feeling would presume to approach, except in a legitimate

way.

I affected a smile of incredulity, which St. John perceived, and declared in a tone which it was impossible to doubt, "I am serious, upon my honour!"

Could I, after this conversation, hesitate to acquit St. John of the authorship of the anonymous letter?

11*

CHAPTER XXXIII.

BUT though St. John was thus clearly acquitted of having written the letter, there was still Lord Hauteray, upon whom my suspicion might rest with equal probability. It was not so easy, however, to bring matters to the proof with respect to him, and this tormented me. He was many years older than Alice, and from what I heard of him, seemed to be a sort of neutral character-that is, with no prominent traits either the one way or the other, but respectable and amiable, rather than otherwise. This certainly was not exactly the description of person likely to engage the affections of the Miss Paulet whom I esteemed and admired; but if she were actuated by mere worldly views and feelings, such passive qualities, if they were not precisely a recommendation, would assuredly be no objection to a woman of fashion, to whom personal endowments in a husband are the least important consideration. There was one strong consolatory argument, however, which occurred to me in the case of Lord Hauteray. It was beyond a doubt that he had paid great attentions to Alice. How was it likely that such an one, as he had been represented to me, would trifle with the feelings of a young girl? I well understood the class to which Lord Hauteray belonged, and I knew that a soberer, more matter-of-fact kind of people did not exist. Undoubtedly he would have been incapable of carrying a flirtation into effect, even could he have designed it. It was much more probable that he should be actuated by petty malice on account of his refusal.

I confess that I derived great pleasure from the contemplation of this argument. Then I began to question myself, whether it was not unjust and absurd to allow this anonymous slander any weight; I paid my own boasted discernment a bad compliment in suffering it to prevail for an instant against my own intimate experience of the person whom it affected. But then the accursed garden scene recurred-had it not been for that, I should have flung the letter into the fire at once, and banished it with contempt from my recollection. This objection, however, I overcame, and taught myself to

appreciate the motives which could dictate such an unmanly and malignant proceeding. A new light now streamed upon my mind. It was a woman who had written the letter. It could be no one else. My belief is, that ninety-five out of every hundred anonymous letters, proceed from the gentler sex; it is a measure which could emanate only from the soul of an attorney, or a woman, who is obliged to resort to such means of gratifying her revenge, for want of better. Several ladies immediately presented themselves to my recollection, to whom I gave ample credit, for the capability of taking such a step. All those, both matrons and maidens, who had courted my notice, and had obtained it, but of a kind more mortifying than positive neglect was it illiberal to suppose that some one of them would be induced to give a vent to her spleen, at hearing that the imperturbable and sarcastic baronet, upon whom they had in vain exhausted all their blandishments, had at length yielded to the force of other charms? What could be more likely than that some of the Havilands had endeavoured to throw this obstruction in the way. And on re-perusing the letter, it appeared to me that it must have been written by some one who was personally acquainted with my character, and who knew how to alarm my suspicions. In fact, any woman in the world who had ever known me, might have written it.

How then should I act? Why suffer myself to be blown about by every breath of suspicion and circumstance? It would be weakness any longer to endure this state of mind. This affair actually suspended my faculties, and prevented me occupying my time about any other pursuits; and what satisfaction, after all, was to be gained by entertaining these interminable doubts and distractions? I was resolved to bring the business to a settlement, and that too without any farther delay.

I had put the anonymous letter in my pocket, and was about going to Lady Eleanor Palmer, for the purpose of opening my whole mind to her upon the subject, when a note was delivered to me from herself, requesting that I would call upon her at my earliest convenience, as she wished to speak to me about something of importance.

I had little time for conjecture, as to the nature of the particular business upon which I was wanted, for Palmer's house was but three minutes' walk from my own, and I followed upon the heels of Lady Eleanor's messenger.

"I thank you," said she, "for the promptitude with which

you have answered my summons. I will not employ a word of circumlocution in what I have to communicate to you. Read that." So saying, she put into my hands a letter, which, to my surprise, was in the same constrained and artificial hand-writing as that which had caused me so much uneasiness. On looking at the signature, I found only these words. "A Friend to Innocence." It was clear that this "Friend of Innocence," and my "Hater of Humbug," were one and the same person. But to the contents.-They were slanders and insinuations against my character. 1 was represented as a heartless libertine; a man without principle or feeling; but with sufficient talent and accomplishment to assume every cameleon shade of character to deceive the persons with whom I associated, whether for purposes of malice or profligacy. It was addressed to Miss Paulet. The writer's apology was indignation against vice and fraud, and a desire to preserve amiability and worth, from deception and misery.

“Well,” cried Lady Eleanor, eagerly, when I had scarcely yet finished the perusal, during which she had studied my countenance with intense anxiety; "what do you say to it?""

"My answer is short, and, I trust, conclusive." So saying, I drew from my pocket, and handed her the other of the twin epistles. She observed this motion with an expression of surprise; but immediately received and devoured my letter with trembling haste. Having read it, she uttered an exclamation of astonishment,

"Thank Heaven! I am more happy than I can express! my bane and antidote are now both before me!"

"Believe me I am not less relieved than yourself, by this exchange of letters. It is most satisfactory that each has received the most conclusive refutation that could be offered, by the production of the other. I would give a thousand pounds to discover the author,”

"Whoever the base wretch may be," answered Lady Eleanor, "he or she is unworthy of a moment's consideration. Let us rather congratulate each other that this explanation has taken place. Oh, how could you keep such a letter in your possession a day, without communicating it to me, or some other mutual friend? And how could you, for a moment, doubt, and on such evidence, my darling Alice? But 1 will not reproach you, for I am too happy that both parties are exonerated."

In the openness of the moment, and the delight with which this éclaircissement filled me, I committed myself, and acknowledged fully to Lady Eleanor my sentiments with respect to Alice Paulet. Her benevolent countenance betrayed the pleasure which this communication afforded her; and consequently she no longer hesitated to disclose to me the grateful fact, that Alice entertained reciprocal sentiments. She had, from the first, been in possession of the secret; but her young friend's honour had thus, as it were, been placed in her guardianship, and she could not possibly say a word upon the subject, until I had confessed myself. She now declared her complete satisfaction at what had taken place. "I had always set my heart upon this match," said she; "I knew that you would appreciate real excellence, for I always said that your contempt of the world proceeded from fastidiousness, and not from coldness of heart. How dear Jane will rejoice, for she was really beginning to hate you, because she thought you slighted her sister."

"I assure you," answered I, "that none of the party can be more gratified than I am at coming to an explanation, but "

"Surely," interrupted Lady Eleanor, "there is no happiness without a 'but;' yet I should like to know what business that ominous monosyllable should have at present."

"Nothing of importance," I replied; "nothing which cannot, I dare say, be easily explained. I am confident you would wish that suspicion should be utterly eradicated from my mind; for if the smallest part of it were suffered to remain, there is no security that at some future period it will not sprout up afresh."

I then proceeded to relate to her my misgivings with respect to Captain Axford; and especially that shrubbery scene, which had been the foundation of all my doubt and misery.

"And is this really the cause of your keeping back? Well, I suspected as much from your conversation the other day, and I said as much as I then could to do away such an impression. It is now, however, necessary I should tell that young Axford, poor fellow, had proposed for Alice, before you ever saw her. Unfortunately for him, her refusal was given in such gentle and considerate terms, as not entirely to destroy hope. He renewed his addresses on his return to the country where you met him. Alice, apprehensive of such an event, but still doubtful whether his attentions were not sug