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veau.” Her ladyship, an exquisite adept in thè art of talking at, saw that her bolt had hit her chosen victim. For the other members of the family she cared not a rush; and indeed Mrs. Hutchen took her speech as civility, and Juliana, as pure ignorance of that Parisian pronunciation she had acquired from the instructions of Madame Vipont. Strange!" thought Miss Juliana Hutchen, adjusting her hair in a French pier-glass which gave back her slight and rather genteel figure, in a robe of pale pink gauze with flowers of satin, worn for the first time,-and in which her waitingmaid had assured her, surveying her askance, that "she looked like a born angel, if she would only, as a peticular favour, allow her just to touch the top of the cheek with the leetlest bit of rouge that ever was seen in the wide world." always asking some absurd favour," had been Juliana's reply. "Make haste with you then.— Strange to stay in that old odd place."

"You are

"So those that go to scoff, remain to dine,” said the same Lady Harriette Copely, the fashionable wife of a client of Mr. Hutchen's, commended, if not formally consigned to his hospitality by her husband, who served in the navy and was now

abroad. The constraint was ill brooked by the high spirit of her ladyship, whose constant study and delight it was to revenge herself by tormenting the whole family; and in the science of civilly tormenting the talents of Lady Harriette made her a very tolerable proficient.

Her ladyship's secret thought was, “How shall this Sunday evening in Hutchen's be got through?" Mr. Hutchen, whatever might be his secret thought, made no observation on the desertion of his guest. In tones a little raised, and with a colour somewhat deepened, he merely ordered dinner-" dinner, instantly."

At this weary dinner no one came to admire or applaud Mrs. Hutchen's dishes, and Mr. Hutchen's wines, Miss Juliana's robe, or Lady Harriette's repartees, save a gentleman carelessly mentioned by Mr. Hutchen to her ladyship before he appeared, as "a Dr. Mallock," of whom she ever afterwards spoke as "the indefinite article." The poor man did his best notwithstanding; and Mrs. Hutchen at least was pleased, either from possessing more good nature, or from being less exacting than the other ladies; more probably because the Doctor really could better appreciate the merit of

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her made-dishes, than either the beauty of or of her robe, or the wit and graces of Lady Exriette.

Lady Harriette, after indiging in a few irmishes of wit with her skrevd host, vim se v beginning to detest as much as the had very fes pised himself, his wife, and daughter gut jack u de drawing-room without, at this me, ary mer breach of the peace.

"I am sure he will fall quite in re vii Ezabeth,” said Juliana, pursuing alond de rán v her own reflections;- She is so beanstul Ma Hutchen was one of those young laže vio pride themselves on excessive cando, and woma of rival charms, particularly when they amk none very eminent are visible to other ever

"Who will fall in love, with whom and Labr Harriette, raising herself up in the souci viere she had disposed her be to elegant repose “We are shrewd guessers, but camus prize ful low all the zig-zag quirks of a wit e ruble-qued as your's, my dear Juliana.”

"O!-Elizabeth de Bruce, and Delancy She is quite a gentleman's beauty-one of their fill, round, elastic figures."

“ And what sort of thing, pray, is a lady's bea

ty" said Lady Harriette, who herself, though still a very handsome woman, was rather inclining to embonpoint—" something with the finely rounded flowing proportions of a Grecian statue—or another thing exhibiting the spider limbs of an effigy on which to stick the fashions for the next number of The Ladies' Almanack." She half glanced her eye over the bare sharp elbows and meagre naked shoulder blades of Juliana.

"Every body knows what one calls a gentleman's beauty," replied Juliana, rather pertly.

"I am not quite so vain as to reckon myself every body, Miss Hutchen" said the lady haughtily. "But pray, Mrs. Hutchen, is this the Diana whom Delancy's dogs nearly devoured with kindness the other evening; the lady of whose graces he gave me so picturesque a sketch ?"

"The same young lady, poor thing"-said Mrs. Hutchen. "She rambles about at a sad rate; but it is in the blood of the family-an hereditary malady. I did what I could for her, Lady Harriette, sent her a governess, and got her a new stays, and reelly took pains with her. But I have so many calls on my time, as your ladyship perceives."

"Many calls on your invaluable time," said

Lady Harriette, bowing low- And is this por girl the daughter of that Lord de Bruce, whom I well remember as the very handsomest man I ever saw sit on horseback?" she added, addressing Mr. Hutchen, who had joined the party.

“Your ladyship's must have been very young eyes at that time,” replied Hutchen gallantly.

"That unfortunate de Bruce still in exefnement !” said Lady Harriette-" and his daughter similarly afflicted:"

"O! only flighty-only flighty, cried candid Mrs. Hutchen."

“But her father?” said Lady Harriene, looking for answer to Hutchen.

"Hereditary madness is a distemper not easily subdued, Lady Harriette."

“Alas! no”—she replied very earnestly--but surely every means were, and are taken The treatment of mental disease is so much better coderstood now than it was even a very few years ago. Who has the charge of his person?" Mr Hutchen walked out of the room, either deaf, or afflicted with the equally troublesome Esease of not listening.

"My dear Lady Harriette, I am afraid you have made a leetle mistake," whispered Mrs. Hut

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