learly,
that if he had followed up his natural impulse to ascertain the place
of her retreat, he would have placed himself in the very position which,
knowing her father as she did, she had so correctly anticipated. In
the meantime, now that the difficulty in this respect, which she
had apprehended, was over, his anxiety to know her present residence
returned upon him with full force. Not that he thought it consistent
with delicacy to intrude himself upon her presence, without first
obtaining her permission to that effect. He was well and painfully aware
that a lying report of their elopement had gone abroad, but as he did
not then know that this calumny had been principally circulated by
unfortunate Crackenfudge, who, however, was the dupe of Dandy Dulcimer,
and consequently took the fact for granted.

Lucy, however, to whom we must now return, on arriving at the neat
cottage already alluded to, occasioned no small surprise to its
proprietor. The family, when the driver knocked, were all asleep, or
at least had not arisen, and on the door being opened by a broad-faced,
good-humored looking servant, who was desired to go to a lady in the
chaise, the woman, after rubbing her eyes and yawning, looked about her
as if she were in a dream, exclaiming, "Lord bless us! and divil a sowl
o' them out o' the blankets yet!"

"You're nearly asleep," said the driver; "but I'll hould a testher that
a tight crapper Would soon brighten your eye. Come, come," he added, as
she yawned again, "shut your pittaty trap, and go to the young lady in
the chaise."

The woman settled her cap, which was awry, upon her head, by plucking it
quickly over to the opposite side, and hastily tying the strings of her
apron, so as to give herself something of a tidy look, she proceeded,
barefooted, but in slippers, to the chaise.

"Will you have the kindness," said Lucy, in a very sweet voice, "to say
to Mrs. Norton that a young friend of hers wishes to see her."

"And tell her to skip," added Alley Mahon, "and not keep us here all the
blessed mornin'."

"Mrs. Norton!" exclaimed the woman; "I don't know any sich parson as
that, Miss."

"Why," said Lucy, putting her head out of the chaise, and re-examining
the cottage, "surely this is where my friend Mrs. Norton did live,
certainly. She must have changed her residence, Alley. This is most
unfortunate!--What are we to do? I know not where to go."

"Whisht! Miss," said Alley, "we'll put her through he