169 



THE LEGEND OF THE ABBEY TOWER. 



Continved and Concluded from Page 138. 



The young lady's conduct not less disgusted than surprised him. 

 She affected a most fearful agitation, and threw out certain ejacula- 

 tions which seemed to implicate his honour as a gentleman. She 

 had been deceived : " but that, perhaps, (to use her own words) was 

 my own fault, for I should have remembered a cousin was speaking 

 to me. Cousins ma;t/ be a little marked in their attentions, and 

 artless girls may be deceived," and with sly allusions such as the 

 foregoing, mingled with gaspings and sighs, and a few mock modes- 

 ties, the Lady Matilda poured forth her heart's emotions. 



The art of the " artless girl " was too apparent, nor was it less 

 shallow, and Baldwin could not resist asking, whether the frequent 

 observations of his father upon his want of gallantry towards her, 

 implied any great appearance of affection on his part ? Whatever might 

 have been their feelings on setting out, they had now walked and talked 

 themselves into a tolerable condition of mutual disgust. No longer 

 linked arm in arm, they walked, though still onward, sullenly apart. 

 At length they arrived near the wicket which opens from the park 

 into the abbey yard, and Baldwin had just proposed their returning 

 homeward, when Mary suddenly appeared before them on her way 

 with a basket to the baronet. Here, sir, was a situation for a dra- 

 matist ! Baldwin, in the perplexity of the moment, made a forward 

 and backward move in the space of a second. Both Mary and 

 himself blushed crimson, as the question and reply touching her 

 business that way were put and made. Matilda, though even 

 unsuspicious till now, saw enough, by a glance at the parties, to 

 read the condition of their hearts. The agitated girl curtsied to her 

 and passed quickly on. Baldwin made an effort to recover his self- 

 possession, and attempted coolly to remark upon poor Mary's 

 deserts as a " good and grateful girl." Of course this was as coolly 

 mocked by his cousin, who said, with an expression and tone of the 

 most bitter quality, " pray, sir, do not let me detain you ; I am sure 

 your natural politeness will not allow you to suffer your delicate 

 friend there to faint under the load of that heavy basket." 



" I will give you no further cause, madam," said he, " to complain 

 of my presence; and so good morning to you." 



Saying this, he followed — not Mary — but the onward path through 



the abbey yard, while the disappointed lady returned towards the 



mansion. She arrived there just as the fair messenger was receiving 



the baronet's commission of thanks to the sender of the basket, and 



VOL. II.— 1833. X 



