410 THE LOVER OF BEAUTY; OR WHICH WILL HE WED? 



the postillions touching their horses," whirled the equipage out of sight 

 in a moment : the rest of the company followed in their splendid vehicles, 

 and a few seconds left the street to the quiet possession of two or three 

 knots of gossippers that had been gazing on the scene. * * * * 



"Captain Atherstone's extreme felicity of appearance speaks little 

 in favour of his feelings — to say nothing of his honor," rather spitefully 

 remarked Miss Tabitha Winterton, putting down her tortoise-shell 

 spectacles, as she retired from an opposite window, whence she had 

 enjoyed a full and undisturbed view of the spectacle, *' the Lady Eleanor 

 is much to be pitied — very much indeed. I heard, on undoubted 

 authority, that the Captain has positively broken the heart of a young 

 lady to whom he paid his addresses in the country, but shamefully 

 deserted, as it is credibly reported, at the instance of Mrs. ("ol. Atherstone 

 — a designing woman I am told. I suppose the immense fortune and the 

 really personable appearance of Lady Eleanor allured him. Well ! 

 well 1 who could have expected otherwise ? there is no truth in man, 

 nor ever was since the days of Adam, and Miss Weaner, or Warner, 

 ought to have known so. Indeed it was confided to me by a particular 

 party, that an unpleasant entanglement" — The spinster, who while 

 speaking had been tapping her snufF-box, was here interrupted by an 

 arch burst of merriment from her niece, a sprightly girl of seventeen, 

 with a merry black eye, skin like alabaster, and curls of dark chesnut 

 sporting upon her brow. " Hush ! hush ! aunt ! you frighten me — this 

 is absolute defamation of character ; besides you will actually corrupt 

 the innocence of my ideas. And have you really not heard the story ? 

 Dear me ! and so romantic as it is ! Why I thought you knew it— all 

 the world does, for nothing else has been spoken of these three weeks.'* 



** Eh ! — why ? — what ? — what is the girl talking about ?" rather 

 nervously inquired the amazed Miss Tabitha, piqued that she should be 

 found minus in the multiplying rumours of the beau-monde, and for- 

 getting that she had but the day prior arrived in London from her ever- 

 green cottage in Suffolk. 



"My dear sister," replied Mrs. Fitzgerald, smiling placidly, "Louisa 

 alludes to the now well-known fact that the deceived Miss Werner, and 

 the Lady Eleanor, the Irish heiress, are identically one and the same, 

 and that the double disguise was, at Mrs. Atherstone's instigation, 

 successfully assumed by her Ladyship, with a view to cure the volatile 

 Captain of his blind idolatry of beauty." 



" Only think, aunt," added Louisa, " only think of her Ladyship, one 

 of the richest heiresses in Ireland, young, beautiful, and witty, passing 

 first for a fool in her own proper person, and really disgusting the 

 Captain by her pretended imbecility; then throwing off the simpleton 

 and taking the mask of years and ugliness, yet, with all this, fascinating 

 him into absolute matrimony by her sweetness and intelligence." 



** Good heart !" exclaimed the wondering Miss Tabitha, dropping her 

 rappee on her brown satin gown — ** why the girl was crazed !" 



'* Not exactly aunt," rather coolly responded Louisa, sympathetically 

 espousing the cause of the bride, " not exactly : Lady Eleanor fell in 

 love with the Captain from a portrait she saw in Miss Alabaster's 

 painting-room, and she felt an interest in consequence. Then her cousin 

 and Colonel Atherstone assisted her, and do you know they say that 

 when the Captain was in London last year. Lady Eleanor was all the 

 time at the Abbey in Devonshire, planning her disguises as Miss 

 Werner, and trying experiments with false eye-brows and walnut-juice." 



*' And did the Dowager know this?" inquired Miss Tabitha. 



** Not a word of it while it was going on — was n't that capital ? Lady 



