‘Bear up, brave heart! we will be calm and strong;

Sure, we can master eyes, or cheek, or tongue,

Nor let the smallest tell-tale sign appear

She ever was, and is, and will be dear.’

RHYMING PLAY.

It was a hot summer’s evening. Edith came into Margaret’s bedroom, the first time in her habit, the second ready dressed for dinner. No one was there at first; the next time Edith found Dixon laying out Margaret’s dress on the bed; but no Margaret. Edith remained to fidget about.

‘Oh, Dixon! not those horrid blue flowers to that dead gold-coloured gown. What taste! Wait a minute, and I will bring you some pomegranate blossoms.’

‘It’s not a dead gold-colour, ma’am. It’s a straw-colour. And blue always goes with straw-colour.’ But Edith had brought the brilliant scarlet flowers before Dixon had got half through her remonstrance.

‘Where is Miss Hale?’ asked Edith, as soon as she had tried the effect of the garniture. ‘I can’t think,’ she went on, pettishly, ‘how my aunt allowed her to get into such rambling habits in Milton! I’m sure I’m always expecting to hear of her having met with something horrible among all those wretched places she pokes herself into. I should never dare to go down some of those streets without a servant. They’re not fit for ladies.’

Dixon was still huffed about her despised taste; so she replied, rather shortly:

‘It’s no wonder to my mind, when I hear ladies talk such a deal about being ladies — and when they’re such fearful, delicate, dainty ladies too — I say it’s no wonder to me that there are no longer any saints on earth ——’

‘Oh, Margaret! here you are! I have been so wanting you. But how your cheeks are flushed with the heat, poor child! But only think what that tiresome Henry has done; really, he exceeds brother-inlaw’s limits. Just when my party was made up so beautifully — fitted in so precisely for Mr. Colthurst — there has Henry come, with an apology it is true, and making use of your name for an excuse, and asked me if he may bring that Mr. Thornton of Milton — your tenant, you know — who is in London about some law business. It will spoil my number, quite.’

‘I don’t mind dinner. I don’t want any,’ said Margaret, in a low voice. ‘Dixon can get me a cup of tea here, and I will be in the drawing-room by the time you come up. I shall really be glad to lie down.’

‘No, no! that will never do. You do look wretchedly white, to be sure; but that is just the heat, and we can’t do without you possibly. (Those flowers a little lower, Dixon. They look glorious flames, Margaret, in your black hair.) You know we planned you to talk about Milton to Mr. Colthurst. Oh! to be sure! and this man comes from Milton. I believe it will be capital, after all. Mr. Colthurst can pump him well on all the subjects in which he is interested, and it will be great fun to trace out your experiences, and this Mr. Thornton’s wisdom, in Mr. Colthurst’s next speech in the House. Really, I think it is a happy hit of Henry’s. I asked him if he was a man one would be ashamed of; and he replied, “Not if you’ve any sense in you, my little sister.” So I suppose he Is able to sound his h’s, which is not a common Darkshire accomplishment — eh, Margaret?’

‘Mr. Lennox did not say why Mr. Thornton was come up to town? Was it law business connected with the property?’ asked Margaret, in a constrained voice.

‘Oh! he’s failed, or something of the kind, that Henry told you of that day you had such a headache — what was it? (There, that’s capital, Dixon. Miss Hale does us credit, does she not?) I wish I was as tall as a queen, and as brown as a gipsy, Margaret.’

‘But about Mr. Thornton?’

‘Oh I really have such a terrible head for law business. Henry will like nothing better than to tell you all about it. I know the impression he made upon me was, that Mr. Thornton is very badly off, and a very respectable man, and that I’m to be very civil to him; and as I did not know how, I came to you to ask you to help me. And now come down with me, and rest on the sofa for a quarter of an hour.’

The privileged brother-inlaw came early and Margaret reddening as she spoke, began to ask him the questions she wanted to hear answered about Mr. Thornton.

‘He came up about this sub-letting the property — Marlborough Mills, and the house and premises adjoining, I mean. He is unable to keep it on; and there are deeds and leases to be looked over, and agreements to be drawn up. I hope Edith will receive him properly; but she was rather put out, as I could see, by the liberty I had taken in begging for an invitation for him. But I thought you would like to have some attention shown him: and one would be particularly scrupulous in paying every respect to a man who is going down in the world.’ He had dropped his voice to speak to Margaret, by whom he was sitting; but as he ended he sprang up, and introduced Mr. Thornton, who had that moment entered, to Edith and Captain Lennox.

Margaret looked with an anxious eye at Mr. Thornton while he was thus occupied. It was considerably more than a year since she had seen him; and events had occurred to change him much in that time. His fine figure yet bore him above the common height of men; and gave him a distinguished appearance, from the ease of motion which arose out of it, and was natural to him; but his face looked older and care-worn; yet a noble composure sate upon it, which impressed those who had just been hearing of his changed position, with a sense of inherent dignity and manly strength. He was aware, from the first glance he had given round the room, that Margaret was there; he had seen her intent look of occupation as she listened to Mr. Henry Lennox; and he came up to her with the perfectly regulated manner of an old friend. With his first calm words a vivid colour flashed into her cheeks, which never left them again during the evening. She did not seem to have much to say to him. She disappointed him by the quiet way in which she asked what seemed to him to be the merely necessary questions respecting her old acquaintances, in Milton; but others came in-more intimate in the house than he — and he fell into the background, where he and Mr. Lennox talked together from time to time.

‘You think Miss Hale looking well,’ said Mr. Lennox, ‘don’t you? Milton didn’t agree with her, I imagine; for when she first came to London, I thought I had never seen any one so much changed. To-night she is looking radiant. But she is much stronger. Last autumn she was fatigued with a walk of a couple of miles. On Friday evening we walked up to Hampstead and back. Yet on Saturday she looked as well as she does now.

‘We!’ Who? They two alone?

Mr. Colthurst was a very clever man, and a rising member of parliament. He had a quick eye at discerning character, and was struck by a remark which Mr. Thornton made at dinner-time. He enquired from Edith who that gentleman was; and, rather to her surprise, she found, from the tone of his ‘Indeed!’ that Mr. Thornton of Milton was not such an unknown name to him as she had imagined it would be. Her dinner was going off well. Henry was in good humour, and brought out his dry caustic wit admirably. Mr. Thornton and Mr. Colthurst found one or two m............