The card was at last dispatched, and in due time an answer returned. "Give me the note," said Ellinor, as soon as it appeared. "I thought so!" she exclaimed, tossing it to Catherine: "Will do themselves the pleasure,-it is more than they will do us; I only pray old Balfour may have a glorious fit of the gout." "That would do you no good," said Charles, "as it would be his wife only whom it would keep at home; your friend Miss Louisa would still be of the party." "If Mrs Balfour," said her ladyship, "would only stay away, I should not care about the young people; but," continued she, "the Ramsays must now be sent to. Catherine, my dear, will you write to them?" Catherine having obligingly complied with this request, the ladies had just commenced a most animated discussion on the bill of fare, when Sir Thomas entered, holding his favourite newspaper in his hand. "I am come," he said, " to read to you this admirable speech of Canning's. It is a most brilliant piece of eloquence. I think he gives the Whigs a pretty drubbing; but you shall hear." While the Baronet was, as he imagined, conferring such a favour upon his auditors, not one of whom was paying the smallest attention, his lady, by no means satisfied with the interruption, to Catherine's great dismay, began, in a low voice, to consult her whether mulleghatawny or turtle soup should be selected for the approaching feast. Whilst her ladyship was in imagination decorating her table, a similar process was going on in the mind of her daughter, in regard to her person. And at the very moment when Sir Thomas had got to what he considered the most brilliant part of the speech, and when he never doubted but that they were all listening with breathless attention, his progress was suddenly arrested, by hearing Ellinor ask Catherine, what dress she meant to appear in. The astonishment of Sir Thomas may be conceived. He looked over his papers at the speaker, -for as to Catherine, she had the good sense not to hazard a reply. "A dress!" he at length exclaimed, taking off his glasses, and laying the despised paper on the table; "do you women ever think of anything but dress? Could this said dress of yours not stand till I had finished? Oh, no, even the most important debates about the welfare of your country must give way to these trumpery gewgaws." "We leave the foreign affairs to men," said Ellinor, pertly; "but it is quite proper that females should be allowed the undisturbed management of the home department." Oh, really I have no doubt that you, Miss Ellinor, think yourself perfectly fit to manage all departments; but it is needless to argue with a silly girl." So saying, the Baronet seized his papers, and returned to the dining-room, there to cool his wrath, and finish the debate, which Ellinor had so unseasonably interrupted. "I wish sincerely," said Ellinor, as soon as Sir Thomas had left the room-" that that odious Courier was expelled-papa quite bores us with stupid speeches. How can he imagine that we care about parliamentary battles?-they are the most tiresome things in the world." "If you had listened but five minutes longer," said Catherine, "Sir Thomas would have gone away quite pleased. He was very near the conclusion, when you asked that unlucky question." "Oh, but one cannot always be on one's guard; and to tell you the truth, I quite forgot papa was reading aloud; but indeed, if it puts a stop to these public readings, you ought to be greatly obliged to me." CHAPTER III.. I loved thee once, I'll love no more, What reason I should be the same? He that can love, unloved again, ΑΥΤΟΝ. THE important day at length arrived, and the whole Balfour family were seated in the drawing-room before Ellinor had half completed her toilette, who cared little for the Balfours, but quickened her motions considerably on learning that her military friends also were below, being very unwilling to lose a moment of their society, and not at all disposed to allow Miss Louisa Balfour to enjoy the smallest particle of their attention. |