shrubs or by the quality of his rider, curvetted and caracoled in so frisky and aspiring a style as to cause May to speculate as to how his freak would end. Quick-witted, sharp-sighted as she was, she had not been long in discovering that William Bryant was no horseman, and after watching Firefly's growing disaffection for him, was not unprepared to see him bob down his head, and by a saltatory movement throw his rider head over heels. There was a large concourse of people assembled on Burley Tops, the place of muster, so that this exhibition attracted no little merriment, and the young man, somewhat crestfallen, scrambled to re-seat himself, and, execrating the unmannerly beast, hastened to regain his place by May's side, running against her in doing so. 'Daylight does not approve of being tilted at,' said May, patting her mare, and giving Bryant a wide berth. 'She's not a native of Don Quixote's country.' She felt that they were being watched by the people on the hill, and a pair of soft laughing eyes met hers, with a merry expression which reminded her that William Bryant's scared, JohnGilpin-like figure did not distinguish her party in the way she would prefer; and when he said that he supposed she would stay on the hill with the ladies, she was not at pains to enlighten him as to her intentions, but, without remark, allowed him to ride away; then turning to her groom, said that she would follow as long as she could keep the huntsman in sight, or at least until she heard the view holloa.' The trio that had left Scotswood in the morning did not meet until evening, when Mr. Bryant, who received an invitation to dinner, was profuse in his apologies for having 'lost sight of Miss Shelley.' There was a Joseph Surface manner about him AN UNGENEROUS PROMPTING SUPPRESSED. 53 that had no chance of winning way with May, and she was quite ready to leave the dining-room in the occupation of him and Sir Lionel, and join her aunt; but before doing so she caught up a little hooded cloak that hung in the hall, and scampered across the lawn to the stables, to have a look at Daylight, and see that she was well cared for. At the sound of her voice, the pretty creature came from the far end of her stall, and put her nose through the bars, and as May stood fondling her, she overheard one of the stable-boys remark to a comrade, 'She won't be fit for anything this week to come. She's almost jaded to death. That ere feller didn't ought ever to have got on her. He must be an uncommon numbskull to pull at a beast's mouth in that way.' May concluded that Firefly was the subject of remark, and for a moment the thought entered her head, 'He took his way of disgracing my horsemanship; now is a chance for retaliation;' but remembering that Sir Lionel was always more than usually careful in giving directions as to the care of Firefly, and that he would be vexed to hear he had been ill treated, she decided on not adopting such a measure, denouncing the prompting as ungenerous; and met her aunt in the drawingroom, happier for having resisted an inclination that had not the assent of her conscience. 'I do not think we are quite kind in leaving Miss de la Touche so much to herself so soon after she has come among us,' remarked Miss Bosanquet, as May entered the room. 'I was sorry you went out to-day. Suppose you go and ask her it she will give us her company this evening?' - 'This was rather an exceptional case - there is not a meet every day,' returned May, by way of mitigating her aunt's distress; and she danced out of the room to deliver her message, soon returning with the governess, who at once volunteered an exhibition of her musical talent. The offer was willingly accepted, and she sat down to the instrument, one of Erard's magnificent grands, Sir Lionel's last birthday gift to May. A few chords brought the gentlemen to the drawing-room. Gratified by an increased audience, Miss de la Touche commenced a long rattling, booming introduction, in a style unknown at Scotswood, and then turned round, as if to see that every one was on the qui vive for what was to follow. 'That was the rumblante style,' whispered Sir Lionel, taking May on his knee. I think she might ask one maravedi to begin, and ten to leave off, Eh? Now comes a fusillade, with the cries of the wounded and the groans of the dying. She plays as old Queen Bess danced, "high and disposedly," eh?" he asked mischievously; when Miss Bosanquet, fearing an unseemly outburst not accordant with the rules of good breeding, made a diversion by beckoning to May to pick up a couvre pied that had fallen from her sofa. May prepared to obey immediately, but as she was slipping from Sir Lionel's hold, the governess began to sing, whereupon he added, putting his mouth close to her ear, Now for the squalante and quaverante style.' This last speech had the effect Miss Bosanquet was dreading, and Miss de la Touche, finding that her music had failed to secure the breathless attention to which she considered it entitled, turned round, expecting, as a matter of course, to be overwhelmed with expressions of thanks and astonishment, but, instead, to find Sir Lionel and May looking mischievous, Miss Bosanquet anxious and distrait, and Mrs. Shelley holding her ears, distressed at the unpleasant vibration of the air. The surprised party immediately began to put themselves into more complimentary attitudes, and Sir Lionel remarked, by way of an SWORN FRIENDS. 55 amende, that Mrs. Shelley found the noise too much for her nerves. 'Having lived so much out of the world, you are unacquainted with the modern operas, probably,' returned the offended lady, patronizingly addressing Miss Bosanquet. 'Grisi and Anna Thillon do not consider your favourites worth exercising their talents upon.' Miss Bosanquet did not think it worth while to contradict her, and she turned to William Bryant, who had won her favour by the alacrity with which he had hastened to pick up a piece of music she had let fall, and entered warmly with him into the merits of modern composers. The two together talked the slang of the musical world with so much volubility, that Mrs. Shelley, who could not hear what was being said, when several people were speaking at the same time, exclaimed in a loud aside to Miss Bosanquet, and in a voice of considerable irritation, 'Bless the woman, how she talks!' Vexed and distressed at the turn things had taken, Miss Bosanquet rose to leave the room, bidding May amuse her governess by showing her anything she thought she would like to see Sir Lionel produced a valuable collection of engravings and autographs, and William Bryant took upon himself the exhibition of them, in so officious a way, that May, feeling her assistance unnecessary, soon followed Sir Lionel and Mrs. Shelley out of the room. From this evening Bryant and Miss de la Touche seemed to have entered into an alliance, for on his next coming to Scotswood he paid a visit to May's study, as if such visit were a matter of course. M CHAPTER V. "Nae treasures nor pleasures That makes us right or wrang.' ONTHS passed, and May and her governess were no better friends. For some little time Miss de la Touche adopted the style towards her, a specimen of which was given in the prelude to May's induction into school-room duties-denouncing and disparaging her at every turn, while she descanted on the merits of her late pupils; but afterwards, discovering that it would be an unremunerative policy to conciliate Mrs. Shelley at the expense of offending Sir Lionel, she had adopted an opposite mode of treatment; and her commendations of May's quickness and cleverness now more than counterbalanced the unfavourable verdict she had at first given as to her attainments. William Bryant now not unfrequently visited the study, where his presence was irritating to May, not only from a natural antagonism she felt towards the young man himself, but because on those occasions her governess's manner was more than usually disagreeable and capricious. She would dispute with her on the most frivolous points, and carry on a conversation with her |