pale under the fear of an immediate spiritual manifestation; and the tears rolled silently down the young wife's cheeks. "Thanks to you, ma'am, then, all the same," resumed the nurse, breaking an uncomfortable silence; "I will look out for some one else, or be godmother myself if need be, though quite unworthy, to this little orphan child. Go on, Maria." With which she motioned the girl out of the door, and bringing up the rear herself, retreated as if to a tune of triumph, although leaving the enemy in the possession of the field. She had been gone from the room more than a minute before Mr. Hollis began to speak again, and then his tones had all that doggedness which does duty in a brutal man for shame.

"The fact is, the children can't be christened together; it is quite out of the question, and I was coming up here to tell you how it was all to be. My cousin the bishop writes that he will be in town in three weeks' time, and be happy to do the thing at home; the child is delicate I told him, and he understood what I wished at once; so we shall be all comfortable in the drawing-room, and you need not expose yourself to the cold by going to church: the churches are the very deuce for draughts and damp. I suppose my brother had better be asked 'to stand, if madame, his French friend, will permit him; and now about the godmothers?"

Why, there will be only one, you know, Henry, -our child being a boy,—and two godfathers.'

"That's what I said, if you'll do me the favour to listen, Mrs. Hollis. Now, said I, about the godmother; and the other godfather too I meant, of course."

66

Well, Henry, if you don't object, I should like to ask Mary Lilton; she is my oldest friend, and in case of anything happening to me,-to us,I know of nobody who would watch over our child so well."

"I do object, madam, and that very strongly," replied the other sharply. "I wish I could get you to remember your present position a little oftener, and not so continually to let yourself down after things that you have dropped for ever: you will be pleased to select some one for this office who will brighten, and not tarnish by association, the rank of the heir presumptive of a peerage.'

The utterance of this splendid passage seemed to shed over the speaker a sort of virtuous glow; he began to persuade himself that there must surely have been a moral spring in his opinions somewhere to have inspired him with so much eloquence, and he felt an inclination, hard to be resisted, to tuck his coat-tails under his arm and to go on for ever. "What possible benefit upon my son, madam, do you suppose a Manchester godmother

can confer? Does he want an electro-plate mug presented to him, or a spoon made of some excellent substitute for silver? Would hers be the society in which he would move in after life? No, madam; the house of Hollis will henceforward keep to its own proper sphere. What interest could this Miss Milton-well, Lilton; it's all the same exert for one of his condition? What money could she leave him after her demise? None, none to speak of, none at least that could atone for the degradation. I am sorry to see you weep, madam, but I have a duty to perform as a member of an exalted race, and-ahem-as a father, madam; as you must be well aware, Manchester people are almost without exception Unitarians, and for all I know this Miss Milton may be actually-no, I don't say openly, Mrs. Hollis-if you will permit me to speak-I say in her heart" (and Mr. Hollis indicated by his forefinger the position of the vacuum which that organ ought to have occupied in his own case) "may be actually an enemy to that church which has braved a thousand years-or ratherwell, it is of no consequence-that church of which we are both members. What do you say now to Lady Evergreen? . . . . Insult you, madam! who wants to insult you? I only proposed it for a joke, although that is the most ridiculous jealousy that ever woman took into her fanciful head. Now,

choose one yourself then; it shall never be said that I crossed you, Mrs. Hollis, on a subject of this kind. My sister? Why, you must be mad, madam; are you aware that even that miserable fifteen thousand pounds of hers is only left to her for life? But that reminds me; now there is her friend, Lady Beebonnet; what possible objection, for I dare say there is one, can you have to her? An Irvingite? What of that? A person of her talents and position may be permitted, I suppose, to have peculiar views! It's one of the finest cathedrals you ever saw in your life; they're all Church of England people in reality, only rather high-church. Don't be illiberal, madam; charity, Mrs. Hollis-do you remember what the Bible says about charity, where it begins, and all about it. Yes, it shall be Lady Beebonnet; and mind you, if you say two words more I'll have the child taken to Gordon Square to be baptized."

"I feel very weak and ill, very, Mr. Hollis. I cannot argue with you even if I wished to do so, which I do not. ("I should hope not," interrupted her lord and master.) "Choose anybody you please, sir, I shall be content; if I am taken away, I trust there will be still One to watch over him far better than any earthly godfather."

"Quite so, my dear," replied the husband: "that's been just my view of the matter all along;

and I'm thinking of Charley Lester, a Melton Mowbray man, for the other fellow; he has only cousins whom he hates, and all his property is a his own disposal-five thousand a-year in land if he has a penny; he's got a devilish good life, to be sure-strong as a horse; but then life's always uncertain to a man who rides steeple-chases. There, now, we've arranged that matter very nicely. Good bye, my dear, for the present, and try and get to sleep."

So thus Mr. Hollis settled the vexed question of sponsors, remarking to himself, as he lit a cigar in his smoking-room, that for domestic happiness there was certainly nothing like taking one's wife into one's confidence.