uddenly upon their loves, and found and left him in possession.

"And you'll be glad to hear, Tatham writes me, that he has sold three of
my fields at Fairoaks to the Railroad Company, at a great figure. I
will tell you this, and more when we meet; and am always your
affectionate,--A. P."

"I think I am aware of what you were about to tell me," the Major said,
with a most courtly smile and bow to Pen's ambassadress. "It was a very
great kindness of your Ladyship to think of bringing me the news. How
well you look! How very good you are! How very kind you have always been
to that young man!"

"It was for the sake of his uncle," said Lady Rockminster, most
politely.

"He has informed me of the state of affairs, and written me a nice
note,--yes, a nice note," continued the old gentleman; "and I find he
has had an increase to his fortune,--yes; and, all things considered, I
don't much regret that this affair with Miss Amory is manquee, though
I wished for it once, in fact, all things considered, I am very glad of
it."

"We must console him, Major Pendennis," continued the lady; "we must get
him a wife." The truth then came across the Major's mind, and he saw
for what purpose Lady Rockminster had chosen to assume the office of
ambassadress.

It is not necessary to enter into the conversation which ensued, or to
tell at any length how her Ladyship concluded a negotiation which, in
truth, was tolerably easy. There could be no reason why Pen should
not marry according to his own and his mother's wish; and as for Lady
Rockminster, she supported the marriage by intimations which had very
great weight with the Major, but of which we shall say nothing, as her
ladyship (now, of course, much advanced in years) is still alive, and
the family might be angry; and, in fine, the old gentleman was quite
overcome by the determined graciousness of the lady, and her fondness
for Laura. Nothing, indeed, could be more bland and kind than Lady
Rockminster's whole demeanour, except for one moment when the Major
talked about his boy throwing himself away, at which her ladyship broke
out into a little speech, in which she made the Major understand, what
poor Pen and his friends acknowledge very humbly, that Laura was a
thousand times too good for him. Laura was fit to be the wife of a
king,--Laura was a paragon of virtue and excellence. And it must be
said, that when Major Pendennis found that a lady of the rank of the
Countess of Rockminst