all the mothers of marriageable fair ones to despair, by her involuntary but magnetic monopoly of most of the noble and aristocratic "eligibles" present, would drive home with a slightly contemptuous curl on her beautiful lips, as she wondered if any single one out of her constant train of devoted attachés would have considered her worthy of the offer of his hand, and honour of his name, if she had made her appearance as the penniless Miss Lennox. For Zara was acquiring an amount of worldly wisdom which did her great credit, considering the shortness of her experience.

CHAPTER XV.

ONCE AGAIN.

"There is no compensation for the woman who feels that the chief relation of her life has been no more than a mistake. She has lost her crown."

"WHO is that pretty brown-eyed girl on

the chesnut? I saw her at Lady Grace's ball last night-in mourning, I think." "That is Miss Tracy. She is in mourning for her cousin, Lord Albemarle, who died in Egypt six weeks ago. She was taken into society by his parents, Lord and Lady S. John, last season; but they are in deep grief, of course, now, and have not come up this year. Miss Tracy is with her father and mother now, I suppose; but they are regular country people, and don't show much, and I don't know

them." And gay, lively little Mrs Erskine, -whom Zara had formed a sort of friendship with, chiefly because she thought her maligned by the people who called her "fast" would have rattled on indefinitely, but she saw that Lady Carew was not listening to her.

They were in the Row together; and, for a wonder, unattended, except by their grooms, at the usual respectfully useless distance. Zara put her horse to a sudden canter, and did not speak again till they reached the end of the ride, and turned; then she asked abruptly,

"Were his parents with him when he died?"

"Who?"-for Mrs Erskine's thoughts had gone far from their recent topic"Poor Lord Albemarle ? No; they couldn't get there in time.”

"Was he alone, then?"

"Yes-no: he had a friend or tutor

with him; somebody told me it was that Mr Leslie whom I saw about last season, and the expression of whose face is as good as a sermon. I should think it would be more lugubrious than ever if he was with young Albemarle; and I dareI could find out about it from Miss Tracy, if you are interested in the poor boy."

say

"Oh! no, thank you, I did not know Lord Albemarle except by name," and some acquaintances riding up, the conversation was changed.

Occasionally it happened that when Sir Harry and Lady Carew dined alone together, Zara was going to some evening party, while her husband remained at home, or followed his own devices. To-night, however, Sir Harry exclaimed as they sat down to dinner,

Surely you're not going to Lady X.'s in that funereal concern?" alluding to

the plain black dinner-dress which she

wore.

"No; I am not going at all. slight headache."

I have a

Zara might safely have used a stronger adjective, for her temples were throbbing with severe pain; but any confession of illness usually made Sir Harry so full of overpowering attention, that she feared to tell the truth, and so run the chance of losing the quiet evening which she longed for. But in so doing she over-reached herself; for it now appeared that her husband also intended to go to Lady X.'s monster evening party—was under the impression that Zara was acquainted with the fact, and that her excuse was only made to escape going with him.

It was an absurd trifle which his irrational sort of jealousy was sure to seize upon; and he made so much of it that, as her only defence, his wife decided to go