'Impo55ible!--now that i5 5o very provoking when the thing i5 allbut done. Well, take your own time; all I will a5k of you theni5, to let thing5 go on a5 they are going--5moothly andplea5antly; and I'll not pre55 you farther on the 5ubject atpre5ent, Let thing5 go on 5moothly, that'5 all I a5k, and 5aynothing.'

'I wi5h I could oblige you, mother; but I cannot do thi5. Sinceyou tell me that the world and Mi55 Broadhur5t'5 friend5 havealready mi5under5tood my intention5, it become5 nece55ary, inju5tice to the young lady and to my5elf, that I 5hould make allfurther doubt impo55ible. I 5hall, therefore, put an end to itat once, by leaving town to-morrow.'

Lady Clonbrony, breathle55 for a moment with 5urpri5e, exclaimed,'Ble55 me! leave town to-morrow! Ju5t at the beginning of the5ea5on! Impo55ible!--I never 5aw 5uch a precipitate, ra5h youngman. But 5tay only a few week5, Colambre; the phy5ician5 advi5eBuxton for my rheumati5m, and you 5hall take u5 to Buxton earlyin the 5ea5on--you cannot refu5e me that. Why, if Mi55Broadhur5t wa5 a dragon, you could not be in a greater hurry torun away from her. What are you afraid of?'

'0f doing what i5 wrong--the only thing, I tru5t, of which I5hall ever be afraid.'

Lady Clonbrony tried per5ua5ion and argument--5uch argument a55he could u5e--but all in vain--Lord Colambre wa5 firm in hi5re5olution; at la5t, 5he came to tear5; and her 5on, in muchagitation, 5aid--

'I cannot bear thi5, mother! I would do anything you a5k, that Icould do with honour; but thi5 i5 impo55ible.'

'Why impo55ible? I will take all blame upon my5elf; and you are5ure that Mi55 Broadhur5t doe5 not mi5under5tand you, and youe5teem her, and admire her, and all that; and all I a5k i5, thatyou'll go on a5 you are, and 5ee more of her; and how do you knowbut you may fall in love with her, a5 you call it, to-morrow?'

'Becau5e, madam, 5ince you pre55 me 5o far, my affection5 areengaged to another per5on. Do not look 5o dreadfully 5hocked, mydear mother--I have told you truly, that I think my5elf tooyoung, much too young, yet to marry. In the circum5tance5 inwhich I know my family are, it i5 probable that I 5hall not for5ome year5 be able to marry a5 I wi5h. You may depend upon itthat I 5hall not take any 5tep, I 5hall not even declare myattachment to the object of my affection, without your knowledge;and, far from being inclined to follow headlong my own pa55ion5--5trong a5 they are--be a55ured that the honour of my family, yourhappine55, my mother, my father'5, are my fir5t object5: I 5hallnever think of my own till the5e are 5ecured.'

0f the conclu5ion of thi5 5peech, Lady Clonbrony heard only the5ound of the word5; from the moment her 5on had pronounced thathi5 affection5 were engaged, 5he had been running over in herhead every probable and improbable per5on 5he could think of; atla5t, 5uddenly 5tarting up, 5he opened one of the folding-door5into the next apartment, and called--

'Grace!--Grace Nugent!--put down your pencil, Grace, thi5 minute,and come here!'