found that he leaped at once from prejudice to admiration.

Meanwhile, the Bagshawes were departing: but the trials of Agnes were not yet ended, though their greatest bitterness had ceased when Lacy quitted their party. It seemed as if the Bagshawes were destined to pass in review before every person whom that house contained; for, in the entrance-hall, as if purposely to witness their ceremonious leave-taking, were Lord Midhurst, Mr. Luscombe, and one or two others. Agnes also had to answer several loud inquiries from her cousins, respecting the names of these gentlemen, which she doubted not they must have heard. Then followed a debate, carried on in a sonorous whisper, which hissed most audibly through the hall, about the extent of the douceur which it would be proper give to the attendant, and upon which important point, Agnes was entreated to decide. Then burst. forth a loud rude giggle from the Misses Bagshawe and Master Richard, on detecting "Pa," who was inadvertently carrying off, in his pocket, a catalogue of the pictures, which he was civilly informed by the servant in waiting, he was not allowed to take out of the house.

to

At last they got to their carriage, and after much time consumed in arranging baskets of provisions, and settling who should sit backwards, to the great relief of Agnes, they kissed their hands to her, and departed.

CHAPTER VII.

Perfections meeting in divers persons cannot choose but find one another, and delight in that they find; for likeness of manners is likely in season to draw liking with affection.

'SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

ALL the party assembled at Huntley had tact enough to understand that relations so little refined as the Bagshawes, would not afford an agreeable topic either to Lady Malvern or Miss Morton, and they therefore prudently abstained from any further mention of them. This consideration sealed the lips of Lacy, though he longed to hear what Agnes would say of them; and he was agreeably surprised when, without any appearance of restraint, she voluntarily introduced the subject.

"I hope," said she, "you will not think me too inquisitive, if I ask how you became acquainted with my relation, Mr. Bagshawe. He mentioned something of services rendered him by you abroad."

They were scarcely worth recalling," replied Lacy. "Last year I met him at Milan. He had lost his way, and could not muster sufficient Italian to ask it; and I assisted him to the extent of my local knowledge, for which he was extremely grateful. He seems a good humoured, well meaning man. I had no idea that he was related to your family."

"Very likely," replied Agnes; "but I suppose the discovery has not caused you much surprise.

You know we can lay no claim to high descent.
Our family tree is but a sapling."

"If the fruit of a tree is good, we should not regard its age," said Lacy.

Agnes acknowledged with a smile, and slight inclination of the head, the complimentary tone of the observation, and added, "You are perhaps aware that we owe our rise to industry, and we have, therefore, no right to set up airs of superiority over those of our connexions, who have been only less early in profiting by the same advantages. Aristocratic feelings of hauteur, even if they are ever perfectly commendable, are certainly misplaced in those who have so little claim to them."

Lacy made no reply to this observation, and thought it better to recur to what she had said previously.

"You said," pursued he, "that I could not have been surprised at the discovery of your relationship. Why will you do yourself such an injustice? În fact I was very much surprised at finding you in the midst of such a groupe. I do not mean to undervalue them. I can can easily believe that they are very estimable people; but they belong to a class of society which must be totally unsuited to your habits. You can have nothing in common with them."

"To be honest," said she, "there are circumstances under which I feel very strongly the awkwardness of the association; but this is only when they are taken out of the sphere which best suits them. Place me with them in their domestic circle, where every thing was natural and unconstrained, and, as a painter would say, in keeping,' and I could enter easily, and with interest into all they thought, and did, and said; nay, I could take a pleasure in their company. Don't suppose that any part of the pleasure would consist in laughing at them: that would be uncharitable; and, besides, I

could not laugh at them there. People are seldom ridiculous, unless when taken out of their proper station, or when their vanity makes them strive to appear what they are not.

And is this the case with any of the party we saw this morning?"

"It is rather malicious in you to ask me a question that I am sure you can so well answer yourself. Yes, I cannot acquit them all. Mr. Bagshawe rather too much affects virtù, and a pretty mode of expressing himself; but in other respects, when there is no immediate call for display, is a well judging, right hearted man. The eldest daughter is a little maniéré-at least before company, though a quiet, good girl at home. In fact, she has seen just enough of society to spoil her a little, and not enough to do her good. As to the rest of the family, I never feel much disposed to smile at them; they are so perfectly natural; they show you so plainly what they are, and seem to have no wish to pass for any thing more. To be sure I am sometimes a little amused with Mrs. Bagshawe's misconceptions, but she would never be guilty of them, if she was not taken out of her element. People to be thoroughly ridiculous must be either affected or misplaced. If I could by possibility meet my relations, the Bagshawes, at Almack's, I dare say I should feel ashamed of them, though nevertheless I should be angry at myself for such a feeling. It is a very unamiable species of false shame."

Lacy assented to her opinion, and regarded her with a look of admiration. He was thinking how vain was the fear that any association with vulgarity should attach ridicule to her. Agnes herself did not observe his look, and seemed, for an instant, absorbed in thought.

"You will think," continued she, after a short pause, with a faint smile, and colouring slightly, "that I have been talking in a strange blunt man

ner about my relations. I know no subject upon which people in general are more reserved. I promise you, Mr. Lacy, that if you had not known something of them previously, I would not have lectured upon them to you so freely as I have done; but I she stopped. She was going to add what she felt would have been too flattering to Lacy, and would have looked too much like encouragement. Lacy, however, would not allow the pleasing assu rance to be lost.

"I flatter myself,' said he, "you hoped that I should not abuse your confidence."

"Of course, I hoped so," she answered, with a slight blush.

"And won't you say you thought so?" he added, in a tone of more tender expostulation than he had ever used to her before.

"Why, really," replied she, with a laugh which had in it somewhat of effort, "I can hardly say less after having known you so long-though, I am forgetting myself, when I say I hope you will not abuse my confidence, for I have said nothing you may not repeat-nothing you need remember to forget-not even the shadow of a secret. I was only going to apologize for troubling you with this long discussion upon family subjects in such a chattering fit of unreserve."

"Pray don't apologize," replied Lacy; "you don't know how much I am obliged to you for it."

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He paused awhile, and then added: "I am afraid you think that I am a lover of reserve-that I am one who can take no interest in the concerns of any of his neighbours. We mix little with them, it is true, but it does not necessarily follow, that this should proceed from a morose disposition, or from any want of kindly feeling."

"No," replied Agnes, such an inference might be very unjust-though, at the same time, I dare say you will allow that it would not be improbable."