AN EVENING WALK. 217 



of dinner, to which we sat down tete-d-tete. Emily's sweet 

 face had regained all its usual expression of good humour, and 

 by almost an excess of attention, and an effort at more than or- 

 dinary liveliness, she strove to make amends for the slight 

 ebullition of temper stirred up by the morning's incident; but 

 her sociability seemed forced, and we felt that our own was 

 much of the same description. 



Our after-dinner sitting was soon ended for an evening stroll. 

 It had been a sultry day towards the end of August ; the lazy 

 zephyrs had been all asleep since noontide ; so, with a view to 

 meet the first of them which should happen to be stirring, we 

 directed our steps towards a high open heath or common. Its 

 summit was crowned by a magnificent beech, towards which 

 we slowly ascended, under a shower of darts levelled by the 

 declining sun ; and, on arriving at the tree, were right glad 

 to seat ourselves on the circular bench which surrounded its 

 smooth and bulky bole. 



Here, in addition to the welcome boons of rest and shade, 

 we were presented gratis with the exhibition of a finer pano- 

 rama than the Messrs. Barker ever yet produced. 



What a scene of tranquil splendour lay before us ; one of 

 those glowing pictures of the declining day and declining 

 year, whereon, like a pair of dying painters, they seem to have 

 combined their utmost skill and richest colours in order to 

 exceed, in a last effort, all the productions of their meridian 

 prime. 



After a few moments of silent admiration, we were on the 

 point of exclaiming to our young companion, " Oh ! who 

 could prefer the most brilliant ball-room to a scene like this?" 

 but we checked the impulse; for perhaps, thought we, the 

 " still small voice," which speaks from all around us, is even 

 now whispering to her heart. But never, we believe, was 

 adder more deaf to the accents of the " charmer/' than was 

 Emily at that moment to those of Nature. Her mind, we are 

 pretty sure, was still running, and all the faster as she ap- 



