could possibly say, good, bad, or indifferent, | from sharp-sighted domestic observations is the least likely to effect Madame de Soisso- on what was going on between them. nac's opinions or conduct towards us. She But then he remembered that this could is not such a fool as that, I promise you. hardly be the case under a form of society The politics I meant to speak of do not at which rendered a liaison such as that which all concern the opinions of papa, but the he intended to form with Madame de Soissofeelings of France towards England; and I nac, a matter both of invariable custom, am not by any means certain that all the and fashionable necessity. No, no, it was things I read in 'Galignani' to-day about quite impossible that she should wish all all that quarreling in the East, you know, the world to know that he was at her feet. may not make the higher classes among Edward Roberts assured himself, while a the French people rather afraid to patron- roguish smile distended his young mustache, ize the English. Any thing and every that he knew French manners, and the thing is more probable than that such a very leading principles of French society, a great elegant person as Madame de Soissonac deal too well, to dwell seriously, even for a should behave to us with such abominable moment, on so very absurd an idea; and rudeness for nothing: I will not believe it." then it occurred to him, that in order to en"And I will not allow that she has be- joy more of his society in private, she might haved rudely at all," said Maria, "and I have determined for the present to break must say that I think it is very ungrateful, through all the engagements which obliged as well as very absurd, to accuse her of it her to pass her evenings in a crowd; and till you see whether she drops us entirely, this thought brought with it a delightful as or only means to alter the day or the hour, well as obvious interpretation of the lady's or the style of her parties. I have no doubt manner to him during the evening. whatever but that we shall have a fresh billet of invitation of some kind or other before we are twenty-four hours older. Most likely before we get breakfast to-morrow morning."

"God grant we may, Maria!" replied her mother very fervently. "I am sure Paris would not be Paris for you girls, nor for me either indeed, if Madame de Soissonac gave us up. What is your opinion about it, my dear Edward? You don't say a word, and yet I am sure you are more likely to make a good guess than any of us." It was not because Mr. Edward Roberts had not given himself the trouble of guessing, that he had fallen into the silence of which his mother complained quite the contrary. No man, or boy either, ever set about guessing with more eagerness and energy than he did on the present occasion; but his guesses were not of a nature to be freely communicated, and, moreover, they were exceedingly contradictory. He had listened to every word uttered by the lady of his love in her farewell speech, with ears perfectly incapable of losing a syllable; and had he understood, as perfectly as he had heard her, he at least would have been spared any further sufferings from the pangs of uncertainty. But he could not make her out at all. At one moment he thought that this prompt dismissal of his father, mother, and sisters from her society, was a measure of precaution, admirably calculated to prevent any inconveniences likely to arise OCTOBER, 1844. 17

"Charming Pauline !" he murmured inwardly-for he had found out that her name was Pauline, "charming Pauline! How I adore the feeling which leads her to prefer not speaking to me at all, to the insipid intercourse of a crowded ball-room!"

But well founded and perfectly rational as the young man, after several minutes meditation, felt this last mentioned conjecture to be, he did not think it right to mention it to his family; and therefore, when his mother repeated her petition that he would give them his opinion on what had passed, he only replied,

"Upon my word, ma'am, I know nothing about it. Perhaps she is tired of having so many large parties, but I do assure you she has never said a word to me on the subject. So I wish you would not ask me.

Never, in short, did a whole family lay their heads upon their pillows in a state of more harassing uncertainty, than did the Robertses that night. Mr. Edward was, however, by many degrees the best off, because he felt within himself the most delightful conviction that he was in some way or other the cause of the lovely Pauline's caprice; and for a Mr. Edward Roberts at the age of twenty, there is something very pleasant in this. Nevertheless, his pillow, like those of the rest of his race, was the witness of a good deal of restlessnessarising in his case chiefly from not exactly knowing what he should be expected to do

and say, when next he enjoyed the happiness of finding himself tète-à-tête with his Pauline.

knows must be somewhere, but concerning whose disappearance from the light of day nobody thinks it worth while to inquire. Respecting this class-a much more numerous one than most of us are awareMrs. Roberts knew little, and cared less. With such she had nothing in common, and would have deemed it sad waste of time to have inquired after, or listened to, any of their adventures. Yet there are enough of such to fill many a stirring volume; but they could not well be divided off into rcmances, for all the third volumes would be wanting. They would rarely have any very striking catastrophe, ending for the most part in a cold, hopeless, helpless, cheerless, blank. But with such, as we have said, Mrs. Roberts felt that she had nothing in common, and therefore on arriving in Paris, her projects and plans took a direction as opposite as was well possible to what they might have done, had she conceived herself within the possible reach of any pecuniary difficulties.

The following day, too, did not pass away without its vexations, among which the not receiving any renewed invitation from Madame de Soissonac was, unfortunately, by no means the most prominent. Mrs. Roberts had really not brought her family to the continent without thinking a good deal about it. She was, as we have already seen, an ambitious woman, and had, long before she finally decided upon this important measure, become aware that neither their position nor their fortune would admit of their obtaining, in London, the place in society for which her soaring spirit yearned. Her daughters were really pretty-looking girls; and as her feelings to wards them, as well as towards her peerless Edward, were, to do her justice, very heartily maternal, it is not to be wondered at that their advancement was one of the most prominent features in her schemes for rising into a higher circle of acquaintance. She had heard people, in no way superior to herself as to station, talk familiarly of "lords and dukes, and noble princes," as among their daily associates during their continental excursions; she had heard, too, from the same persons, that sixpence would go as far as a shilling. On these two statements had all her hopes and all her projects been founded. But these two statements, even presuming them to be strictly true, were scarcely sufficient in the way of information to lead her and her family safely over the continent of Europe. Yet in her case, as in a thousand others, they really formed all the information she possessed. She had heard, indeed, in addition, that multitudes of ruined families went abroad every year and found that, ruined as they were, they could do perfectly well upon the continent, and this, of course, For half an instant the Frenchwoman gave her a very delightful feeling of confi- was at a loss-making coats for children dence in the certain sufficiency of her own was not her occupation: and the first idea resources. But she had not heard it exact- that occurred to her was, that the portly laly stated how many out of this multitude dy had made a mistake in coming up her had sunk, and slunk, and dwindled away, staircase, instead of that of a tailor who becoming absorbed, as it were, into more lived near her. But happily she heard Maor less width of space, and more or less ria exclaim with all the genuine feeling length of time, till every familiar eye had which such subjects inspire, when selection ceased to follow them, while they were is the business going on, "Look at this, finally suffered to evaporate and vanish mamma! This is exactly what we want!" away, like so many pins, which every body

No sooner, therefore, did she find an occasional entrée at the embassy secured to her, than she inquired of her friend Mrs. Bretlow, the name and address of the most renowned dressmaker in Paris. The inquiry wes soon answered, and the answer was soon profited by. The carriage which, after a good deal of discussion as to what was best and most economical, had been hired by the month, speedily conveyed Mrs. Roberts and her two daughters to the fascinating apartments of Mademoiselle Amabel, and there the following conversation took place, Mrs. Roberts, for the most part, persevering in her efforts to address the dressmaker in French, and the dressmaker persisting with equal pertinacity in her efforts to reply in English-a mode of conversation by no means uncommon in Paris.

The first salutations over, Mrs. Roberts thus began: "J'ai besoin, mademoiselle, de toute votre soir pour faire des habits perfaites pour mes enfants."

"Que je suis bête !" murmured the ele

gant Mademoiselle Amabel. "I rejoice and den, madame, you vont never troble mine self when English laddies come to yourself to ask about price. Always chuse me," said she aloud, in her very sweetest the pretty, dat is safest." tone, "for den I find mine self in the hapness of speaking de English. Langue délicieuse! Yeas, mess-you have de aye juste. Dat robe is de mos perfaite in Paris." "Et l'argent, mademoiselle ?" responded Mrs. Roberts. "Combien de prix? Non pas trop, J'espere."

"But exactly noting! absoluement noting, in comparison of its beauté. But ah! madame-it mus be bote-bote de sam! Bote des two English beauties to appear à l'ambassade et de sam moment in de sam drass. Oh, Haven! de sam etoffe, couleur, forme, garniture-hal de sam! Madame! vous n'avez pas une idée! Il vill be de perfection!"

"I should certainly prefer our being dressed alike," said Agatha. "What do you think, Maria? The effect would certainly be more striking. Don't you think you should like it best? It always gets most looked at."

"Yes, I think so," replied Maria. "We have long agreed that we both of us look best in white-so it is as fair for one as for the other. Do let us have a dress a piece like this, mamma. Will you ?"

"Je sais extremement bien, mademoiselle," replied Mrs. Roberts, " que tout les choses sont monstrueusement cher en Angleterre, mais cela fait non pas de tout difference, et il faut que je sais la prix-et donc je fixerai."

"Eh, bien, madame, ecoutez. I am know from England to France, and from France to England, for de justness of all my prices. It is mine most greatest pride-eh, bien, madame, you please to put yourself between my hands, and you will be safe— and if dese two beautiful young laddies will only make up their decisions to have every ting from me, and promise to mix nobody's else fashions at all wid mine, I will promise on my side, that they shall be the most elegant and admired of all the young laddies at the ambassade. Dat is what I call being fair, open, and honorable; and dat is well know to be my way."

"Well, mademoiselle, I have nothing to say against it. Your things-that is to say, vos choses sont beau, très beau―et je donnerai le permission de faire pour mes deux enfants deux habits comme cet une. Entendez-vous, mademoiselle?"

Mais oui, madame-et croyez moi vous serez contentes. I do not have the least fear of your approbation. And one good ting is, dat I have never any hurry for de payment. I have so many custom!"

"Disez moi la prix, mademoiselle, et je fixerai ma choix," said Mrs. Roberts, in a very impressive tone, which at once conveyed to Mademoiselle Amabel such an idea of her dignity and authority, that she wasted no more time upon the young ladies, perceiving clearly that the glances which they bestowed upon every article in the brilliant collection of personal decoration displayed before them, had so much of general benevolence and affection in them, that it was evident that they would have adopted every thing they saw for their own, could they but obtain the consent of their omnipotent mamma. To this mamma, therefore, the accomplished artist now ad- "Is it for madame, her own self?" dedressed herself, and in reply to her impor-manded Mademoiselle Amabel. tant question, said,

Ah, madame! dat is just de most difficile question of all! For, see you, madame, de money of your contree, and de money of my contree are so much puzzle! If I say two hundred franks, you instant tink, maybe, dat I mane twenty or ten pound maybe-and all de vile I mean no such ting-but just so maney littel shabby tenpences. Oh! every ting is so cheap in France! Ven you have been live here one year, or five maybe, you will find dat out,

Mrs. Roberts seemed to be a good deal struck with the last observation, and having silently paused upon it for a minute, she desired mademoiselle in very good and intelligible English-for her heart was too much in the business to admit of any expositor but the clearest-to let her see the very handsomest cloak that the establishment had to boast of at the present moment.

"Oui, mademoiselle," she replied. "Il est pour moi."

Whereupon Mademoiselle Amabel vanished for about a moment, and then returned with a benignant smile on her countenance, and bearing gracefully upon her extended arm a splendid combination of velvet, a tin, and lace. The eyes of Mrs. Roberts seemed to spring upon it, while their orbits appeared to be distended, as if to give the passionate glance free passage.

"Permettez moi!" said Mademoiselle

Amabel, with almost equal intensity of feel- as she looked at its rich white satin lining, ing; and as she spoke, she daintily and "Vraiment c'est dommage de la vendre si skilfully placed the cloak on the broad tôt," laid it upon a chair, while she waited shoulders of Mrs. Roberts, in the most ad- for further orders-waited, but not idly— vantageous manner possible. for first a cap was taken from its stand, and then a bonnet, each being displayed to the greatest advantage before the longing eyes of the party, and occasionally put upon the ready heads of each of them.

"Upon my word, mamma, it makes you look like a duchess," said Agatha, gazing on her parent with a charming expression of filial pride.

"Have you asked the price of the cloak, mamma?" said the sensible Agatha, in a whisper.

"No, my dear, I am going to do it presently," replied Mrs. Roberts, very gently, but wishing in her heart that Miss Agatha would mind her own business. She presently added, however, in another whisper,

"N'est pas ?" exclaimed mademoiselle in a sort of rapture. Mrs. Roberts, meanwhile, uttered not a word, but turning herself round first to the right, and then to the left, before the Psyche glass-an instrument that stood ever ready to present the images of all the blended wonders of art and nature who came before it to profit by reflection before they decided on the all-important "I have no doubt in the world that it is question, "to have or not to have;" as Mrs. Roberts stood thus, her features gradually relaxed into a smile, which said more forcibly than any words could have done, "It is becoming!"

horribly dear; but the fact is, Agatha, that it is a sort of thing one must have. What good can it do my having forced your father into having a carriage, if I am to deny myself what is absolutely necessary for making a decent appearance in it?"

Mademoiselle Amabel had not watched the emotions produced day after day by that "Oh! certainly! You are perfectly right, magic mirror, for nothing. Her experience ma'am," replied the young lady, in whose had taught her to know, with the acuteness active mind a whole train of reasoning, of a fowler watching his nests, at what mo- awakened by her mamma's remark, was ment her fluttering prey was most com- rapidly developing itself. "I know perfectpletely in her power. While matters were ly well that there is no use in the world in in doubt, she would patiently stand, hushed our straining and striving to get into socieinto profoundest silence, while the temptation did its work; but when such a smile as the comely face of Mrs. Roberts now displayed, broke forth, she knew the work was done, and then it was, and not before that she gave her snare a little jerk that was to conclude the business.

"Does madame wish to have this put aside? It is not encore tout à fait de time to sell it for it have been seen almost by nobody-and, sans contre dit, it is de most perfect ting dat we have produced dis winter. Peutêtre, madame, will suffer us to keep this, and make her anoder very much like as can be ?"

This suggestion was a coup de grace to the prudence of poor Mrs. Roberts.

"Non!" she replied, resolutely, "je ne veux pas avoir que cela. You understand? I mean to have this very identical cloak. Indeed, as I have got the carriage at the door, I dont see any reason why I should not take it away with me. Fold it up for me, if you please."

Mademoiselle sighed, and assumed rather a piteous look; however, she presently began to fold up the mantle with an air of dignified resignation, and only murmuring,

ty, unless you can contrive to let us all dress decently. At this very moment, both Maria and I have bonnets that we ought to be ashamed of. Don't you think so, mamma?"

The eyes of Mrs. Roberts were fixed upon the cloak while she listened to her daughter, and the breadth and delicacy of the lace, which hung over the side of the chair, gave her, for a moment, rather a disagreeable sort of sensation.

"At any rate," thought she, "if there should be any fuss or difficulty made about it, it shall not be increased by making the poor girls think that I care more for my own appearance than I do for theirs ;" whereupon, turning to her daughter, she replied, "Yes, indeed, my dear Agatha, I do think so, and I have been thinking so ever since I came into the room." Then lowering her voice still more, she added, " you heard what she said about not wanting the money. There will be considerable convenience in that. You all give me credit, I believe, for being a pretty good manager, and I have too much confidence in myself on that point to feel any doubts about being able to bring every thing quite square, if I am not hurried about it; so

you have my free leave, girls, to choose a bill; and as she has been unexpectedly bonnet a piece-and I desire they may be called upon to make a large payment to the both elegant and becoming; there is no manufacturer who supplies her with silks, economy in saving a penny upon a bonnet." she will be obliged by immediate pay

There certainly never was a more agree- ment." able morning's shopping performed than Mrs. Roberts became as red as scarlet; Mrs. Roberts and her daughters enjoyed but without speaking, she held out her hand that day. Every thing went smoothly and for the packet, and endeavored, not without pleasantly, as Maria observed. No preach-some success, to look dignified and coming, no bother, no difficulty of any sort. posed. Nevertheless, her hand trembled a For Mrs. Roberts, not being aware that she could so immediately obtain credit, had taken care to provide herself with a little ready money, which, to do her justice, she certainly had intended to expend in purchasing a pretty ball-dress for each of her daughters. But as the necessity for immediately paying for them had been thus conveniently removed, the twelve pounds in the purse were scattered among a multitude of shops before they returned home, in the purchase of articles, all of which, as they were mutually and severally convinced, they wanted very much indeed, although when they set out upon their expedition, they had made up their minds they must wait a little longer for them.

*

little as she removed the envelope, and opened the preternaturally long-looking sheet of paper it contained. It was not on the first side, nor on the second, no, nor on the third either that the sum total she sought for was to be found-for that first visit to Mademoiselle Anabel, which has been described above, had not been the last. But on the fourth side, in exceedingingly legible figures inscribed upon the broad column ruled for the sum total of franks, were to be seen a line of four figures, the first of which was the figure 2. Those which followed were, of course, of comparatively little importance; but in plain English, this milliner and dressmaker's bill for herself and her daughters during the last nine weeks, amounted to eighty-seven pounds, and an odd frank or two over.

On the day following the ball at Madame de Soissonac's, which had ended in the disagreeable manner already related, Mrs. It did not take very long to unfold the Roberts and her daughters were sitting to-packet, or to arrive at the page bearing the gether in the drawing-room after a late record of the amount, but it sufficed to breakfast, deeply engaged in discussing the bring both the Miss Robertses to such a unintelligible adventures of the preceding station behind the sofa on which their night, when their servant informed them mamma sat, as enabled them very speedily that there was a gentleman in the anteroom to become as well acquainted with the state who desired to speak with madame on bu- of the case as herself. siness. Mademoiselle Agatha Mademoiselle Maria Mademoiselle Maria Mademoiselle Agatha **

"On business? I wonder who it can be? Dites à le monsieur de entrez," said Mrs. Roberts, rousing her energies for the production of a great deal of French.

**

*

pretty frequently repeated in every column The servant accordingly threw wide the naturally attracted a good deal of their atdoor, and a very well dressed personage tention; but Maria was a quick and lively entered, holding a paper packet, consider-girl, and instead of muttering forth any ably larger than an ordinary-sized letter, in one hand, and his hat in the other.

The man, though a Frenchman, addressed Mrs. Roberts in such fluent English, that it did not occur to her at that moment that it would be necessary, either for the sake of improvement, or for the purpose king herself perfectly understood, to reply to him in French. The conversation, therefore, proceeded in this wise:

of ma

"I come, madam," said the stranger, "on the part of Mademoiselle Amabel, who has taken the liberty of sending in her little

phrases indicative of wonder and dismay at the frequent repetition of her own name, she exclaimed,

"Only see, mamma, how much higher your cloak comes than any other article. I always thought it would be so."

There was a sort of flint in this speech which struck against the steel of Mrs. Roberts's temperament, and made it elicit a spark which showed that she did not intend to sink under a surprise, which certainly was not agreeable. Mrs. Roberts had calculated that the bill of Mademoiselle Amabel