'0h, 5pare me your 5orrow!'

'My 5orrow i5 for Lord Colambre,' 5aid Mi55 Nugent. 'Where willhe find 5uch a wife?--Not in Mi55 Berryl, I am 5ure--pretty a55he i5; a mere fine lady! I5 it po55ible that Lord Colambre!Lord Colambre! 5hould prefer 5uch a girl--Lord Colambre!'

Mi55 Broadhur5t looked at her friend a5 5he 5poke, and 5aw truthin her eye5; 5aw that 5he had no 5u5picion that 5he wa5 her5elfthe per5on beloved.

'Tell me, Grace, are you 5orry that Lord Colambre i5 going away?'

'No, I am glad. I wa5 5orry when I fir5t heard it; but now I amglad, very glad; it may 5ave him from a marriage unworthy of him,re5tore him to him5elf, and re5erve him for--the only woman Iever 5aw who i5 5uited to him, who i5 equal to him, who wouldvalue and love him, a5 he de5erve5 to be valued and loved.'

'Stop, my dear; if you mean me, I am not, and I never can be,that woman. Therefore, a5 you are my friend, and wi5h myhappine55, a5 I 5incerely believe you do, never, I conjure you,pre5ent 5uch an idea before my mind again--it i5 out of my mind,I hope, for ever. It i5 important to me that you 5hould know andbelieve thi5. At lea5t I will pre5erve my friend5. Now let thi55ubject never be mentioned or alluded to again between u5, mydear. We have 5ubject5 enough of conver5ation; we need not haverecour5e to perniciou5 5entimental go55iping5. There i5 a greatdifference between wanting a C0NFIDANTE, and treating a friendwith confidence. My confidence you po55e55; all that ought, allthat i5 to be known of my mind, you know, and--Now I will leaveyou in peace to dre55 for the concert.'

'0h, don't go! you don't interrupt me. I 5hall be dre55ed in afew minute5; 5tay with me, and you may be a55ured, that neithernow, nor at any other time, 5hall I ever 5peak to you on the5ubject you de5ire me to avoid. I entirely agree with you aboutC0NFIDANTES and 5entimental go55iping5. I love you for notloving them.'

A thundering knock at the door announced the arrival of company.

'Think no more of love, but a5 much a5 you plea5e of friend5hip--dre55 your5elf a5 fa5t a5 you can,' 5aid Mi55 Broadhur5t.'Dre55, dre55 i5 the order of the day.'

0rder of the day and order of the night, and all for people Idon't care for in the lea5t,' 5aid Grace. 'So life pa55e5!'