BY FRANCIS MEREDITH. "The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together." SHAKSPEARE. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1860. The right of Translation is reserved. 249. W.275. MARY BERTRAND. CHAPTER I. A 99 "SWELL ON LAND. "A man in all the world's new fashion planted." SHAKESPERE. PERHAPS it was fortunate that Mary had not much time for thinking during the few days which elapsed before they set out for L. Mrs. Ward came in early the next morning, to insist that they should take up their abode with her for the last two or three days, VOL. II. B during which the furniture was being moved to their new home, "in readiness," as Mary repeated to Mrs. Ward, "for them at their return.' She looked forward to coming back in a few weeks. Mrs. Ward would not damp her hopes. The offer, so hospitably made, was frankly accepted. M. Bertrand was, therefore, settled in a comfortable sitting-room at the doctor's house; and the chatty and kindly little mistress of No. 11 kept him cheerful company, while Mary superintended, with Sarah's assistance, all the necessary arrangements, and made the few visits proper to be paid before going away. She had a letter from Claude about this time; he had not proved a very good correspondent, as far as punctuality of reply to her more frequent letters was concerned; but when he did write, his were long and very affectionate, though rather hurried, and not telling her much more of what she principally wished to know, what kind of people his relations were. The principal contents of his letters were the accounts of parties of pleasure of all sorts, from pic-nics up to dinner-parties, in which they were engaged, and he seemed to enjoy very much this gay kind of life. There was not very much about Moorheath, or about his old friends there; even Mary, fond as she was of him, could not not help thinking there might have been more; she wondered especially that his inquiries about his uncle's |