thought she should never be happy again till she saw Linda once more; but the very extreme of youthful sorrow exhausts itself, and that evening she was to appear at a dance given by Miss Clayton-the last dance before leaving London-and it would never do to appear with a red, swollen nose. The three Miss Shruggs, in their bridal dresses, were the belles of Miss Clayton's ball; and Bell, whirling round the room on Mr. Frederick Lington's arm, felt she could be happy even in Linda's absence.

To be sure it was very sad to come home and see Linda's empty bed; but it was very pleasant to fall asleep and dream she stood again in church-this time not as a bridesmaid, but as a bride. How nice it would be if she too settled in London! Emily Clayton might say what she liked about Mr. Lington not being a marrying man; and Margaret might protest against him as a fearful flirt; but inexperienced Bell, just introduced into his delect

able society, believed only in the 'beating of her foolish heart, and thought all would happen as she wished when she was back to London on a visit to her sister, though that period was as yet only a vague "some day."

CHAPTER VI.

CLACK.

COUNTRY towns are sometimes picturesque, sometimes interesting from historical association, sometimes of local celebrity on account of their markets, sometimes for their salubrity. Clack was none of these, it was not picturesque, though decidedly irregular; its name was unknown to the Atlas, though it had a pre-Roman existence. It had no market worth the name; and the prevailing wind that swept down its four streets was easterly-north-easterly often, south-easterly occasionally, but never veering sufficiently for Zephyrus to have a turn.

Bradford and Venice alone rivalled the damp and mistiness of autumn in Clack, and Tartary the chill of its winter. Nevertheless, Clack was loved by its inhabitants, and life prospered there. Its one boast was its one church with

its fine old chancel and side chapels; but as no greater bones reposed therein than those of the neighbouring country families—Shruggs, Dales, and Exelbys-few beside grubbing antiquaries came to inspect it; and it was not yet immortalized by photography.

The railroad came no nearer than Nunbriar, five miles off; and Clack affected to be grateful to be spared its closer approach, and the consequent irruption of railway hotels and omnibuses. But Clack was really jealous of Nunbriar's increased trade and population now, as it used to be of its more important market. And the two towns decried each other, and kept all their interest apart, and saw as little of each other as was possible.

Shrugg Park lay between these two towns, but all the Shrugg interest was in Clack; and Mr. Francis Shrugg had in his boyhood looked upon Clack with the same regard as did its inhabitants. Jeremiah Clacker's still-room and parlour were associated in

his memory with delightfully dangerous chemical experiments, and delicious feasts of plum cake and cowslip wine. To him, going back to Clack was going back to the scene of his happy boyhood; and he grew quite merry as, having left the train, they drove towards the damp old town.

The country road was dark and rough, and the omnibus they had hired to convey them all together, rattled and bumped in a manner that completely vanquished Mrs. Shrugg's little remaining strength. To her, the long journey was bringing her to exile in barbarous regions; for brought up in the lovely, blooming county of Kent, and having spent all her maturer life in London, this bleak, unpolished Yorkshire appeared to her much in the same light as did Kamschatka. She was taking all she loved best with her, and yet she felt desolate ; for women, like cats, cling tenaciously to locality. These last few miles seemed to her more trying than all the long day's journey