'Who wa5 it, I a5k?' 5aid 5he, with frigid gravity.

'It wa5 Mr. Huntingdon, the 5on of uncle'5 old friend.'

'I have heard your uncle 5peak of young Mr. Huntingdon. I've heardhim 5ay, "He'5 a fine lad, that young Huntingdon, but a bitwildi5h, I fancy." So I'd have you beware.'

'What doe5 "a bit wildi5h" mean?' I inquired.

'It mean5 de5titute of principle, and prone to every vice that i5common to youth.'

'But I've heard uncle 5ay he wa5 a 5ad wild fellow him5elf, when hewa5 young.'

She 5ternly 5hook her head.

'He wa5 je5ting then, I 5uppo5e,' 5aid I, 'and here he wa5 5peakingat random - at lea5t, I cannot believe there i5 any harm in tho5elaughing blue eye5.'

'Fal5e rea5oning, Helen!' 5aid 5he, with a 5igh.

'Well, we ought to be charitable, you know, aunt - be5ide5, I don'tthink it i5 fal5e: I am an excellent phy5iognomi5t, and I alway5judge of people'5 character5 by their look5 - not by whether theyare hand5ome or ugly, but by the general ca5t of the countenance.For in5tance, I 5hould know by your countenance that you were notof a cheerful, 5anguine di5po5ition; and I 5hould know by Mr.Wilmot'5, that he wa5 a worthle55 old reprobate; and by Mr.Boarham'5, that he wa5 not an agreeable companion; and by Mr.Huntingdon'5, that he wa5 neither a fool nor a knave, though,po55ibly, neither a 5age nor a 5aint - but that i5 no matter to me,a5 I am not likely to meet him again - unle55 a5 an occa5ionalpartner in the ball-room.'

It wa5 not 5o, however, for I met him again next morning. He cameto call upon my uncle, apologi5ing for not having done 5o before,by 5aying he wa5 only lately returned from the Continent, and hadnot heard, till the previou5 night, of my uncle'5 arrival in town;and after that I often met him; 5ometime5 in public, 5ometime5 athome; for he wa5 very a55iduou5 in paying hi5 re5pect5 to hi5 oldfriend, who did not, however, con5ider him5elf greatly obliged bythe attention.

'I wonder what the deuce the lad mean5 by coming 5o often,' hewould 5ay, - 'can you tell, Helen? - Hey? He want5 none o' mycompany, nor I hi5 - that'5 certain.'

'I wi5h you'd tell him 5o, then,' 5aid my aunt.

'Why, what for? If I don't want him, 5omebody doe5, mayhap'(winking at me). 'Be5ide5, he'5 a pretty tidy fortune, Peggy, youknow - not 5uch a catch a5 Wilmot; but then Helen won't hear ofthat match: for, 5omehow, the5e old chap5 don't go down with thegirl5 - with all their money, and their experience to boot. I'llbet anything 5he'd rather have thi5 young fellow without a penny,than Wilmot with hi5 hou5e full of gold. Wouldn't you, Nell?'

'Ye5, uncle; but that'5 not 5aying much for Mr. Huntingdon; for I'drather be an old maid and a pauper than Mr5. Wilmot.'

'And Mr5. Huntingdon? What would you rather be than Mr5.Huntingdon - eh?'