he did not pass, that is to say not all at
once--but he stopped, and asked me to take a flower, which he had
pulled for me, which I did, and then he offered to show me through
the hot houses, but I did not go. My dear mamma, do you think I
should have gone? And then he left me; but yesterday a little boy
gave me the following letter. And all that the letter contains is
this--

"If you love me as I love thee,
What a loving couple we shall be!"

Love him!--oh, no--no--no--I will never, never walk that way
again--I will never, never speak to him more. I love you, my own
dear papa, and mamma, and my sisters, and Lady D----, and the two
little dear doggies; but I never could love Donald M'Naughton; not
but that he is good-looking, too, and young, and respected in the
family; but he never can be a father or mother to me you know, as
you have been. Oh! do write me soon, soon--and tell me all about
the garden, and the ash-tree, and the arbour, and the flowers, and
old Neptune, your favourite, and everything. I remain, most
affectionately, yours,
PHEBE FORTUNE.

"P.S.--But Fortune is not my name. Oh, that I had a name worth
writing!--such a name as Lindsay, Crawford, Hamilton, Douglas. Oh!
how beautifully Phebe Douglas would look on paper, and sound in
one's ear!"

Such was the state of Phebe's mind and feelings at that interesting
period of life when the female is in the transition from the mere girl
to the real woman; and it was about this very period, when all the
feelings are peculiarly alive to each fine impulse, that it fell to
Phebe's lot to be severely tried. Day after day, and week after week,
Lady D---- missed some valuable article of dress, some Flanders lace,
some costly trinket, a ring it might be, or a bracelet. At last Lady
D---- thought it proper to inform her lord of the fact, who, upon
obtaining a search warrant unknown to any one save his lady, had the
trunks of the whole household establishment strictly searched. Poor
Phebe's little chest, "wi' her a' int," discovered, to the amazement of
all, the whole lot of the missing articles. Lady D----looked as if she
had been suddenly struck with lightning; whilst poor Phebe regarded the
whole as a jest, a method adopted by her lady, or his lordship, to try
her character and firmness. She absolute