Lucretia, Volume 4.

fore,-a truth coming out from a dream. It was not the mere beauty of that face (and beautiful it was) that arrested his eye and made his heart beat more quickly, it was rather that nam

ife," and Dante, first thrilled by the vision of Beatrice,-are alike true types of a common experience. Whatever of love sinks the

was leaning on the arm of a stout, rosy- faced matron in a puce-coloured gown, who was flanked on the other side by a very small, very spare man, with a very wee face, the lowe

onveyed to his heart, Percival's ear was displeasingly jarred b

taneously bestowed the appellation of "feller," and driving him, as being the sharpest and thinnest wedge at hand, through a dense knot of some half-a-dozen gapers, while, following his involuntary progress, she looked defiance on the malcontents,

that you should not be able to come out with us to se

at the moment you

n who objects to showing his feet. You are a wild fellow, John Ardworth, you are! You like looking after the pretty faces, you do, you do-ha, ha, ha! very

tricated with some difficulty his chin from the folds of his belcher, and putting up his small face

in into the belcher, and the sm

resuming her address, to which Ardworth listened with

you will find some day. Howsomever, your time's not come for th

en, in a sweet

n, and then he paused and frowned. "Pish!" he added, "I was talking folly; but what head would not you turn? Resist you I must, for I am on

, emphatically, "are you

there shil

me unhappy dropper-in,-some lady who came to buy a yard or so of Irish,-was suddenly dazzled, as I am, by a luxury wholly unforeseen and eagerly coveted,-a splendid lace veil, or a ravishin

said Mr

till), prudence gets the better of me; unless," added Ardworth, irresolutely, a

d agitating the formidable umbrella; "as if I was not enough, with the help

Mr. Mivers. "Let us move on; we stop the way, and t

always did, her lord and master. Suddenly, with a practised movement, she wheeled round Mr. Mivers, and taking care to protrude before him the sharp point of the umbrella, cut her way through the crowd like the scythed car of the Ancient Bri

start and a suppressed sigh he turned away, and with the long, steady stride of a strong man, cleared h

ess and whim,-had no motive of labour and occupation to stay the free impulse of his heart, and his heart drew hi

it is necessary to be supple as well as strong; and though, up to a certain point, man or woman may force the way by poking umbr

tle, yet, seeing that they had gone safely from St. Paul's to St. James's, she had no distinct apprehension of any practically ill results from the energies she was unable to mitigate. But now, having just gained the end of St. James's Street, Mrs. Mivers at last found her match. The crowd her

way!" cried Mrs. Mivers, equally disdainful of t

d busybody?" said one of the dames, turning round, and present

ounced upon both. They were torn from their natural owner; they were hurried away; the stream behind, long fretted at the path so abruptly made amidst it, closed in, joyous, with a thousand waves. Mrs. Mivers and Helen were borne forward in one way, the umbrella and the husband in t

one from the eyes of Helen. Thus left alone, in exceeding shame and dismay, the poor girl cast a glance around. The glance was caught by two young men, whose station, in

ty girl!" and, by a sudden movement of the cro

nd elder one occasionally trying to catch hold of her arm. At last, as she passed the last house to the left, a house then owned by one who, at once far-sighted and impetuous, affable and haughty, characterized alike by solid virtues and brilliant faults, would, but for hollow friends, have triumphed over co

persecutor's companion, when, to her astonishment, a third person gently pushed aside the form that impeded her path, approached, and looking mute defiance at the unchivalric molesters, offered her his arm. Helen gave but one tim

n his eye, and an expression of spirit and ready courage in his whole countenance, which, if it did not awe his tall rivals, made them at least unwilling to have a scene and provoke the interference of a police

his anxiety to escape at least from the crowd, Percival walked on till h

, and said, alarmed: "But this is not

felt so happy to be with you, feel your hand on my arm, and think that

rhaps communicated itself (for such things are contagious) to his fair companion. Percival had got the nosegay, and seemed willing to detain it; for he bent his face lingeringly over

looking down, "I owe you so much that I sho

placed the rose reverently in his bosom, and the two moved back slowl

rcival, looking another way, and dreadi

I have no

ith a jealousy that he could scarcely restrain from making itself evident in his accent, "that gentleman who spoke to you under the Colonnad

my co

al, pouting a little; and

as if much perplexed by some abstruse thought, "but I feel as if

these words that a smile, in spite of herself, broke out amongst the thousand dimples round

and shaking back his jetty curls: "I dare say you are laughing at me as a mere boy; but I am old

nd more at her ease,

ll look surprised, but so it is. An hour ago I fe

ore it was broken, they had gained the ve

not "with a silver sound," "there you are, after all;" and Mrs. Mivers

thing had happened; as if the humbrella had not lost its hivory 'andle,-it's quite pu

w, had a right to expect. She stared him full in the face, and shook her head suspiciously when she saw him a little confuse

his here young lady; and the best thing we can all do is to get home as fast

e. Then suddenly it flashed across him how sadly he had wasted his time. Novice that he was, he had not even learned the name and address of his new acquaintance. At that thought he hurried on through

ateful recognition of the unwonted generosity that had repaid his service, touched his ragged hat, and smiled drowsily on his young customer. Love sharpens the wit and ani

it sets down. There's a sovereign for you; another if you succeed. Ca

He darted down the street; and Percival, following him with equal speed, had the satisfactio

yer. Honest love or selfish vice, it was the same to him. He saw only the one sovereign which, with

eratas vit

rmas equitum

m and stolid, whether on the track of

t affectation of superior taste evinced in marqueterie and gilding, or the more picturesque discomfort of high-backed chairs and mediaeval curiosities which prevails in the daintier abodes of fastidious bachelors; nor, on the other hand, had it the sporting character which individualizes the ruder juveniles qui gaudent equis, betrayed by engravings of racers and celebrated fox-hunts, relieved, perhaps, if the Nimrod cond

air of manliness to the rooms; but it was the manliness of a boy,-half-girl, if you please, in the purity of thought that pervaded one room, all boy in the playful pursuits that were made manifest in the other. Simple, however, as this abode really was, poor Beck had never been admitted to the sight of anything half so fine. He stood at the door for a moment,

ll?" said

a brevity of word and clearness

cival, thinking the reply th

f," continued Beck, "wit

ld know

he's so we

,-w

and the hold folks driv back. I did n

t find out

plomacy. "They keeps a sarvant vot takes half a pi

n she lives there

'pose at t

the n

a French 'un, your honour; b

on, near the turnpike, tomo

ess all day, ple

usine

said Beck, with much dignity; "bu

hen, at half-past eig

his forelock

ellow; much good may it do you. Perhaps you have

ng," replied Beck, turni

't spend i

nks nothing

gly, "what, my good friend, wi

unk his voice into a whisper, and

. Well, but if she's a good girl, and loves yo

h majestic contempt. "I 'spises the flat that

s! Well, what has that

I lin

of considerable compassion, "I understand: you sew your money in your mattress

'opes no vun von't go for to put my tin vere I shall know nothin

soundly when you li

musingly, "but the more I li

er; something in the forlorn, benighted, fatherless, squ

le," said he, after a paus

haint been made a scholard, like swe

church on

ekly hingagement

do you

ig of a gemman vot

his fellow-creature. Beck made a scrape, looked round, shambled back to the door, and ran home, throu