-having no time to alight-he had sent for Miss Seyton, to bid her adieu. He was going abroad. It was no place for any particular conversation to pass between them, and as we have said, he appeared to be in haste, and could but press her hand, and hope he should see her again before the winter was over.

He begged his most respectful remembrances to her lady mother, who he was, he said, quite afraid to face-and bent still lower to murmur in her ear, "You must not forget me, Ada!"

Once more he pressed her hand-waved his to the bevy of children assembled at a windowand with one more smile, and one more glance at the pale face in the doorway-he rode fast away.

CHAPTER XII.

"And as it sometimes chanceth, from the might

Of joy in minds that can no farther go,

As high as we have mounted in delight,

In our dejection do we sink as low,

To me that evening did it happen so;

And fears and fancies thick upon me came,

Dim sadness, and blind thoughts, I knew not, nor

could name."

WORDSWORTH.

I HAVE carried my readers too far forward; we must again retrograde from Merriford to Castle Mervyn, where I left my own heroine Aline, but first take a look at our friend Anderson, whom we shall still find at Hereford, and actually proposing a visit to Castle Mervyn, under the following adventurous auspices

Even when the town was emptied of its festival

company, and an ample choice of fresh quarters offered him-he had felt no inclination to change.

The inn was situated in an old and interesting part of the town and not far from the cathedral. His rooms were clean and airy--his landlady civil, attentive, and comfortable in her way, though a little bit of a gossip. She had thought at first that her guest must be something of a Jesuit, for he was for ever going to the cathedral-asked odd questions about odd things unlike any body else, was fond of poking about the town, and was surrounded by strange foreign books and things he had brought with him from foreign parts. But she soon gave up the unworthy idea, seeing that he was far too pleasant and free spoken a gentleman for any such thing; and had taken too great a fancy to her favorite tabby cat, whom he would sit stroking and caressing with one hand as it sat purring on his table whilst he wrote or read. And write he did a great deal, though he grew fidgetty

at times, and walked about the room often, and once when she took in his tea, she found him standing with his spectacles on, before a picture of Castle Mervyn which hung on the parlour wall.

The good woman had a son in that establishment, and consequently knowing a great deal about the family and the goings on there, she made bold to try and amuse her tenant's mind by a little information relative to the object of his inspection.

She talked about the grand marriage of my Lord's sister, which had taken place there the year before, and a great deal about my Lord himself how that it was expected he would soon be marrying-that some said he had wanted to marry one of the Seyton young ladies; but whether it were the one who ran away with the singer or the one now at the Castle, she would not be certain.—

Of the young lady who had ran away with the singer, Mr. Anderson had already received

a very full, particular and rather exaggerated account, and now, concerning the party assembled at Castle Mervyn, she had much to say, seeing on that head her listener showed no little interest.

On Friday evening, in particular, at tea time, the landlady told her guest that her son had been with her, telling her about the grand theatrical doings that were to take place, to amuse the company on the morrow, and that they had actually there Signor Angelo, the finest singer in the world, the same that ran away with Sir Alexander Seyton's daughter, and they were going to have a regular Opera, with Miss Seyton that was, for the prima donna.

This information seemed especially to arrest the interest of her guest. He walked about the room, and asked so many questions on the subject, and especially whether her son had the power to procure admission for any friend or stranger on the occasion, that at last Mrs. Bacon said,