m his thoughts should never have pondered. Now exulting in
her increased confidence, she seemed already his victim; now awed by her
majestic spirit, he despaired even of her being his bride. Now melted
by her unsophisticated innocence, he cursed even the least unhallowed of
his purposes; and now enchanted by her consummate loveliness, he forgot
all but her beauty and his own passion.

Often had he dilated to her, with the skill of an arch deceiver, on the
blessings of domestic joy; often, in her presence, had his eye sparkled,
when he watched the infantile graces of some playful children. Then he
would embrace them with a soft care and gushing fondness, enough to melt
the heart of any mother whom he was desirous to seduce, and then, with
a half-murmured sigh, he regretted, in broken accents, that he, too, was
not a father.

In due time he proceeded even further. Dark hints of domestic infelicity
broke unintentionally from his ungoverned lips. Miss Dacre stared.
He quelled the tumult of his thoughts, struggled with his outbreaking
feelings, and triumphed; yet not without a tear, which forced its way
down a face not formed for grief, and quivered upon his fair and downy
cheek. Sir Lucius Grafton was well aware of the magic of his beauty, and
used his charms to betray, as if he were a woman.

Miss Dacre, whose soul was sympathy, felt in silence for this excellent,
this injured, this unhappy, this agreeable man. Ill could even her
practised manner check the current of her mind, or conceal from Lady
Aphrodite that she possessed her dislike. As for the young Duke, he
fell into the lowest abyss of her opinions, and was looked upon as alike
frivolous, heartless, and irreclaimable.

But how are the friends with whom we dined yesterday? Frequent were the
meetings, deep the consultations, infinite the suggestions, innumerable
the expedients. In the morning they met and breakfasted with Annesley;
in the afternoon they met and lunched with Lord Squib; in the evening
they met and dined with Lord Darrell; and at night they met and supped
at the Alhambra. Each council only the more convinced them that the
scheme was feasible, and must be glorious. At last their ideas were
matured, and Annesley took steps to break a great event to the world,
who were on the eve of being astonished.

He repaired to Lady Bloomerly. The world sometimes talked of her
Ladyship and Mr. Annesley; the world were quite wrong, as they often are
on this subje