both beggars-nearly; for though my father did not disinherit me, I have disinherited myself. Then our precious mothers will go mad on the spot, in white satin, if either of us marry a Jewess. Well! that is even between us. Then, religious scruples-you have some, have not you?"

"I have, my lord."

"Dry enough-there I have the advantage-I have none. Mosque-high church-low church-no church-don't let me shock you. I thought you were for universal toleration; I am for liberty of conscience, in marriage at least. You are very liberal, I know. You're in love, and you'd marry even a Jewess, would not you, if you could not contrive to convert her? I am not in love, but shall be soon, I feel; and when once I'm in love!-I turn idolater, plump. Now, an idolater's worse than a Jew: so I should make it a point of conscience to turn Jew, to please the fair Jewess, if requisite."

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My lord, this trifling I can bear no longer; I must beg seriously that we may understand each other."

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Trifling!-Never was more serious in my life. I'd turn Jew-I'd turn any thing, for a woman I loved."

"Have you, or have you not, my lord, any intention of addressing miss Montenero ?"

"Since I have your permission-since you have put it in my head-since you have piqued me-frankly-yes."

"I thank you for your frankness, my lord; I understand you. Now we understand each other,"

said I.

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Why, yes-and 'tis time we should," said Mowbray, coolly, "knowing one another, as we have done,

even from our boyish days. You may remember, I never could bear to be piqued, en honneur; especially by you, my dear Harrington. It was written above, that we were to be rivals. But still, if we could command our tempers-I was the hottest of the two, when we were boys; but seeing something of the world abroad, and at home, has done wonders for me. If you could coolly pursue this business as I wish, in the comic rather than the heroic style, we might still, though rivals, be friends-very good friends."

"No, my lord, no: here all friendship between us ends."

"Be it so," said lord Mowbray: "then sworn foes instead of sworn friends-and open war is the word!" Open war!-yes-better than hollow peace." "Then a truce for to-day; to-morrow, with your good leave, I enter the lists."

"When you please, my lord.”

"Fearful odds, I own. The first flourish of trumpets, by that trumpeter of yours, Jacob, has been in favour of the champion of the Jew pedlers; and the lady with bright Jewish eyes has bowed to her knight, and he has walked the field triumphantly alone; but Mowbray-lord Mowbray appears! Farewell, Harrington!"

. He bowed, laughing, and left me. "Twas well he did; I could not have borne it another second, and I could not insult the man in my own houseanger, disdainful anger, possessed me. My heart had, in the course of a few hours, been successively a prey to many violent conflicting passions; and at the moment when I most wanted the support, the sympathy of a friend, I found myself duped, deserted, ridiculed! I felt alone in the world, and completely miserable.

A truce for this day was agreed upon. I had a few hours' time for reflection-much wanted. During this interval, which appeared to me a most painful suspense, I had leisure to reconsider my difficulties. Now that I was left to my own will entirely, should I decide to make an immediate declaration? As I revolved this question in my thoughts, my mind altered with every changing view which the hopes and fears of a lover threw upon the subject. I was not perfectly well informed as to the material point, whether the Jewish religion and Jewish customs permitted intermarriages with Christians. Mowbray's levity had suggested alarming doubts: perhaps he had purposely thrown them out; be that as it would, I must be satisfied. I made general inquiries as to the Jewish customs from Jacob, and he, careful to answer with propriety, kept also to general terms, lest he should appear to understand my particular views: he could tell me only, that in some cases, more frequently on the continent and in America than in England, Jews have married Christian women, and the wives have continued undisturbed in their faith; whether such marriages were regularly permitted or not, Jacob could not say-no precedent that he could recollect was exactly a case in point. This difficulty concerning religion increased, instead of diminishing, in magnitude and importance, the more my imagination dwelt upon it-the longer it was considered by my reason: I must take more time before I could determine. Besides, I was curious-I would not allow that I was anxious-to see how miss Montenero would conduct herself towards lord Mowbray-a man of rank-a man of fashion-supposed to be a man of fortune-known to be a man of wit and gallantry: I

should have an opportunity, such as I had never before had, of seeing her tried ; and I should be able to determine whether I had really obtained any interest in her heart. On this last point particularly, I could now, without hazard of a mortifying refusal, or of a precipitate engagement, decide. Add to these distinct reasons many mixed motives, which acted upon me without my defining or allowing them in words. I had spoken and thought with contempt of lord Mowbray's chance of success; but in spite of my pride in my own superiority of principle and character, in spite of my confidence in Berenice and in myself, I had my secret, very secret, quailings of the heart. I thought, when it came to the point, that it would be best to wait a little longer before I hazarded that declaration which must bring her to direct acceptance or rejection; in short, I determined not to throw myself at her feet precipitately. I took Mowbray's advice after all; but I took it when I had made it my own opinion and still I rejoiced that my resistance to the arrogant manner in which lord Mowbray had laid down the law of gallantry had produced that struggle of the passions, in the height of which his mask had fallen off. I never could decide whether the thought of becoming my rival really struck him, as he said it did, from the pique of the moment; or whether he only seized the occasion to declare a design he had previously formed: no matter-we were now declared rivals.

CHAPTER XIII.

AFTER our declaration of hostilities, lord Mowbray and I first met on neutral ground at the Opera -miss Montenero was there. We were both eager to mark our pretensions to her publicly. I appeared this night to great disadvantage: I certainly did not conduct myself prudently-I lost the command of my temper. Lord Mowbray met me with the same self-possession, the same gay, careless manner which had provoked me so much during our last interview. To the by-standers, who knew nothing of what had passed between us, his lordship must have appeared the pink of courtesy, the perfection of gentlemanlike ease and good-humour; whilst I, unable to suppress symptoms of indignation, of contempt, and perhaps of jealousy, appeared, in striking contrast, captious, haughty, and at best incomprehensible. Mr. Montenero looked at me with much surprise, and some concern. In miss Montenero's countenance I thought I saw more concern than surprise; she was alarmed -she grew pale, and I repented of some haughty answer I had made to lord Mowbray, in maintaining a place next to her which he politely ceded to my impetuosity: he seated himself on the other side of her, in a place which, if I had not been blinded by passion, I might have seen and taken as quietly as he did. I was more and more vexed by perceiving that Mr. Montenero appeared to be, with all his penetration, duped this night by Mowbray's show of kindness towards me; he whispered once or twice to Mr. Montenero, and they seemed as if they were acting in concert, both observing that I was out of temper,