really Berkeley Square, and that Great Gaunt Street is none other than the Hill Street of to-day a little street which according to Mr. Thackeray himself runs east of the park, halfway up the hill, as can be seen in my sketch. I therefore pin my faith to the word of the man who should have known best. Certainly, there can be no question that the blackened old relic on the left of my drawing is of the period; nor can there be any doubt of its spaciousness and aristocratic bearing and dignity. On its rails, too, there still can be found "black iron extinguishers" which the link-boys used, and from one of whose torches Rawdon Crawley lit his cigar the night he and Wenham left this same porch together.

And so I had Evins manoeuvre his taxi until the overhanging trees shaded my canvas, my eye on Hill Street as well as the great house on my left. Indeed, from no other part of the Square can there be seen, in conjunction with Hill Street, a mansion big and pretentious enough to have housed so distinguished an aristocrat. That His Imperial Majesty King George had dined the night before with Lord Rosebery, whose house is near the top of the hill (and Evins confirmed it from the morning paper he was reading), was interesting of course, although I had not been invited, but not half so interesting to me as identifying the town palace in which Mistress Becky Sharp was entertained on the night of her triumph, when she was "introduced to the best of company."

She would have left her Rawdon "at home, but that virtue ordained that her husband should be by her side to protect the timid and fluttering little creature on her first appearance in polite society."

"Lord Steyne stepped forward, taking her hand, and greeting her with great courtesy, and presenting her to Lady Steyne, and their ladyships, her daughters. Their ladyships made three stately courtesies, and the elder lady to be sure gave her hand to the newcomer, but it was as cold and lifeless as marble.

"Becky took it, however, with grateful humility; and performing a reverence which would have done credit to the best dancing master, put herself at Lady Steyne's feet, as it were, by saying that his lordship had been her father's earliest friend and patron, and that she, Becky, had learned to honour and respect the Steyne family from the days of her childhood. The fact is, that Lord Steyne had once purchased a couple of pictures of the late Sharp, and the affectionate orphan could never forget her gratitude for that favour.

"The Lady Bareacres then came under Becky's cognizance to whom the colonel's lady made also a most respectful obeisance; it was returned with severe dignity by the exalted person in question.

"I had the pleasure of making your ladyship's acquaintance at Brussels, ten years ago,' Becky said, in her most winning manner. 'I had the good fortune to meet Lady Bareacres at the Duchess of Richmond's ball, the night before the battle of Waterloo. And I recollect your ladyship, and my Lady Blanche, your daughter, sitting in the carriage in the porte-cochere at the Inn, waiting for horses. I hope your ladyship's diamonds are safe.""

"But it was when the ladies were alone that Becky knew the tug of war would come. And then indeed the little

woman found herself in such a situation, as made her acknowledge the correctness of Lord Steyne's caution to her to beware of the society of ladies above her own sphere. As they say the persons who hate Irishmen most are Irishmen: so, assuredly, the greatest tyrants over women are women. When poor little Becky, alone with the ladies, went up to the fireplace whither the great ladies had repaired, the great ladies marched away and took possession of a table of drawings. When Becky followed them to the table of drawings, they dropped off one by one to the fire again. She tried to speak to one of the children (of whom she was commonly fond in public places), but Master George Gaunt was called away by his mamma; and the stranger was treated with such cruelty finally, that even Lady Steyne herself pitied her and went up to speak to the friendless little woman.

"Lord Steyne,' said her ladyship, as her wan cheeks glowed with a blush, 'says you sing and play very beautifully, Mrs. Crawley. I wish you would do me the kindness to sing to me.'

"I will do anything that may give pleasure to my Lord Steyne or to you,' said Rebecca, sincerely grateful, and seating herself at the piano began to sing.

"She sang religious songs of Mozart, which had been early favourites of Lady Steyne, and with such sweetness and tenderness that the lady, lingering round the piano, sat down by its side and listened until the tears rolled down her eyes. It is true that the opposition ladies at the other end of the room kept up a loud and ceaseless buzzing and talking, but the Lady Steyne did not hear those rumours. She was

637461