good natured, and willing to oblige; but he was also careless, indolent, and forgetful. With him, to be out of sight, was too frequently to be out of mind: he had a large acquaintance; and, with scarcely any pursuit but that of amusement, he fancied that his time was unavoidably very much occupied. Had he once been made to understand that his discontinuance of attention to the Mortons was adding to the sense of their afflictions, he would have been much grieved, and would have hastened to repair his fault. But he had yet to learn the positive ills that may result from mere sins of omission, and that the person who confines his thoughts to the selfish object of pleasing himself, may at the same time, “ very innocently," as he would say, cause considerable pain to others.

The Duke of Swansea had, however, an excuse, which, perhaps, in the opinions of some, may tend to exculpate him entirely. He had become a sudden and ardent admirer of one of the beauties of the day, and his adoration soon

went to the full length of a proposal. He was accepted; and the matrimonial Alnascharism of poor Lady Louisa was fated to receive its sudden downfall, from the announcement of this event one morning by Lady Malvern.

The Mortons received very frequent visits from Lady Malvern; but her presence did not often afford them much consolation. She was vain, weak, and frivolous, had no strength of mind, and seemed more oppressed by the sense of their calamities, than they even were themselves. Spoiled by indulgence and prosperity, she rather aggravated their discontent, by overvaluing the importance of the advantages they had lost. She shuddered, with an affectation of overstrained delicacy, at the horrors of their habitation, and wondered how they could exist in such a small ill-furnished house," so very, very far from every body." Her only modes of consolation were, by talking to them as if their situations had remained unchanged, proposing plans which were now unfeasible, and detailing

the tittle-tattle of that gay world from which they were endeavouring to wean themselves. She pressed Agnes to enter into society, brought her invitations, and wished her to allow herself to be chaperoned as usual.

But Agnes resolutely declined mixing in the gaieties of general society. One of her motives was economy, a principle of self-denial, which, with her ample means, she little thought to have. been so soon under the necessity of practicing. Her parents had now little to depend upon beyond her yearly allowance, which was all appropriated to their relief, and she had even parted with many valuable trinkets that she might contribute further to their comfort. Under these circumstances it was her object to reduce the expences of the toilette, and abstain as much as she could from that costliness of attire which society would have required.

Lady Malvern could not, or would not, enter into the propriety of these considerations, and thought it strange and ridiculous that the heiress

of thousands should stoop to the practice of such petty parsimony. She had frequent discussions with Agnes, on the subject of her unwillingness to go into society. Agnes thanked her for the kindness which induced her to press it, and assured her that she had no such wish.

"But that is so strange!" said Lady Malvern; "it is not natural at your age, not to wish to go to balls. It is what the world would call odd, and if it is odd it cannot be right.".

"It might be odd," said Agnes, with a mournful smile, "if there was nothing to warrant my declining; but you must remember the peculiar circumstances in which we are placed."

"Yes, my dear, I do remember them; but I wish you would not allude to them so often. It is not necessary, and it is very distressing. Besides, things won't always remain as they are. You know, you have said yourself, that you have hopes of making some arrangement."

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My fortune is not in my own hands.” "True, but you are to be married; and then

"It will be my husband's," replied Agnes,

gravely.

The tone of her remark arrested for a while the train of Lady Malvern's thoughts. After a short pause, Agnes proceeded—“ In the mean time, I wish to share, in every respect, the lot of our parents. They will necessarily be exposed to many privations of former pleasures. Society is among the enjoyments they must give up; and I think they will be more resigned if they see me bearing the same lot as themselves, and (as I hope I shall do) cheerfully. They will feel their misfortunes lighter; and I shall have a better right to comfort them, than if I were exempt from what they are obliged to bear, and could not know by experience how melancholy their situation is.”

"That is very good in you, Agnes," said Lady Malvern, "and very kindly and properly meant; but, my dear creature, don't you think it will hurt my father and mother to suppose, (as they certainly must) that they are the means.