lady said she believed they would come to England to seek employment, if it were not that they had been compelled to run in debt at Boulogne, and, not being able to pay their debts, of course they could not leave the place. Papa gave "There is not much more to tell," she answered, this letter back to Anna, as he had done all the "Charles made me fetch Anna to wish him good-others, without saying a word. But two days after wards nurse told me that among the letters sent to "Oh!" said I;-" and Anna-is she very fond the post that morning, had been one directed in of Charles? Why did he not go to her instead of papa's hand-writing to Mrs. Charles Harwood to to you?" the care of Madame Viéville, Grande Rue, Bou"Because," replied Janet, with a little embar-logne. I was surprised that he wrote to Adele and rassment," he knew Anna would never have agreed to write to him against papa's wishes-besides, Anna and Charles-I don't know-they used not to be so very fond of each other-they used sometimes to quarrel. But Anna was very sorry indeed, and cried a great deal, both that night and the next morning. I often thought she was vexed, too, that Charles did not go first to her, for she never would speak upon the subject at all, but if ever I mentioned it, she bade me 'Never mind,' and said, I was too young to be able to understand anything about it." "Does she not know that you write to Charles, then?" asked I, in some surprise. "Oh, no, no! I dare not tell her; she would think it wrong, and then she would tell papa directly." 6 not to Charles; however I felt very happy, and thought it was all going to turn out well at last. I thought so still more, when, a fortnight afterwards, as we rose to leave the dining-room, papa told us, in his shortest manner, that Mrs. Charles Harwood and her children were coming to spend the Christmas with us. I could have jumped for joy, and in my ecstasy I could not help saying, 'Oh! papa,and Charles?' He knit his brow and said, Understand, both of you, that this is a subject on which I do not choose to be spoken to. You are to hear what I say, and make no answer.' Of course I dared not reply, but still I felt quite confident and very happy, till last Thursday, when nurse gave me a packet from Charles containing that note for you. There was also a letter for me, in which he told me that papa had written very shortly to Adêle, saying that he wished herself and her two children to spend the Christmas with him. Poor Charles "Yes; she has heard of him now and then, was in ecstasies-he thought this was certainly the through a third person," answered Janet; "Charles first step to a reconciliation-he made Adêle anand his wife settled at Boulogne—they are very, very swer the cold, brief invitation in the most grateful poor, and he wanted to live as cheaply as possible, terms, and he himself wrote a long letter fall of but, I believe, he has found the place dearer than thanks, expressions of affection and repentance, he expected. Now, we have a friend near Bou-and entreaties for forgiveness. This letter was imlogne, with whom Anna corresponds, and this lady always writes word how Charles is; from her, too, papa and Anna heard of the births of his two children. Anna always gives the letters to papa, but he never makes any comment upon them." "And has she heard nothing of her brother, then, for four years?" cried I, unable to suppress my wonder. "And Colonel Harwood has never shown any signs of relenting? Four years!-it is a long time to be angry with a son." "Why, I am coming to that," said Janet; "it is the strangest part of all. Anna's friend, who wishes well to Charles, has more than once written to say how very poor he is-how much distressed mediately returned unopened. It was enclosed to Adêle, and in the cover were written these few lines: "Madam-I shall be happy to receive yourself and your children as soon after the 17th of December as you can make it convenient to come to me. I return you unread a letter which never should have been written, and which never could have been sent, had you not made the great mistake of supposing that I could not distinguish between the misled and the misleader-between mere weakness and positive sin. You have never yet had any duty towards me to fulfil, and therefore you have trans- | father. Perhaps you will say I should write 'blamgressed none. I remain, madam, your sincere well-able' for unlucky,' and perhaps you are rightwisher, EVERARD HARWOOD.' however, amid all my faults and misfortunes, I have "Oh, what harsh, harsh words!" cried poor Ja- still pleasure in signing myself, Your affectionate net, interrupted by her own tears. and grateful nephew, CHARLES HARWOOD." After a moment's pause she resumed her tale,"Charles told me that, in spite of these bitter words, which have made him very miserable, he cannot give up all hope; he thinks still that papa must be intending to relent, and therefore he has decided that Adêle and the children shall certainly come. He desires me to tell you the whole history before you read his letter to you, and-but now, dear aunt Margaret, please read the letter." I opened the paper, as she desired, and read as follows:: "My dear kind aunt Peggy,-" "Poor Charles!" said I, involuntarily stopping to wipe my eyes. I began again,— "My dear kind aunt Peggy-For well do I remember your kindness to me when I was a boy, and I should indeed be most ungrateful if I could forget the thousand and one treats and presents with which you used to brighten my school-days. It is the recollection of all this which makes me hope to find a friend in you now, and if you have not quite forgotten the affection which I know you used to bear me, (and I think it would be a hard matter for you to leave off loving any one,) you will not refuse to help me now that Janet has told you my sad story, and you know how unhappy I am." "But how, how can I possibly help him?" asked I, interrupting myself again. "Read on, and you will see!" cried Janet, whose face was full of joyful hope. I continued to read I put down the letter, and there was Janet's beaming face at my side. She clasped her arms about my neck, half-sobbing, and saying, "Oh dear aunt Margaret, you say yes, don't you? you will try for poor Charles, I'm sure you will." What could I do but kiss her, and promise to do my best? yet never did maiden aunt feel more bewildered than I did in the new position I had thus involuntarily assumed. In the first place, I was a little afraid of my brother-in-law at all times; and, in the present instance, I felt by no means sure that he would not resent my interference, as quite uncalled for and impertinent. But then both Janet and Charles seemed so secure of my influence with him; and then, thought I, suppose I should succeed, suppose I should reconcile son and father, of what happiness should I be the cause, and what a delightful remembrance it would be for me, to the end of my life! Owen says, that to appeal to me about my usefulness, or my influence with others, is attacking me on my weak side. And certainly, when I leave a house, I do like to be able to say to myself that I have done some good in it. How could there be a better opportunity of doing good than this? I am getting sanguine, and my hopes outweigh my fears. I am the more inclined to be confident because I cannot but agree with Charles that the invitation to Adêla, cold and ungracious as it is, must be considered as a sign that the colonel intends to relent. If he has no such intention, why did he not send them a remittance, instead of that unaccountable "I will not take up your time by defences or invitation? Poor dear Charles! Who could have apologies for my conduct. I was to blame-I was fancied that he remembered me so well and so wrong-I don't seek to deny it, either to myself or kindly? He was always a favorite of mine, but I to others. But I am severely punished, when I little thought that the trifling kindnesses of so many see the sweetest wife that ever brought happiness years ago would make so deep an impression. to a man's heart and home, and two innocent babes, How he must have suffered! and my sweet little actually suffering from want. Of my own person- Janet, too-what a singular mixture of prudence al affliction from the displeasure of a father whom I and feeling has she shown for so young a girl! must ever revere, and the cessation of intercourse The prudence has been taught her by fear, which, with sisters whom I love most tenderly, I will say as I have often observed, will teach a sorrowful little. Perhaps I deserved it. But has not my kind of caution, very painful to witness, even to a punishment lasted long enough? Now, my dear little child. But Anna-there is a mystery in her. aunt Peggy," (the boy must know by instinct how She must have a cold heart, I am afraid; perhaps that name wins its way to my heart,)" will you her affections have never been encouraged to exuse your influence in my behalf? My father has pand, for I suspect Janet is the favorite both with the highest opinion of you. I have heard him say brother and father. As to Colonel Harwood, the repeatedly that there is no person to whom he more I reflect on his character the more hopeful I would so willingly confide the education of his feel, though I was at first so much cast down. His daughters as to yourself. He has likewise a warm-temper, though roused to one violent ebullition er feeling towards you, remembering that you were by such defiance of authority, is evidently under the favorite sister of my poor mother. I cannot help imagining that he is now just in the state of mind only to require to have the matter reasonably put before him to induce him to yield. I cannot but hope that a few arguments and a little persuasion from you would win my cause. Will you refuse to make the attempt? No, I am quite sure you will not; and the idea of your consent sends a feeling of happiness through my heart, to which it has been very long a stranger. God bless you, my dear aunt Peggy, and prosper you in the effort which I am sure you will make for me. I need not commend my Adêle to your kindness-you will love her the moment you see her. And as to the piccaninnies, I know you love all babies, and I don't think you will like my little son and heir the less because he is reckoned the image of his unlucky control, and would certainly never show itself towards me, of whom he has so high an opinion. But I must go to work very carefully, and manage to introduce the subject at the right time, and in the right manner. Everything depends upon that. Some people in my situation would go blundering straightforward to the point they wished to attain, and spoil their work by their clumsy method of doing it. But I fancy I have rather an aptness for the sort of thing, and, with the help of a little woman's wit, I do not despair of succeeding. I am writing this account of my first day at Duncombe Park, in my bedroom, before going to rest, and I have so lost the thread of my story in meditating on the grand effort which I am to make to-morrow, that I had nearly forgotten to say how the evening passed off. There is not much to re 66 cord. Anna joined us at the tea-table, and I tried | hand. And as, happily for me, I was Janet's partto win my way through her reserve by talking to ner, my want of skill passed unnoticed, for the her of the German poets, with whom I supposed colonel was too well pleased to win, to depreciate she was beginning to make acquaintance. But she the abilities of his antagonists, and we parted for seems more occupied with the grammatical struc- the night, the best possible friends. And now, ture of the language, than with its literary stores, before I lay my head on my pillow, one more look and she has a school-method of classing the "stars" upon those skies of dark, clear frosty blue, on which which somewhat amused me. She puts Schiller every star stands out like a hewn projection of glitabove Uhland because he is less easy to compre- tering diamond. Oh, perpetual reproof of the lithend, while Göthe stands highest of all, not by tleness of man! Is it not marvellous that he has reason of his marvellous genius, but "because he walked beneath you for five thousand years, and is so very difficult." The exquisite" Hermann and has not yet received the placidity of your greatness Dorothea," is however an exception among his into his soul? Would it not seem as though one works, and was contemptuously dismissed with the glance upon the majesty of the midnight heavens observation, Oh, that is quite easy; I read that were enough so to subdue, calm, and humble the when I was only a beginner." This manner of spirit of a mortal, that all strifes, envyings, and judging was new to me as applied to literature, jealousies, all vanity and all meanness, should dethough I have remarked that it is common enough part from it, never to return, giving place to noble with reference to the fine arts; the accomplished shame, and assured though reverent hope?--Surely pianist who utterly despises Mozart, and takes a he who should ask his bitterest foe to forgive him, cool superior tone above Beethoven, will speak with amid the silent magnificence of night, could never rapture of Thalberg or Doehler, and with a rever- be repulsed!-Poor Charles! My last thought ent awe of Chapin, proportioned to the difficulty before I sleep is of you-my last prayer is for the of unravelling the involved mazes of his time, and reconciliation of the father and son, and a voice deciphering the mysterious double sharps and triple within assures me that it shall not remain unanflats, wherewith he is pleased to diversify the mo-swered. notonous simplicity of musical notation. He is a politic man doubtless. Who cares for plain C? It is a note of no importance or dignity whatever. But call it D double flat, and immediately it is invested with a character of grandeur and originality which it might have sought to attain by any other means, in vain. The doctor who tells you to drink camomile tea three times a day, has no title to your respect no claim upon your faith. He might have won both if he had but had the sense to call for a sheet of paper, and write-Decoctio florar: camomil: ter diem. December 15th.-What a simpleton have I been! I could beat myself for very vexation! My ridiculous vanity has been at the bottom of it all—I am ashamed to look back at the pages of my journal and see how I had worked myself up into believing that I was appointed to heal the wounds and soothe the differences of this family. It is astonishing that I could so deceive myself. And now I have done harm instead of good; and I wish my tongue had been cut out before it exposed itself and me by such uncalled for absurdity. Well, it is fit that I should narrate all the particulars of my unhappy After tea, my brother-in-law, who had watched failure, as a punishment for the past, and a lesson my conversation with Anna, with evident satisfac- for the future. I found no opportunity in the course tion, (I kept it up the more diligently because I am of the morning for introducing the important subof course anxious to encourage the high estimation ject. I had weighed the matter well in my mind, in which I find that he holds me, and because I and decided that the presence of my nieces would observed that he was pleased to see that I was like-be an obstacle to my success, and that I must choose ly to assist his daughters in their studies,) drew his some occasion when I should be alone with their chair forward and addressed me in his blandest and father for making the attempt. This view I founded most cordial manner. "I like," said he, " to en- upon my supposed comprehension of the colonel's courage and keep up all the old-fashioned customs character, and I plumed myself not a little upon connected with this season of the year. I am no the penetration wherewith I imagined that I had enemy to merry-making in proper place and time, estimated his various peculiarities, and the skill and among the other innocent amusements with wherewith I believed myself to be suiting, allowing which our grandfathers and grandmothers were for, and taking advantage of them. Poor, silly aunt accustomed to while away the long winter evenings, Peggy! you are fit for nothing but worsted-work, I, for one, see no objection to a good game of letter-writing and small talk! It seems to me, cards." His voice assumed a tone half inquiring, now, as though Charles and Jauet were mad to half congratulatory, as he closed his speech, and give me such a commission-but theirs are young slightly rubbing his hands together, he looked point-heads-what is to be said of the discretion of their edly at me, as much as to say, "Here's a tolerant, mature confidante and agent? benevolent, cheerful, benignant brother-in-law and father of a family for you." The plain English of these words and looks of deferential self-approval, was, that Colonel Harwood chose, on every winter's evening to play whist for two mortal hours, and that I was expected to supply the place of the Dumbie who ordinarily held the fourth hand in the rubber. I positively detest cards, and am generally in the habit of making all sorts of mistakes, even in the simplest games; this evening, however, in pursuance of my plan of establishing myself in my brother-in-law's good graces, and maintaining him in that good opinion of me which he has chosen to adopt, I assumed my place at the table very amiably, and gave my whole attention to the matter in | To proceed, however I passed the whole day in studying to please and oblige my brother-in-law. At breakfast he amused himself by giving me, in a style at once elevated and colloquial, sublime and familiar, a sketch of the habits and pursuits of himself and his household. Had not every tone and gesture so completely expressed "this is the picture of a rational and happy family!" I believe I should have responded to his description by that very remark; but this incessant modest consciousness, and candid confession of great merit, effectually checks all disposition to admire. I found that he considered it part of his duty as a father, to exercise a certain sort of superintendence over the education of his children; at present he was engaged 1 THE MAIDEN AUNT. in reading Italian with Anna, and giving Janet | goodness to let me look at the volume from which lessons in history. After all, he is really a well- you have drawn up this little account." In a kind of bewilderment, I handed him Adam's Roman Antiquities, which happened to stand next Rapin, and he spent at least five minutes in hunting through the index with knitted brows, and a face of increasing surprise, before it occurred to him to look at the title. Then his patience did seem a little disturbed, and I even thought I heard him mutter to himself the words, "Confound the Roman Antiquities!" However, he speedily recovered his usual courtesy, and proposed that we should return to the drawing-room, adding with a smile, that he thought I had had work enough for one day. He rose as he spoke, and I felt desperate. moment for my experiment than this, but some spirit of evil judgment possessed me, and I plunged into the dilemma head foremost, without pausing to consider. "I wished to speak to you, Colonel Harwood," said I, getting extremely hot, and feeling, at the instant, as if I were pronouncing my own sentence of transportation for life. Standing still in his progress towards the door, he turned towards me with an air of polite interrogation. He said nothing, and I was compelled to proceed, though I felt that it was an abrupt and unpromising beginning. read and accomplished man, and I have no right to ridicule him. His system of historical instruction seems to be a particular hobby; all his information is imparted by means of tables which he draws up, and which Janet has to study till she is thoroughly mistress of the dates and succession of incidents for the period under consideration. It is then her business to compile from books, with which he supplies her, an abridged account of all the events noted in the table, according to the order of their occurrence. The colonel is exactly the kind of man to reduce all knowledge to a matter of tables, systems, and abridgments. Nothing that exceeds the limits of a book of reference appears to him It is clear, that I could not have chosen a worse worthy of acquisition; and I could fancy him giving a "Tabular view of the characters in Shakspeare's plays, forming a key to a condensed edition of his works, in which all the similies are omitted, and every phrase, scene, or allusion, which has no direct reference to the evolution of the story, carefully expunged." In the plenitude of my amiability on this unlucky day, I offered him my assistance in drawing up the parallel tables of the histories of France, England, Spain, and Italy, during the first half of the thirteenth century, on which he was then employed. He seemed greatly pleased at the idea; and I worked for a couple of hours under his direction. When the tea-things were removed in the evening, it appeared that poor Anna was suffering from so violent a headache, that she was unable to take her place at the whist-table, and the colonel, with a vivacity that surprised me, proposed that he and I should adjourn to his study, and finish the business of the morning-a suggestion in which I, of course, readily acquiesced. He seemed quite eager about it; it is amusing how rapidly the primness and pompousness of a man will evaporate under the influence of a real, downright hobby-for all men have their hobbies, even the prim and the pompous. He lighted a candle himself, and conducted me to his sanctum, moving, however, with the staid dignity which his gout rendered necessary, and which, on the present occasion, seemed more burthensome to him than usual. We there spent half an hour in hunting for authorities, after which we were to return to the drawing-room, to work upon the materials we had obtained. But, alas! my head was full of poor Charles, and my own Instead of being an While I spoke, the expression of my brother-in enterprising determination. assistance to him, I was the greatest possible draw-law's countenance had changed from boundless back; I turned over the leaves of a kind of dream, astonishment to extreme indignation, and it was gave every date wrong, fitted the personages of one only the strong effort which he made to restrain his country into the history of another, violently com- passion and behave with becoming calmness, which pelling them to assume the costume of a third, and prevented him from bursting in upon me, ere I had winding up my description with an abridged account concluded. As it was, he did hear me to the end, of the arts, manufactures, and literature, of a fourth. though I am quite certain, that from the moment in The colonel is not a bright man, and his confusion which he became aware of the purport of my speech, was boundless." What is your authority," asked he neither listened nor heeded, but was solely he at last, with much politeness, as he held my employed in subduing his wrath, so as to be able to rough sketch in his hand, "what is your authority cut the matter short at once with due dignity, but for attributing the social state of Spain in the thir- at the same time with a proper degree of politeness teenth century, to the effect of the Norman invasion and composure. It was in this spirit that he anin the twelfth? You have mentioned it several sweredtimes, and here, I see, you name the Conqueror,' but without designating more particularly the leader of this Norman invasion." "You must pardon me, my good lady, but this interference in family matters is scarcely well judged, I should be very sorry to speak harshly to you, and I am quite sure that you have the best possible intentions. After I have once put it clearly before you, that I am the sole judge of my own conduct, land that your position as a greatly esteemed sister, |