hat he would then consent to her accompanying him back, if
necessary, to India. The course of true love in this instance appeared
to run smoothly enough. Harry was most devoted in his attentions, and
admired Clara more and more every day he spent with her--while she was
satisfied that it would be impossible for her to love any one more; and
had not she felt that it was her duty to remain with her father, she
would willingly have married at once, and gone out to India. She saw
clearly, however, that her Aunt Sarah was not suited to take her place
or attend to her father, as she had observed of late that his health was
failing, so that even for Harry's sake she could not bring herself to
quit him. She had therefore consented to Harry's leaving her, though
not without a severe struggle. It was the first shadow which had come
over her young and hitherto happy life since the loss of her beloved
mother. She was convinced that Harry was in every way worthy of her
affections. He was a fine, handsome fellow, with frank agreeable
manners, and a large amount of good sense and judgment. He had managed
even to win the good opinion of Miss Sarah Pemberton, who was not in
general inclined to think well of young men especially of officers in
the army, whom she designated generally as an impudent, profligate set,
with fluent tongues and insinuating manners, whose chief occupation in
life was to break the hearts of young girls foolish enough to trust
them.

Among the rest of the company on board the yacht was Mary Lennard, a
girl of about fourteen years old, a sweet young creature, and a great
favourite of Clara's. She was the daughter of the Reverend John
Lennard, who had been for some years vicar of the parish of
Luton-cum-Crosham, but only as _locum tenens_, he having been requested
to take charge of it by the patron, Sir Richard Bygrave, who had
promised to bestow it on his young relative, Dick Rushworth, as soon as
Dick was of an age to take orders. The said Dick Rushworth, however,
having lately unexpectedly come into a fortune, had quitted the
university, and declined becoming a clergyman; and Sir Reginald,
influenced by his wife, had bestowed the living on her cousin, the
Reverend Ambrose Lerew, who had graduated at Oxford, and had been for
some time a curate in that diocese. He had lately married a lady
somewhat older than himself, possessed of a fair fortune, who had been
considered a belle during two or three London