oggling eyes fixed like those of
a statue, admiring Mess Baartram!

'All this makes me sometimes a little nervous, and sometimes a little
mischievous. I was so provoked at my father and the lovers the other day
for turning me completely out of their thoughts and society, that I began
an attack upon Hazlewood, from which it was impossible for him, in common
civility, to escape. He insensibly became warm in his defence,--I assure
you, Matilda, he is a very clever as well as a very handsome young man,
and I don't think I ever remember having seen him to the same
advantage,--when, behold, in the midst of our lively conversation, a very
soft sigh from Miss Lucy reached my not ungratified ears. I was greatly
too generous to prosecute my victory any farther, even if I had not been
afraid of papa. Luckily for me, he had at that moment got into a long
description of the peculiar notions and manners of a certain tribe of
Indians who live far up the country, and was illustrating them by making
drawings on Miss Bertram's work-patterns, three of which he utterly
damaged by introducing among the intricacies of the pattern his specimens
of Oriental costume. But I believe she thought as little of her own gown
at the moment as of the Indian turbands and cummerbands. However, it was
quite as well for me that he did not see all the merit of my little
manoeuvre, for he is as sharp-sighted as a hawk, and a sworn enemy to the
slightest shade of coquetry.

'Well, Matilda, Hazlewood heard this same half-audible sigh, and
instantly repented his temporary attentions to such an unworthy object as
your Julia, and, with a very comical expression of consciousness, drew
near to Lucy's work-table. He made some trifling observation, and her
reply was one in which nothing but an ear as acute as that of a lover, or
a curious observer like myself, could have distinguished anything more
cold and dry than usual. But it conveyed reproof to the self-accusing
hero, and he stood abashed accordingly. You will admit that I was called
upon in generosity to act as mediator. So I mingled in the conversation,
in the quiet tone of an unobserving and uninterested third party, led
them into their former habits of easy chat, and, after having served
awhile as the channel of communication through which they chose to
address each other, set them down to a pensive game at chess, and very
dutifully went to tease papa, who was still busied with his drawings. The
chess-player