became the pet and plaything of every creature in the house, from the Squire downwards.

Honoria at length yielded her heart absolutely to the winning graces of her younger sister, and appeared to love her more and more as years passed away, and the lovely girl, no longer a child, budded into the perfection of blushing conscious maidenhood with all its nymph-like charms of person, and its sweet but impossible dreams of perfect bliss in the world it is about to enter.

Honoria Gitard had been the belle of the country balls for three or four years before Hester came out, and had received several offers; but if her own heart had been pierced she hid the wound.

CHAPTER II.

In which Squire Giffard shows his partiality in more ways than one, and Honoria is a second time the sufferer.

THE weather was sultry, although it was only the first week in June; and Squire Giffard fell asleep in the summer-house after dinner, while he sat waiting for his eldest daughter to come and read the newspaper to him.

He was awakened by a voice, sweet and low, but not the one he had expected to hear.

"What would you like me to read first, sir?"

The Squire opened his eyes, and smiled in his daughter Hester's face, as she seated herself beside him.

"Where's your sister, Hetty?"

"I think, sir, she has walked down as far as the boat-house with my cousins. They were talking of rowing for an hour when I left them. Perhaps she has gone too; it is pleasant now on the river."

Hester sighed unconsciously as she let the paper drop listlessly upon the rustic table, and resting her round, white elbows upon it, as the lace ruffles fell back from them, she leaned her head on her hands, with her taper fingers almost hidden in the masses of soft, bright, chestnut hair, which, turned back from her forehead, fell in natural curls over her shoulders. The carnation grew more vivid on her cheeks, and her red lips parted, as her dove-like eye watched the long, pendant branches of the willow as they swayed to and fro, while the rippling waters slid past them, all aglow with the reflection of the luminous sunset.

The Squire chuckled at his own acuteness, as he quietly observed Hester's roseate blushes, and evident absence of mind.

It is said that the heir-apparent rarely finds favour in the eyes of the reigning sovereign; but it is certain that, next to his

daughter Hester, Squire Giffard loved his heir-presumptive and nephew, Roger Giffard, who, with his brother Ralph, was at Hearts when he was not at Oxford.

The Squire had set his heart on at least one marriage taking place between the cousins, and only that morning, when in the hayfields with his nephews, he had learned from Roger that he was in love with Hester, and had therefore in his own mind settled that Ralph should marry Honoria if he had a mind so to do.

The young man had, however, greatly annoyed his uncle by remaining silent while the Squire stated his readiness to aid him in whatever profession he decided upon entering, and had hung his head and looked unhappy.

འ

"Either the young dog wants to wear a red coat, which, with peace just proclaimed, is quite out of the question for younger son; or he has a hankering after Hetty, which he must learn to get over," thought the shrewd old man, as he looked askance at the younger one.

All this was in the Squire's thoughts when he spoke to Hester, who started violently when her father's voice broke in upon her

reverie.

"Why are you left behind, I should like to know?" said the old man, testily.

"I thought you wished to hear your newspaper read, sir ?" "Aye, aye, I understand. Your sister preferred the young men's company; and so you stepped dutifully into her place. Read what you like, Hester."

"Plantation News. Barbadoes, April 3, 1763. An express has arrived here from the river Emerary, with advice that one Niels Andries was got thither from Berbices, with 126 negroes. He gives an account that the Creole negroes had revolted, to the number of 3000, baving their officers at their head; that they had destroyed ten plantations, and massacred all who attempted to make any resistance, whites, negroes, and Indians, without sparing women and children. That the governor, either through fear, or some other motive, had blown up the fort, with the provisions and ammunition therein, and saved himself on board a Dutch ship.""

"D-- his cowardly soul!" said the Squire, with his face quite purple with rage.

"So that the rebels had not had much difficulty to make themselves masters of the whole coast. They have invited the negroes of the other colonies to join them, assuring them that as soon as they had entirely subdued the colony of Berbices, they designed to go into the other colonies, to kill all the whites, whom they would not suffer any longer to have dominion over them.'"

66

See, what harm is done by giving authority to a man unequal to sudden emergencies. Had that rascal of a governor, instead of thinking of nothing but the safety of his own stinking carcase, proclaimed martial law, and strung up one or two of the ringleaders as soon as he could lay hands on them, the rising would have been put down at once, and all those bloody murders prevented. skulking hound! It chokes me to think of his running away from his post in the hour of danger."

The

The Squire would have had a fit of apoplexy could he have foreseen that a century later, by following the course he now recommended, the Governor of Jamaica would be put on his trial for wilful murder, instead of receiving the thanks of a grateful country for his courage and promptitude. Happily Squire Giffard little guessed what we should be doing in 1867, so he only said with an expression of intense disgust :

"Read something else, lass, to put it out of my head."

"Scotland,'" murmured Hester, timidly, as her eyes glanced down the columns of the newspaper. "Do you care about hearing the account of laying the foundation stone of the bridge over the Tweed at Coldstream, papa ?"

"No, I don't," growled the Squire; "the Scots come into England too fast as it is."

"I see no need of building a bridge over the Tweed."

"Who's to pay for it?"

"I don't know, I'm sure," replied Hester.

"Read, child, read. You'll soon find the money all comes out of John Bull's breeches-pocket."

Hester resumed her task:

"The inscription on the stone is as follows:-The Parliament of Great Britain having allowed £4000 sterling for building this bridge--"

"Didn't I tell you so?" interrupted the Squire.

"The first stone was laid by the Right Hon. Alexander Earl of Home, in presence of the Trustees, who met on May 18th, 1763, in the third year of the reign of King George III., being the month in which the union of the two kingdoms commenced fifty-six year

ago.'"

"Four thousand pounds sterling! Not beggarly pounds Scotch, mind you! My Lord Bute ought to be made to repay it. Heaven be praised! we have kicked him out of office at last, and I am ready to take my Bible-oath that he never comes in again. Not that we have gained much by having George Grenville in his place. Those who live longest will see the most. There will be great changes before long. Try again, Hester, you have been rather unlucky."

"St. James's, June 1st,'" read Hester, nervously. "This day the following address was presented to his Majesty, and read by Doctor Fothergill, accompanied by a deputation from the people called Quakers, introduced by the Lord of his Majesty's Bedchamber in Waiting?","

"Bother the people called Quakers!" said the Squire hotly, "and the peace, and all who had a hand in bringing it aboutfrom my Lord Bute downwards. Why did the House of Commons follow the speech from the Throne like a pack of hounds, instead of minding what Pitt said to them, when he spoke so well, too?three hours at a stretch, in spite of the gout! Talk of the libels Wilkes was clapped into the Tower for-why, bad and vile as they are, they are not more shameful than the conduct of the British Parliament. However, my Lord Chief Justice Pratt did his duty."

"Next month, I suppose, there are more than a dozen causes to be tried at Guildhall between journeyman printers (supposed to have been employed on the North Briton, No. 45) and the Crown, for false imprisonment by King's messengers, in virtue of a Secretary of State's warrant.

"A pretty scandal that will be! Down with my Lord Bute, I say again, and God bless the King and the Prince of Wales!" The Squire lifted his hat reverently at the last words.

Hester, who cared nothing for politics, had been amusing herself by reading how "the Queen, in order to draw his Majesty's attention, and to keep him longer at St. James's, had desired several ladies to appear at Court in their masquerade dresses before they went to the Duke of Richmond's ball; so that by this tender stratagem his Majesty's did not go from St. James's to the Queen's palace till near ten o'clock; when, on suddenly throwing back the window-shutters of her Majesty's palace, his Majesty was agreeably surprised with the view of a magnificent temple and bridge, finely illuminated with about 400 glass lamps, erected in the garden. The painting on the front of the temple represented the King giving peace to all parts of the earth, and at his Majesty's feet were the trophies of the numerous conquests made by Britain, and beneath them were a group of figures representing Envy, Malice, Detraction, &c., tumbling headlong, like the angels in Milton."

"The Queen has been preparing such a beautiful surprise for the King, papa. The paper calls it the most superb piece of scenery ever exhibited in England.' How I should have liked to have seen it! And, after looking at it, they sat down to a cold supper of one hundred dishes, and an illumined dessert, with a fine band playing all the time."

"I am very glad you have found something to amuse yourself

with, Hester; I can't say that you have read out anything yet that I have cared to hear. But I am not angry with you, my love,-it is all Honoria's fault, who knows exactly how I like the newspaper read. I wish you would go and look for her."

Hester rose, and putting on her hat, walked along the path by the river, listening for the splash of oars. When she had gone a short distance beyond the garden-gate through the hay-fields, she saw Honoria coming slowly towards her. The large meadow she was crossing had another path which led through a filbert plantation to the back of the house.

As Hester approached Honoria she walked rapidly away from her, and struck into this path, and when, after running and walking by turns, Hester, panting for breath, was near enough to beg her sister to stop for her, Honoria, with an imperious wave of her hand, bade her turn back.

Hester, with tears springing in her eyes, stood still. Honoria appeared to hesitate a moment, then, turning so as fully to front her sister, she fixed her flashing eyes upon the trembling girl, while she cried vehemently:

"I hate you deadlily; you have stolen my lover!"

Then, with swift steps, and carrying her head proudly, Honoria passed out of Hester's sight.

CHAPTER III.

Roger and Hester come to a satisfactory understanding, and end by dismissing Honoria entirely from their thoughts.

FOR a few moments, transfixed to the spot where she had been standing when Honoria spoke to her, Hester stood uncertain which way to go. She no longer attempted to follow her sister; she dared not return to her father, lest he should question her concerning Honoria; and she shrank with burning cheeks from meeting her cousins after the cruel charge that her sister had brought against her. She said "her cousins," yet even in secret commune with her own innocent heart she refused to believe that it could be Roger of whom her sister was jealous.

Yes, it was only Ralph she dreaded to see, for it was Ralph who had that morning told her he loved her dearly, and to whom she had replied that she loved him quite as dearly, even as much as if he were really her brother instead of only her cousin; upon which, to her bewilderment, he had uttered a cry of impatience and broken from her in anger.