ceived the remark with raised eyebrows, and gestures of astonishment.

"Is it possible," she exclaimed, louder than Alice would have spoken on such a subject anywhere, "is it possible that you don't know what a great change has taken place in Mrs. Warren's state of mind since then? Why, she has given up the world, she has become quite serious. This is not a worldly party ; I

should not have been allowed to come with

you if it had been, mamma does not intend me to go to worldly parties."

"I had forgotten," said Alice, "but I am very glad to hear that this party is to be something different from the others, for I am very tired of the old sort."

"Oh! as to that," replied Caroline, candidly, "I don't suppose you would ever find out the difference, excepting, to be sure, that rather different people are here, and that, perhaps, before the end of the evening, some one will be asked to expound that is considered the sign

VOL. I.

E

in Kingsmills; there are many who will not go to a party where that is not done. Miss Ash, for instance, the lady in red silk opposite, and Mr. Barret, that short gentleman, in a white neck-cloth, near the chimney-piece."

"I wish you would introduce me to the Miss Ashes," Alice said, "I have heard so much of them, and as this is the first unworldly party I have ever been to, and as I am heartily tired of what you call the worldly ones, I should like to be near the people amongst whom I am most likely to discover the difference; perhaps I shall find it greater than you think."

The request somewhat embarrassed Caroline; she had two reasons for feeling inclined to avoid the society of her mother's particular friends that evening. The first and weightiest was the consciousness of the scarlet beads in her hair, and of this she could not rid herself for an instant, for they clicked every time she moved her head, and Caro

line's head never remained in the same position for two minutes together; the second was the recollection that she had frequently talked to Miss Ash about her intercourse with Alice Earle, as if it were principally maintained on her side in the hope of doing her cousin good, and she felt suddenly an uncomfortable halfconviction that the style of talk, which actually passed between them, would not come up to Miss Ash's standard of faithfulness.

There was no help for it, however; Miss Ash had noticed Alice's glance towards her side of the room, and she was now beckoning to Caroline, and ostentatiously clearing a place for the young ladies on the sofa by her side. Caroline was obliged to lead her cousin across the room, and bury herself during the rest of the evening in a somewhat dark corner, and among a set of people, who, though interesting enough a week ago, had been gradually falling in her estimation since the hope of forming more brilliant acquaintances,

under her uncle's patronage, had dawned upon her.

With all this, Caroline was not a hypocrite; she was only very vain, and profoundly ignorant of her own heart. She had been accustomed all her life to use phrases without understanding them, and having been for some time patronized and directed by a certain set of kind, but not very wise people, she adopted their prejudices, and fancied that she was a sharer in their real goodness.

Her gratitude towards her old friends, however, was warm enough to make her displeasure melt before their cordial smile of welcome, and to induce her to glide with a good grace into the accustomed topics of talk. These were new enough to Alice to awaken her interest, and cause her to join the conversation, now and then, with some animation. The Misses Ash were holding a little court of enquiry in their remote corner of the room, concerning the assembled guests, and ques

tioning rather hotly the claims of some among the the number to admittance into Mrs. Warren's select evening assemblies. Alice felt that the reasons for and against were at least curious. At last a name was mentioned that had always a special interest for Alice's ears, and as she bent forward to hear more distinctly, she felt that she was well repaid for having crossed the room.

"So," observed a young lady, in a tone of disappointment, "the Meyers were not asked, after all; Mrs. Warren promised she would ask them; and it would have been very nice to have had them here."

"My dear, she acted by my advice," the elder Miss Ash answered, bridling; "I took upon myself to tell her faithfully that it would not do."

"But why not?" persisted the first speaker. "I always understood that Mr. Meyer was a very good man, quite decided."

"Decided, but not sound, my

dear;

consider