ter now?'

'I believe your daughter can explain it better than I can,' answered
Mr. Woodbourne, giving her the paper, and walking away to his study as
soon as he came to the bottom of the stairs.

As soon as Mrs. Hazleby found herself in the drawing-room she called
upon her eldest daughter to explain to her the meaning of what she saw
in the newspaper.

'Why, Mamma,' Harriet began, 'you know Miss Merton and Lizzie
Woodbourne care for nothing but history and all that stuff, and do not
mind what they do, as long as they can talk, talk, talk of nothing else
all day long. So they were at it the day you dined out, and they had
some question or other, whether King Arthur's Round Table were knights
or not, till at last Kate said something about the Institute, and they
were all set upon going, though Helen told them they had better not, so
out we went, we walked all together to Mrs. Turner's, and she took
them. I suppose Fido must have fallen into the river while they were
at the Institute.'

'Poor dear little fellow, I dare say that was the way he was lost,'
said Mrs. Hazleby; 'when once young people take that kind of nonsense
into their head, there is an end of anything else. Well, and how was
it we never heard of it all this time?'

'I think no one would wish to tell of it,' said Harriet; 'you would not
have heard of it now, if it had not been in the paper.'

'Well, I hope Miss Lizzie will have enough of it,' said Mrs. Hazleby;
'it will open her papa's eyes to all her conceit, if anything will.'

'I am sure it is time,' said Harriet; 'she thinks herself wiser than
all the world, one cannot speak a word for her.'

'O Harriet!' said Lucy, looking up from her work with some indignation
in her eyes.

'I believe you think it all very grand, Lucy,' said her mother; 'you
care for nothing as long as you can dawdle about with Helen. Pray did
you go to this fine place?'

'No, Mamma,' said Lucy.

'H--m,' said Mrs. Hazleby, rather disappointed at losing an opportunity
of scolding her.

Anne had gone to write a letter in her mother's room, whilst Elizabeth
was busy. She had just finished it, and was thinking of going to see
whether anyone was ready to read in the school-room, when Rupert came
in, and making a low bow, addressed her thus: 'So, Miss Nancy, I
congratulate you.'

'What is the matter now?' said Anne.

'Pray, Anne,' said he, 'did you ever experience the satisfaction of
feeling how pleasant it is to see