But Laura Watson's cousins pursued him to London, and he was glad, at last, to pay three hundred pounds to stay an action for breach of promise. It is needless to say that Laura had never seriously expected ⚫ his pretended love would survive the discovery of her real standing in society; but she thought herself entitled to a premium for playing so thankless a part.

The flirt was obliged to go on the Continent to recover from this drain on his finances, and try and replenish his purse at the gaming table of some Spa.

Thus, Bab had her revenge-and as the now portioned Laura soon married a likely young farmer, the male flirt became, in spite of himself, the cause of marriage to others.

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF A
LITTLE CHILD.

UNDER the shade of our loss we'll sit

Dear wife, and think it falls

From our bird's swift flight, to the morning light,

Where Heaven its children calls.

Her pink feet never walked the earth,

They did but touch it light;

To take a spring, and free the wing
Of the angel for its flight.

Deep in the ground, our daughter sweet,
From our eyes, wife, will be hid;

With a cross at her head, and a stone at her feet,
And with flowers for her coverlid.

Pansies and violets there must grow;
And, in the spring's fresh hours,
Shall children come with sinless hands
To gather her garden flowers.

Eternal Child! the touch of Time
May harm our darling never;
A blossom, in its morning prime,
She'll live a child for ever.

MISSES AND MATRIMONY.

EDITED BY W. W. KNOLLYS.

(Continued from Page 535.)

CHAPTER XV.

PROVOKING MEN AND ILL-NATURED WOMEN-RED HAIR AND GREEN SPECTACLES THE WRONG PROPOSAL PREMATURELY MADE AND BARELY ELUDEDA PIC-NIC AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS-A PROPOSAL, THIS TIME NOT ELUDED AN UNFORTUNATE INTRUSION-SAD CONSEQUENCES OF MAKING SALAD WHEN IN LOVE-FLATTERING ATTENTION TO ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE, AND UNREASONABLE ANGER OF THE HUSBAND.

DUM-DUM, 15th January 185

FOR a whole fortnight I never once saw Lord Adair. I used to pass the morning in such a fidget. Every time I heard a horse or buggy come to the door, I made sure it was him; but it wasn't. And to think of all the trouble I took to put on the dresses and ribbons I thought he would like. Oh! it was so provoking. I knew, too, that that horrid Mrs. Leslie had been talking about it, and saying: "What a nice sell for Miss Aylmer; I knew how it would be all the time; I was certain Lord Adair would jilt her. They say he was disgusted at her extravagance, and flighty, flirty ways." Aunt heard of her saying this, and scolded me so for throwing away a chance, as she called it. Just as if it was my fault; I'd marry him to-morrow if he'd have me. One comfort is, M'Clusky has been as attentive as ever. Every other day, as regularly as possible, he used to drive up to the door. I declare his red hair dazzled my eyes, so that I began seriously to think of wearing green spectacles to subdue the glare. He made lots of attempts to propose, but I always put him off, for I wanted to give that stupid, ungrateful fellow, Willie, a chance still. One day I only just escaped. After hemming and hawing for some time, he startled me by coming out with :

"Miss Aylmer, I'm a man of few words; but-but, the fact is, you have it in your power to make me very happy."

Wouldn't it,

"Indeed," said I, "nothing would please me more. aunt?" I called out to her. She had gone to the other end of the room, on purpose, pretending she had got a note to write. Of course she was obliged to turn round and answer me then, which was what I wanted.

When M'Clusky saw I had got her into the conversation, he became very red and turned it off with saying: "I wish you would be more particular about flirting with those officers. for they are a sad reprobate lot, and not half good enough for you."

He looked so much as if he thought nobody else but himself was, that I couldn't help telling him that I thought no men were good enough for their wives before marriage, and very few afterwards. This speech made him humble enough, I can tell you, and quite stopped his proposing, for that day at least.

At the end of a fortnight, I began to give up nearly all hopes of Lord Adair who is a heartless good-for-nothing fellow, trifling with me like that. I don't care a pin about him though-so I thought I would give M'Clusky a chance. Fancy, how droll, I had only just made up my mind to this when in came a letter to aunt asking us to join a party that was going the next day to the Botanical gardens. She asked me what I said: "Oh, let us go by all means.

I should like to do. The man's a horror; but red hair in the hand, is worth two Lords in a bush.”

She called me a stupid thing for joking about such an important matter.

"Besides, my dear, if you don't like his hair, you can easily get him to dye it, when he's your husband."

I answered that, when we were married, I would much rather he died himself, than that he should merely dye his hair.

Aunt, who is a silly old creature and doesn't see a joke until you have explained it to her for half an hour, got quite cross, and told me it was perfectly awful talking like that, for who knew but that people might hear of it.

The end of it was, that we settled to go. The next morning we, that is, aunt, Colonel Jones, and me, all started in the carriage for Garden Beach, where we met M'Clusky, Mr. Trevor, a civilian, Mrs. Silvertop, and Bessy, and Mr. and Mrs. Harrington-he is a judge-and a young officer of the Bengal cavalry, called Heavyside. It was great fun seeing young Heavyside and Mrs. Harrington. They flirted so, it was quite shocking. The fun was, that old Harrington seemed quite proud of the attention paid his wife. Indeed, he did nothing but make everybody notice it. He kept on saying, continually :

"Look at my wife and that young fellow, I declare I never saw a man so much in love with any one before. Now I call that really gratifying. It's not every woman of her age gets so much admiration. I'm not at all jealous; my wife is far too fond of me for anything of that sort. Besides, I assure you she's a woman of excellent principles; the very highest principles, I assure you. In fact, I'd back her principles against any lady's in Calcutta."

I believe that, though a judge, he is very fond of racing, which accounts for his speaking of his wife as if she were a horse. When we arrived at the Gardens, everybody paired off, and M'Clusky asked me to take a stroll with him. He was dressed in regular "courting" get-up, and looked so absurd. His hair had evidently been curled with tongs, and was like a cluster of rusty cork screws. He had on white trousers too, strapped down so tightly that he could hardly walk. I could see,

from his face, that he meant to pop; for he put on a sentimental expression of countenance, enough to make anybody think he had eaten something which disagreed with him. After wandering about a little, we sat down on the trunk of a tree to rest. Of course, I expected he would now propose, not a bit of it; he kept opening his mouth, continually, as if he was going to speak, but each time ended in a cough, all the time kicking a hole in the ground with his heel, and getting so hot from agitation that his handkerchief was kept as hard at work as a mop. I became tired of this, so to bring him to the point, I said:

"I think we had better try and find aunt, or she will be wondering what has become of us. Besides, if any of the party were to catch us sitting here alone, they would be sure to make remarks."

This roused him, so getting very red, and using his handkerchief more actively than ever, he begged me to stop another moment for he had something very particular to say to me. I sat down again and waited for him to speak, and after another minute or two's silence, he said: "Don't you think the view is very pretty from here, Miss Aylmer?"

"Yes, very pretty,"

"I am glad you think so, for I think so too."

"Do you, Mr. M'Clusky?"

"Yes, I do really; but I tell you what, it's not as pretty as you." "Oh, Mr. M'Clusky, you flatter me, but I daresay you don't mean it. You men never mean what you say when you talk to ladies.”

"That may be so with some, but I always mean what I say."

Then out it all came.

Down on his knees he went so suddenly, that, his straps being very tight, the buttons which fastened one of them broke, and that leg of his trousers flew up till I could see his calf. I was nearly dying of laughter, but I held my handkerchief to my face to prevent his seeing it.

"Miss Aylmer-Miss Emily-Emily, I think you a charming girl, and I'm sure you would make my home much more comfortable-Hang that mosquito, it's bit my leg, I declare, the beast." Here he began to scratch his calf vigorously, at the same time going on with: "Now don't say no; there's a dear girl, I'm not a dandified fool like those officers, but I'll do my best to make you happy. You should have as many dresses as you like, a piano, and as handsome a carriage as anybody in the station. I can't make love like some fellows, but you know you needn't see more of me than you like, and, I promise you, you shall have your own way in everything. You'd be very foolish to refuse; you would indeed. You don't get such an offer every day, so say yes, there's a good girl, and settle the matter at once."

I couldn't resist teasing him, so I replied: "I should be very glad to please you, Mr. M'Clusky, but you haven't told me yet what you want me to do. If it's a pair of slippers you want worked, I shall be very happy."