"If Mrs. Dorothy goes to town, then, I should like her to be at the wedding, and, of course, her grandson.' She is quite one of ourselves, and we will take 'Sweet William' on trust. The girls were drawing up their list of guests yesterday, and declaring that another young man must be impounded, if all the young ladies were to be accommodated with beaux."

66 But you will want a cavalier for Mrs. Dorothy herself." "She shall have Sir Paul, as there is no Mrs. Harwood senior. I will write to her at once."

Lady Braden wrote that very evening, and Mrs. Dorothy immediately accepted, both for herself and for "Sweet William." The latter demurred a little-"But I am only a wild Canadian, grannie. I don't know European manners and points of etiquette. into it and scandalise you all.”

I shall put my foot

"Not a bit of it. Hilda will instruct thee; thou hast only to do as others do, and thou hast a quick comprehension. Besides, a gentleman is a gentleman all the world over, and Canada is but a piece of Greater Britain."

"There is a little gilt-edged book on etiquette somewhere about the house," said Hilda, mischievously; “it is the property of one of the maids, I believe. I have no doubt I can borrow it for William."

"Out upon thee for thy mawkish suggestion, Hilda Capel! I will not have my grandson thus inducted. Books on etiquette must needs be vulgar. No! thou must take him in hand thyself."

"I cannot undertake the responsibility," replied Hilda, quite demurely; "besides, I shall be with Walter. We shall have so very much to say to each other, after more than a month's separation. But I will find you a preceptress, William-I shall solemnly commend you to Agnes Braden's care."

'Agnes Braden!

I have not seen her, have I?"

"No; she left home the day after your arrival. The two who were here the other day were Christina-Miss Braden -and Emily, who is about to become Mrs. Harwood." "Is Miss Agnes like the bride-elect ? '

"Very much like. Strangers frequently take Agnes and Emily for twins, though when you come to know

them intimately the puzzling resemblance disappears. And I think Agnes the prettier of the two, though probably Mr. Philip Harwood is of another opinion."

"I have no doubt Miss Agnes is the prettier. Is she engaged, Cousin Hilda ? "

"Not that I know of. I think I may say 'No' with absolute certainty. Why do you ask?"

"Lest I should fall in love at first sight. It is not quite fair to introduce a fellow to charming girls, and then tell him they are all engaged. First of all, there is yourself— spoons on Mr. Braden. What is the matter? Have I said anything improper ? "

"Yes! that is dreadful slang, and besides, it is Mr. Braden who is 'spoons' on me. I never could make out why lovers should be called spoons, and stigmatised as spoony. Don't say it again, sir."

"I sit corrected. I will put it differently. You are attached to Mr. Braden. No! He is attached to you! Then there is Miss Arnison, and she is betrothed to the Frenchman; and this Miss Emily, whom I thought one of the sweetest girls I had ever seen, and she is on the point of marriage with Mr. Harwood! I think you have a great many pretty, nice young ladies in this part of the country, grannie. Well, if I must go to this wedding, I must; on condition, however, that I am carefully instructed and prompted by Miss Agnes Braden."

And so Bradenshope and the Grey House were both speedily deserted, and Barker, to her intense mortification, was left behind. Only Flossie went up from the Blue House, though Louis Michaud was quite sure business would call him to town within another fortnight. And Flossie left Endlestone in excellent spirits, for Irene was wonderfully better-"more herself," they all said, "than she had been for many months."

"It

“ONCE more in London!" said Hilda, as she found herself rattling over the stones through the familiar streets. seems only yesterday I left it; but, oh! how much has happened! It is scarcely the same Hilda who comes back again to the old haunts. Why, I have lived a lifetime since I drove this same way in the bright September morning with poor old Parrott, who was so shocked when I proposed travelling second-class. Where is she now, I wonder? And where is Aunt Mowbray ? One little note, which really told me nothing about herself, is all I have received since our miserable parting. She was very unkind and yet I do not know that it was meant for unkindness. I was no longer an acquisition, but an encumbrance-a very decided encumbrance ! I should have been a dead weight upon her hands had we remained together, which, happily for both of us, we did not. Most happily for me!-for what should I not have missed had I not perforce given up the old worldly life ?—had I not gone into exile in the desolate North? Yes, that was

the way I put it-Endlestone was a sort of Botany Bay to me, and I hated the very name of it! And now it would be a terrible grief if I were told that I might see it nevermore. Ah! how little we know what is waiting for us, either for good or ill; and what a comfort it is to be sure that God knows, and that His knowledge includes all wisdom, all love, all foresight, and all forbearance."

While Hilda thus cogitated she was nearing the end of her journey, for Lady Braden had secured rooms for Mrs. Dorothy in Harley Street, only a few doors from her own town-house-a family going abroad for health had left behind them just the very house that the lady of High Endlestone required. Walter was there to receive them; he would have met them at the station, but that Hilda had expressly bidden him remain to welcome them in Harley Street. Christina, too, ran down immediately after their arrival; she had watched for the carriage passing for it was the Bradenshope carriage which had been sent to the station to meet the northern train. It was understood that during their stay in town they should form one family.

After dinner the betrothed pair found themselves alone in the little sitting-room which was to be Hilda's private sanctum; of course they had a great deal to say to each other after their five weeks' separation, an almost daily letter being counted by each correspondent as little better than nothing! It was wonderful how many questions were waiting to be asked and answered, and how many little explanations were required, before they could both feel fully en rapport once more, regarding past, present, or future. Of course Hilda was anxious to know all about Giacinta and little Paolo.

"And is the matter really settled?" she asked, when Walter had finished his account of various interviews with the lawyers, and with Giacinta herself.

His reply was, "It is settled, inasmuch as it can never come into court, because the marriage as it stands is legally good for nothing. Giacinta, in the eyes of English law, was never Paul's lawful wife, though in Italy, and among her own people, her position was never questioned. Giuditta, of course, is furious; but Giacinta,

who is really extremely sensible and right-minded, sees precisely how things are, and knows that her son cannot succeed his father as heir of Bradenshope, even if I were willing to relinquish every claim."

"And you are sure it is just, Walter? Justice and law do not always go together.'

"That is a puzzle to me, I must confess, Hilda. It scarcely appears right to make so sacred a thing as marriage a mere matter of geography; and a marriage in Italy, it seems to me, ought to be a marriage in England!" "And so it is generally, is it not ?"

Certainly it is. But in this case there is the difference of religion, and the suppression of the name, both of which, or either of which, would tend to invalidate the ceremony. There were also certain other irregularities of which we have only just become cognisant; some one has been to Rimesso-a person in Mr. Warwick's confidence, and one who fully understands the foreign marriage laws, and their force as connected with our own-and he declares unhesitatingly that though Paul might have had the greatest difficulty in throwing off Giacinta, and though his relations with her would have gone far to render null and void any future alliance into which he might have wished to enter, the marriage solemnised at Rimesso by Father Cristoforo is a dead letter, as concerns the inheritance. Nothing short of an Act of Parliament could constitute little Paolo heir of Bradenshope. Had Paul lived, and had a large family of boys been born to him, not one of them could have succeeded. I should still have been next in the succession, in spite of Giacinta's sons, acknowledged or unacknowledged."

"Poor Giacinta! I am deeply sorry for her. It must have been a terrible blow to her to discover her real position.'

"It is a thousand pities, or, rather, it seems so, that her impetuous mother stirred up the affair. The poor girl herself had not an idea that her marriage could possibly be disputed, nor her child's legitimacy called in question; she was-and apart from the inheritance she really is-Paul's honourable wife,-or widow, rather. She was perfectly content with her boy in her own home; she