she knew nothing of Mr. Seton's acquaintance with them.

"We never dreamt of mentioning him to any one," Margaret said, loftily.

"The Sims' are not likely to have done it?" Mr. Shrugg continued; yet he felt convinced, without the assurance of his family, which was immediately against such a supposition, that his steady old neighbours were quite incapable of committing such folly.

"Well, then, what is to be done?"

Poor Mr. Shrugg! he was seriously perplexed; and as he looked round and saw no help in the bewildered faces of wife and children, he became quite angry.

"All I can say, is," he said testily, "this is beyond a joke, and I will never speak to the author of it again. A most unwarrantable liberty. What is to be done, Susan ?"

Luckily for him, Mrs. Shrugg's woman's wit was only at a loss for a moment; it came to his aid now. Her plan was for him to call on

Mr. Seton that evening. He could easily give, as a reason for going at such a time, his desire to find that gentleman at home after missing him so often.

"He will begin about the letter, if he wrote it," she added; "and if he does not, you may be sure it is a trick."

And this way of obviating the difficulty being voted good, Mr. Shrugg set off to carry it out.

There was no small amount of talk amongst his daughters in his absence. Of course the letter was a hoax; still there was a little uncertainty about it, and until that was removed, it was natural to debate on both sides.

"It is just what a queer man like Mr. Seton, would do," Norah said, who never having spoken to him, was very competent to give such an opinion, as Bell told her severely.

Susan said it was very handsome behaviour for a rich man like him; but then Susan felt

secure, and could afford to praise her sisters' suitors.

Margaret didn't agree to this, and began rather to hope he meant her, that she might tell him how presumptuous it was for a man of his age, however rich, to fancy a girl of twenty could be happy with him.

The twins got tired of the subject soonest; but then they had no personal interest in the question. Linda told Margaret she ought to accept so good an offer, if only to lighten her father's expenses; and Margaret retorted that she, Linda, would not accept a husband on such terms if she were tried.

"No," said Linda, self-convicted; "but then, you like. carriages and nice houses, and I don't. I mean, Margaret, dear, you are more fitted for grand things than I am; but of course I didn't mean you'd marry only for that."

"Besides," said Susan, "you know, Margaret tried to lighten papa's expenses: she wanted to be a governess."

"Poor papa!" Margaret said; "I shall never forget how cut up he was, when I proposed it; and I was so relieved when he declared he would rather starve than let any of us leave home, for I should hate teaching."

"I shouldn't," cried Norah; "I should delight in keeping nasty little children in order. Wouldn't I give them hard sums.”

"We might give lessons, though, without leaving home," Susan said.

"O Susy, William wouldn't like it; besides, you'll go out to India as soon as he gets his captaincy. Linda and I mean to coax papa to have a little school at Clack," Bella exclaimed.

66

What would you two children teach?" Margaret said, laughing: "the idea of you two teaching; why, you ought to be at school yourselves."

And then they all laughed; the twins, too, at the absurd notion; and at that moment Mr.

Shrugg's latch-key was heard at the front door.

Norah jumped off her seat and listened at the drawing-room door, whence she informed her sisters that her mother had gone into the hall to meet her husband, and both had shut themselves up in the library.

The excitement now became very great. "Oh! dear, if only I were old enough!" Norah cried, "and he asked me, I would have him; I rather prefer elderly gentlemenyoung men are so conceited-and I would have

you all to stay with me, and introduce you to rich husbands, and we'd have such good luncheons while he was in the city; and often drive to Richmond, and buy Maids of Honour." "No one would have you," Bella exclaimed! "You are too fussy and ridiculous, and you know nothing about young men; so don't pretend to despise them."

"Oh!" cried Margaret, you are touched,

Miss Bell. I'm sure that Mr. Frederick Lington is conceited enough,-he's a butterfly."