KIDD'S LONDON JOURNAL. 



12i 



strictly scientific subjects, Emily began to 

 fidget about on the footstool where she sat 

 beside her aunt's knee, and to cough ner- 

 vously ; and then she fell into long intervals 

 of silence, and then looked anxiously at her 

 father, who showed strong symptoms of 

 lapsing into somnolency. At last the paper 

 slid gently to the floor, his double chin was 

 snugly bedded in his shirt frill, one hand 

 was in a pocket, and the other, which had 

 just resigned the paper, hung helplessly 

 over the arm of his deep, soft, high-backed 

 easy- chair. 



" How quiet and comfortable we are this 

 evening, without those noisy, rude brothers 

 of mine ! " whispered Emily, fixing her large 

 eyes a upon her aunt's immoveable face. " Yes, 

 very quiet," said Aunt Sarah, counting her 

 stitches. " Don't you think they treat me 

 very unkindly ? " asked Emily. " What do 

 you say, my dear ? " said the aunt, pretend- 

 ing to be deaf. " Don't you think they treat 

 me very unkindly," repeated Emily, emphasis- 

 ing her query by laying her hand gently on 

 her aunt's knee, and still gazing at her with 

 those large eyes now filled with tears. "In what 

 respect?" asked Aunt Sarah, concisely, 

 laying down her work at the same time, and 

 looking full into the sweet countenance of 

 her niece. 



"About this marriage, 

 somewhat confused. 



" Is it not a good one ? 

 father wish it ? " 



' ■ But, dear aunt, ought my father's wishes 

 to be consulted so much as mine, in such a 

 case?" "An obedient daughter should 

 always be guided by the experience and 

 better judgment of her parents." " But what 

 can I think of my father's judgment when 

 he has broken his promise ? " " You must 

 be mistaken, my dear ; I am sure your father 

 never would break his promise." " Indeed 

 he has, aunt, and I'll tell you how. Before 

 my mother's death I was engaged to a gentle- 

 man, whom I loved^ten thousand million times 

 better than I do Mr. Benfield " 



" How much ? " interrupted the aunt, 

 opening her eyes very wide, in affected as- 

 tonishment. 



" Oh ! it is nonsense to try to say how 

 much, for I detest Mr. Benfield most cordially, 

 and I love William Ainslie — oh ! aunt, I 

 love him so much, so devotedly, so " 



" Yes, I understand all that, Emily. And 

 so you are seriously engaged to this William 

 Ainslie ? Did your father sanction it ? " 



" Certainly he did, and my dear mother 

 loved him like her own son, and wished to 

 see us married before she died. Before our 

 mourning for her was over, Uncle Sam died 

 at Barbadoes, and left papa a great deal of 

 money. I was so pleased at that, like a 

 foolish girl that I was ! for I thought it 

 would be such a good thing for William, 



replied Emily, 

 Does not your 



because he had recently had some losses ; 

 when all at once my father began to cool 

 towards him, and to talk to me about look- 

 ing higher ; and my brothers began to talk 

 to one another before me about snobs, and 

 sneaks, and fortune-hunters ; and wonder how 

 it was that girls should be so blind as not 

 to see when they were courted for their 

 money. At last I found out that they were 

 talking at William and me ; and how I did 

 fire up ! I was in strong hysterics and faint- 

 ing-fits all the night after, and they had to 

 fetch the doctor at three o'clock in the morn- 

 i n <r " * * * * * 



" But this evening," continued Aunt Sarah, 

 " when you knew they would be out — if you 

 had been on the alert, might you not even 

 have arranged a meeting ? " 



This was said in a sly tone., and accom- 

 panied by a look full of meaning. Emily 

 cast down her eyes, and looked very much 

 confused. The provoking aunt would not 

 help her out of the dilemma, but looked at 

 her in silence. Several times the pretty 

 culprit drew her breath and tried to speak, 

 but it would not do ; she could not find her 

 voice. She raised her eyes at last, very 

 timidly, to those of her formidable aunt, and 

 encountered a gaze so full of roguish good' 

 nature, that all hesitation melted before it ; she 

 threw her arms round Aunt Sarah's neck and 

 covered her face with kisses. 



" Oh ! I'm sure — I'm quite sure you mean 

 to help us ! " Emily exclaimed, beginning to 

 sob with delight. 



" Don't be too sure of any such thing, you 

 little puss ! " was the reply ; " you are jump- 

 ing very hastily to your conclusions. I make 

 no promises, remember ; but if, after a care- 

 ful investigation, I find it is all as you say, I 

 will help you, and that with no half measures. 

 So now go on with your work, for if your 

 papa sees you kissing me, he'll never believe 

 it is for showing you a new stitch in knitting. " 



" Oh ! what a darling, kind aunt you are, 

 after all ! " cried the young lady, looking 

 sentimentally up at her industrious relative, 

 who was knitting away again as busily as 

 before. " William was quite right ; he said 

 he thought you would prove to be a brick ! " 

 "Prove to be a what f " cried the aunt, drop- 

 ping her work in amazement. " A brick — 

 don't you know what a brick means ? " "I 

 know the bricks used for building, and Bath 

 bricks, and a loaf of a particular shape that 

 is called a brick ; but I am at a loss to guess 

 which of these you mean to compare me to." 

 " And I'm sure I don't know either," said 

 Emily, looking puzzled ; "my brothers often 

 use the word, and I learnt it from them 

 without ever thinking what it meant exactly. 

 I'll ask them to-morrow." "And I shall be 

 glad to be enlightened. Are you sure they 

 will not be home till late this evening ? " 



