re in a few minutes to take me into the country."

"Dear me!" exclaimed Mrs. Smith, looking disappointed and somewhat
displeased; "I thought I should have your assistance in putting away
things--I had no idea of your leaving us to-day."

"You may remember my telling you, Cousin Pelby," said Miss Incledon,
addressing Mr. Smith, "that I would be but a few days with you. I took
advantage of traveling in this direction to renew our old family
intercourse; but the principal object of my journey was to visit a
very particular friend, Mrs. Morgan Silsbee."

"Mrs. Morgan Silsbee!" said Mrs. Smith--"are you not mistaken, Cousin
Sabina? I presume you mean Mrs. Edward Silsbee. Mrs. Morgan Silsbee
lives ten or twelve miles out; their place is said to be magnificent,
and I know that she and her husband drives a coach-and-four on state
occasions. Mrs. Goldsborough made a splendid dinner for them a short
time ago. Mrs. Edward Silsbee I have met often; I didn't know that you
were acquainted with her."

"I am _not_ acquainted with Mrs. Edward Silsbee," said Miss Incledon,
with dignity; "I mean her sister-in-law, Mrs. Morgan Silsbee. She is
an old friend of mine, and I have been under engagement to her since I
met her last summer, at the Springs, to make this visit. I had a note
from her last night, written from one of the hotels, saying that she
would stop for me this morning at nine or ten o'clock--your party
preventing her from calling in person."

Had a halo suddenly appeared around the head of Cousin Sabina, Mrs.
Smith could hardly have changed her countenance and manner more
markedly. "If I had only known it," she exclaimed, "how gratified I
should have been to have had an invitation, with my card, sent to her,
and to have had her at my party. But, surely, Cousin Sabina, you will
soon return to us?"

"I shall certainly pass through town on my way homeward, but will stop
at a boarding-house," said Miss Incledon.

The conscious Mrs. Smith reddened violently, but was relieved by the
interruption of a handsome carriage, though not the coach-and-four,
stopping before her house. Miss Incledon stepped to the parlor-door,
to answer the footman, who inquired for her.

"Mrs. Morgan Silsbee's compliments, ma'am," said the man, "and the
carriage is at your service whenever you are ready. We are to take her
up at Mrs. Goldsborough's, where she got out to wait for you."

It took but a moment for Cousin Sabina to reappear bonneted and