"Connor!" said Mr Mackinlay, opening his great round eyes; "I don't recollect such a name in the steam packets." 66 "Steam packets!" replied Miss Macdonald, in equal surprise; " she was much too fine a lady to go in a steam packet,—she went off from the sands in a chaise-andfour." 66 Mary Stevens off to London in a chaiseand-four!" exclaimed Miss Mackinlay, with uplifted eyes and hands. in "What on earth has put Mary Stevens your head ?" answered Miss Macdonald. I am talking of Miss Lennox, who has eloped this morning with Mr Connor." 66 "Miss Lennox eloped with Mr Connor ! This is news indeed! Do, my dear friend, tell me the particulars of this most extraordinary occurrence. It was always my opinion that she would never come to any good; but I am sorry I have proved so true a prophet. Pray, who told you of this sad affair?" "I had it from the best authority; for Effie Banks, the fishwoman, came straight from the Lennoxes to my house, and she said they had no time for buying fish. The cook was fleeing about after the hens, puing feathers out of their tails to burn beneath her ladyship's nose, who had lain for no less than three hours in a dead faint; and Sir Thomas was stamping through the house, roaring for a chaise-and-four, to go after his daughter. Mr Lennox was crying for his pistols, and powder, and lead, and Mrs Lennox was sobbing and tearing her hair; for Mr Connor it seems is her cousin, and she thinks him too good for Miss Lennox. But I am most concerned for poor Major Willoughby, as Miss Lennox was engaged to be married to him; but she wanted to be off with her promise when she saw Mr Connor, whom she liked better. But Sir Thomas said, since she had promised to marry Major Willoughby, she must keep her word, or he would lock her up, which so terrified her, that she ran off next day : and they say that Major Willoughby has taken this so much to heart, that he has been in a brain-fever ever since. Captain Spencer sat up all night with him, and was nearly run through the body by the Major, who took him for Connor. Doctor Drainvein was sent for in a great hurry, and he took twelve soup plates full of blood from him, after which he became a little more composed." "But," said Mr Mackinlay," if Miss Lennox ran off only this morning, is not the Major's brain-fever a little premature ?" 66 Why, I believe I must have made a trifling mistake; it was yesterday morning that the elopement took place. I feel much for that sweet girl Miss Dundas, who, I am told, is devotedly attached to Mr Connor, who paid her by far too much attention, if he did not mean to carry matters farther. -She has been in hysterics ever since she heard of the elopement." "I cannot believe," replied Mr Mackinlay," that there is any truth in the report -the thing seems quite incredible. Sure ly if Miss Lennox eloped yesterday morning, we would have heard of it before this." "You may believe it or not, as you please," retorted Miss Macdonald; " but I can assure you, my information is perfectly correct; and, besides this, there are dragoons out scouring the whole country. Sir Thomas has ordered them to take her dead or alive-And he has offered a reward of fifty guineas to whoever brings her back. The soldiers took the English road, headed by Captain Spencer, who is so much enraged with Connor, for cutting out his friend Major Willoughby, that he has sworn that one of them shall fall. His very holsters were filled with gunpowder, which was smelt half a mile off And I know for a fact, that none of the coaches are going to town this morning, every horse in the village being engaged by Sir Thomas, to go in pursuit of his daughter-But I must leave you now, for I am going to see how Miss Kennedy is-She was complaining last night, and I mean to inquire for poor Mrs Smellarat, who was in agonies with ear-ach yesterday : ill-natured people say she got it with listen ing at a key-hole; but we must not believe all we hear." "Bless me," said Miss Mackinlay, "now that I have time to look at you-I wonder you were not mobbed! How could you come through the village with your mantle the wrong side out, marrowless shoes, and pahair?" per in your "Really," said her friend, "I was so taken up with the poor Lennoxes, that I never observed the terrible figure I was; but do allow me to step into your room to make myself fit to be seen." "Come this way," said Miss Mackinlay, very coolly, ushering her into Mr Mackinlay's apartment. "Will you have the goodness to lend me a pair of shoes? I shall return them the moment I get home." Miss Mackinlay glanced at a pair of broad splay feet, and then, with a very gloomy air, left the apartment to rummage |