ditti, who might frighten poor Emily to 

 death, in her present delicate state of health ; 

 and mamma was suffering him to buzz on 

 without minding him, when a carriage drove 

 up to the door. 



A gentleman alighted, and mamma, clap- 

 ping her bands, cried out, ."Emily ! " The 

 gentleman at once recognised her, and the 

 next moment our marked victim was in the 

 room. The hotel was crowded. Mamma 

 offered Mr. W. the use of our room and 

 table. He was delighted, and passed the 

 whole evening with us. I returned his first 

 salutation quite regally. I afterwards sat 

 near papa, gave him my undivided attention, 

 and did my utmost to amuse him — circum- 

 stances which, I saw, very much surprised 

 papa. 



" My nonsensical Emily and her papa 

 are great flirts," said mamma, smiling at 

 Mr. W. 



" Oh, I protest against such monopoly on 

 the part of Mr. D.," he replied. 



Mamma laughed. I wondered how any 

 single man on earth could venture so decided 

 an expression in the presence of such a 

 mother. She would marry a man ten times 

 over, on less than that ! 



Days and weeks passed, and still we all 

 lived together, and still Mr. W. was civil, 

 and no living creature could be more easy, 

 and more free from all apprehension of us. 

 He showed none of that standing-on- guard 

 manners of other single men, who are al- 

 ways on the qui vive, like a besieged town in 

 constant fear of a coup-de-main. Either he 

 liked me, and met his fate voluntarily, or he 

 was a more simple person than we had taken 

 him for. 



But now the question was, "Why don't 

 he declare himself? " and a morning did 

 come, when he actually, after looking ex- 

 pressively at us, called papa to take a turn 

 with him ! Judge how delighted mamma 

 and I were : there could be but one subject 

 between him and papa, whom he very 

 naturally considered a dead bore ; and how 

 we did congratulate each other on this bril- 

 liant achievement ! — how we described, for 

 mutual gratification, his two seats, in two of 

 the best neighborhoods in England — and his 

 town-house — and his carriages — and new 

 horses — and liveries ! How proud mamma 

 expressed herself of such a daughter ! and 

 how I, as in duty bound, gave her the credit 

 of it all, as my instructress first, and after- 

 wards my ally ! 



" I wonder they don't come back, Emily, 

 my love ; why they have been gone a whole 

 hour and a half! " As she spoke, papa re- 

 appeared — alone, "Well," said mamma, 

 " well, what have you done with Mr. W. ? 

 Of course, you told him how flattered we all 

 felt !"— " Flattered ? " rejoined papa; "I 



don't see anything so very flattering in it> 

 my dear." — " No, my dear ! from a man of 

 his consequence ? Why you must be raving 

 mad, my dear."- " Well, my dear," answered 

 papa, in a deprecating tone, " I dare say you 

 know best ; only on Emily's account I 

 thought — — ■" 



" What on earth are you talking about, 

 Mr. D. ? You are never very easily under- 

 stood, my dear, but I protest I find you quite 

 incomprehensible at present. Do you or do 

 you not agree that Mr. W. would be a great 

 match for any girl?"- "To be sure, my 

 dear." — " Very Avell, my dear, then surely 

 Ave are both agreed in thinking his proposal 

 flattering? " — Of course, my dear, you are 

 the best judge : only I feared you might 

 not like it, that's all, my dear — no harm 

 done." 



" You are really enough to drive one fran- 

 tic, Mr. D. ! Will you have the kindness to 

 tell me from the beginning what Mr. W. 

 said to you this morning ? " — "To be sure, 

 my dear ; I can have no objection : only 

 don't hurry me so, as I may forget. First, 

 he began by expressing the greatest regard 

 for me and my family : and he said, my dear, 

 that you were a very superior woman, and 

 Emily a charming girl." — " Good beginning, 

 isn't it, Emily, my love?" I nodded. "Well," 

 my dear, go on ! " — " Yes, my dear, but I 

 don't recollect where I was." — " That I was 

 a superior woman, my dear." 



" Oh, aye ; and what next ? — yes, that he 

 was very peculiarly situated ; that he looked 

 on it as a most fortunate circumstance his 

 having met my family ; and that, from the 

 great kindness we had shown him, he was 

 induced to ask a favor of me." 



" Well, that was putting the thing very 

 handsomely, I must say — what, Emily ? " I 

 nodded again. " Now, my clear, do get on a 

 little faster, will you?" — "lam, my dear, 

 getting on as fast as I can. Then he talked 

 a long while about women being hard upon 

 one another. ' But,' says he, ' I am sure 

 Mrs. D. does not think in that way ; indeed, 

 she told me as much herself; ' and then, my 

 dear, he said, you said you could counte- 

 nance a woman who had been talked of about 

 a man, before being married to him : did you 

 say so, my dear? " 



" Tush, to be sure I did, because I know 

 he has the character of being a little dissi- 

 pated ; and if he thought he married into a 

 family that took such things quietly, he 

 would have less hesitation about us." — " Oh, 

 well, I suppose that was what put it into his 

 head, my dear." — " Put what into his head, 

 my dear? " — "To ask you, my dear, to visit 

 his wife." 



" Visit his what ! " — " His wife, my dear." 



Mamma's and my consternation may be 

 imagined. The man after whom we had 



