lated to call forth affection in any one; and in her he excited nothing but fear. She looked forward to his visits, which were exceedingly rare, with dislike and awe. His presence was an insupportable constraint to her :-he had no sympathy with her tastes-no indulgence for her faults-no feelings in common with her. He was not a friend, but a harsh and unyielding guardian, who now and then came to her peaceful home, to spread gloom where before there had been joy; and teach her, that even she could be sometimes unhappy. During these visits, the contrast to Morton generally struck her with peculiar force. There was no very great difference of age between them; but their characters! how different they were!—the one all benevolence and natural affection, the other all selfishness, indolence, and severity!

Mr. Gardner, Helen's father, had been an extravagant man; and had not only contrived to run through a very good fortune in a short time, but considerably to embarrass the estates, which were strictly entailed upon this nephew, the last remaining representative of the family. After his death, his affairs were found to be much involved; and his daughter would have been left totally unprovided for, but for the

very small fortune of her mother, which had luckily been settled upon her.

It had been a favourite scheme of Mr. Gardner's, that when she grew up she should marry her cousin, and by this means never quit the home of her childhood; and he had often hinted this wish to William Gardner himself. It is very improbable that such an event would ever have taken place; but he did not live either to see his hopes realised, or to mourn over their disappointment. He and his wife both died within a few years of each other, whilst Helen was still quite a child, but not until he had appointed his nephew her sole guardian.

In due time William Gardner married a woman of no fortune, but high connexions. She had been educated for the world; and, with as much selfishness as her husband, and more activity and energy of disposition, though perhaps less real talent, she contrived to make as good a show and appearance with a very limited income, as many people would have done, with one twice as large! They had several children; and with so many cares to attend to, and a very strong dislike on Mr. Gardner's part to trouble or exertion of any kind, it was no wonder that he considered he amply fulfilled

his duties as a guardian, by every now and then writing to Mrs. Gardner to inquire after his cousin's health; and going down to Ashton once in two or three years, when it happened to suit his convenience to do so. As for her education;-the instilling of religious principles into her mind, and the improvement of her heart and understanding, he had nothing to do with that: Mrs. Gardner was quite equal to it; and Morton would see that it was all done properly. Morton had an interest in the girl, and understood more about her than he did. For his own part, he could make nothing of her. She was handsome, certainly: - handsome enough to marry well, if she had better opportunities, and had been better brought up; but she seemed so wild, and unmanageable, and foolish, that there was no chance of her ever making a tolerable match. Morton would be the best person she could marry, if he would but take her. He was a gentleman at least, though he did live so much out of the world;he would keep her from mischief; and, although by no means rich, he was tolerably well off. A marriage with Morton would be the best thing she could do!

But it was in vain that he encouraged Mor

ton's visits to Ashton, and hinted, and hoped, in his letters to Mrs. Gardner, and did his utmost to promote this object. Helen entered her

seventeenth year without marrying Morton, or even contemplating such a thing; and her cousin, finding that no news reached him of any engagement between them, gave his consent, when it was ceremoniously applied for by Mrs. Gardner, that she should take the young lady to Cheltenham, for the benefit of a little "outing," as she genteelly expressed it; it being now time to let her see something of the world, of her world at least, as Cheltenham was probably destined to be.

Helen was delighted. Fond as she was of her home, the idea of "coming out," as it is termed-of becoming a woman-was enchanting!-and her spirits rose to such a height at the prospect, that it required a great deal more than aunt Letty's usual asperity to moderate them at all. Aunt Letty, indeed, was provoked beyond measure at this extravagant joy. It was bad enough to have to go; to alter all her own habits and mode of life, and again seek that world which she had so long regarded with abhorrence; but to see another made happy by what produced such misery to her, was really

more than she could bear. Poor woman! she was not wholly without excuse. It was a great sacrifice, and a wholly conscientious one, on her part. Had she not been convinced it was her duty, no power on earth would have induced her to quit her own tranquil fireside, where she had so long solaced herself with despising the whole world, and moralizing on her own miseries. But, for Helen's sake, she would do much. It was right that she should see something of society, and form her own estimate of the pleasure it could produce. She resolved, therefore, however painful it might be, to go through with it. But she could not resist damping the innocent joy of her niece by her increased gloom, and melancholy of manner; and endeavouring to enhance the value of the sacrifice, by continual complaints and expressions of dislike, which at last annoyed Helen so much, that she almost regretted the plan had ever been contemplated.