of pin-cushions and shirt-buttons, to a mandarin nearly as large as life," perhaps, my dear Miss Douglas, you will do me the favour to take a look of my little collection." po

"Favour!" thought Grizzy; "what liteness!" and she protested there was nothing she liked so much as to look at every thing, and that it would be the greatest favour to shew her any thing. The mandarin was made to shake his head-a musical snuff-box played its part-and a variety of other expensive toys were also exhibited.

Mary's disgust increased. "And this woman," thought she, "professes to be charitable amidst all this display of selfish extravagance. Probably the price of one of these costly baubles would have provided for the whole of these poor people, for whom she affects so much compassion, without subjecting her to the meanness of turning her house into a beggar's repository." And she walked away to the other end of the

room, to examine some fine scriptural paint

ings.

"Here," said Mrs. Fox to her victim, as she unlocked a superb cabinet," is what I value more than my whole collection put together: It is my specimens of Scotch pebbles; and I owe them solely to the generosity and good will of my Scotch friends. I assure you, that is a proud reflection to me. I am a perfect enthusiast in Scotch pebbles, and, I may say, in Scotch people. In fact, I am an enthusiast in whatever I am interested in; and at present, I must own, my heart is set upon making a complete collection of Scotch pebbles."

Grizzy began to feel a sort of tightness at her throat, at which was affixed a very fine pebble brooch pertaining to Nicky, but lent to Grizzy, to enable her to make a more distinguished figure in the gay world. "Oh!" thought she, "what a pity this brooch is Nicky's, and not mine; I would

have given it to this charming Mrs. Fox. Indeed, I don't see how I can be off giving it to her, even although it is Nicky's."

"And, by the bye," exclaimed Mrs. Fox, as if suddenly struck with the sight of the brooch, "that seems a very fine stone of your's. I wonder I did not observe it sooner; but, indeed, pebbles are thrown away in dress. May I beg a nearer view of it?"

Grizzy's brain was now all on fire. On the one hand, there was the glory of presenting the brooch to such a polite, charitable, charming woman; on the other, there was the fear of Nicky's indignation: But then it was quite thrown away upon Nicky -she had no cabinet, and Mrs. Fox had declared that pebbles were quite lost any where but in cabinets, and it was a thousand pities that Nicky's brooch should be lost. All these thoughts Grizzy revolved with her usual clearness, as she unclasped the brooch, and gave it into the hand of the collector.

"Bless me, my dear Miss Douglas, this is really a very fine stone! I had no conception of it when I saw it sticking in your throat. It looks quite a different thing in the hand: It is a species I am really not acquainted with. I have nothing at all similar to it in my poor collection. Pray, can you tell me the name of it, and where it is found, that I may at least endeavour to procure a piece of it."

"I'm sure, I wish to goodness my sister Nicky was here-I'm certain she wouldthough, to be sure, she has a great regard for it; for it was found on the Glenfern estate, the very day my grandfather won his plea against Drimsydie; and we always called it the lucky stone from that."

"The lucky stone! what a delightful name! I shall never think myself in luck till I can procure a piece of your lucky stone. I protest, I could almost go to Scotland on purpose. Oh, you dear lucky stone!" kissing it with rapture.

"I'm sure-I'm almost certain-indeed I'm convinced, if my sister Nicky was here, she would be delighted to offer--It would certainly be doing my sister Nicky the greatest favour, since you think it would be seen to so much greater advantage in your cabinet, which, for my own part, I have not the least doubt of, as certainly my sister Nicky very seldom wears it for fear of losing it, and it would be a thousand pities if it was lost; and, to be sure, it will be much safer locked up-nobody can dispute that-so I am sure its by far the best thing my sister Nicky can do-for certainly a pebble brooch is quite lost as a brooch."

"My dear Miss Douglas! I am really quite ashamed! This is a perfect robbery, I protest! But I must insist upon your accepting some little token of my regard for Miss Nicky in return." Going to her charity-table, and returning with a set of painted thread papers, "I must request the fa