"You surely know him: you might have guessed it was no other than your much admired Colonel Archer."

"I shall ever bless him!" exclaimed Mrs. Manners. "He is generosity itself! How fortunate your uncle has been in gaining the friendship of so honourable and kind a man."

"Whence proceeds his desire to serve our family I know not," said Maria; "but it would be the highest ingratitude if we gave him not the thanks and credit he de-. serves. So deeply are we, in fact, indebted to him, that it is my belief that Charles would have half ruined my uncle had it not been for the Colonel's timely interference."

"I noticed with surprise," said Mrs. Manners," when the Colonel was first introduced to us by your uncle, the excessive kindling of his eyes, as he glanced them either upon yourself or upon Julia. There lurked a warmth also in his manner of speaking, whenever he

addressed either of you, that often embarrassed him, and particularly so as he invariably strove to throw a polite coldness into the complexion of his conversation. This excited my wonder at first, but it wore off by degrees. However, I am positive that it is not exactly the mere desire of serving our family which induces him to watch its interest with such zealous care."

"At least, selfishness can form no particle in the motive that causes him to act as he does,"

This was spoken by Maria with some animation.

"Ah, child!" exclaimed Mrs. Manners, with a smile of meaning, "I suspect where the magnet lies that attracts him so closely to our family."

Maria blushed, and conscious of the attachment subsisting between herself and Louis, hastened to assure Mrs. Manners in her guess by denying it. "What, my dear madam," said she,

"is he to me, more than another person of equal goodness of heart? I should lead numbers astray by the same rule."

"Say no more, Maria," replied Mrs: Manners, smiling at the endeavours of the other to conceal what she really could not. "I perceive how it is, therefore I will put you to no further pain on his account: But, said he not something respecting Charles before you quitted town ?"

"Naturally, or I should have partaken in a large measure of my uncle's fears respecting the termination of Charles's dilemma. The Colonel bade me rest assured that he possessed the means of obliging Captain Clanmér to surrender his claim to the money so fraudulently gained, or at least to defer the settlement of the sum he has lent."

"Then blessings upon him!" exclaimed Mrs. Manners. "He deserves the richest reward that Heaven can bestow. But as I hear the returning footsteps

of

your uncle, our conversation upon this topic must rest until we are again in privacy,

CHAPTER IX.

In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice;
And oft 'tis seen, the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law: but 'tis not so above;
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In its true nature; and we ourselves compelled
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults
To give in evidence. What then? what rests ?
Try what repentance can? What can it not?
Yet what can it, when one cannot repent?
Oh, wretched state!

HAMLET.

THE next day, and the one following, Sir Andrew had full leisure to examine into the consequences of his headstrong and infatuated folly, which presented themselves together with the persons of his tenants, to whom he gave audience in the room we have formerly described. Nor were these slow or overscrupulous in relating the nature and extent of their