ir cases
and her own, asked in the most feeling terms for their father, whose
ill-health she deplored, and then took such an interest in "dear Frank,"
that Kate could not resist showing a portrait of him, which, however
humble its claims to art, still conveyed a not unfaithful resemblance of
the handsome youth.

While thus hearing about them, she was equally communicative about
herself, and enlisted all the sympathies of the girls as she recounted
their escape from the torrent in the Black Forest, and their subsequent
refuge in Baden.

Thence she diverged to Sir Stafford's illness, her own life of seclusion
and sadness, and, by an easy transition, came round to poor Hans
Roeckle and the accident of that morning.

"Do tell me everything about the poor dear thing," said she, poutingly.
"They say it is mad."

"No, madam," said Nelly, gravely; "Hans, with many eccentricities of
manner, is very far from deficient in good sense or judgment, and is
more than ordinarily endowed with right feeling and kindness of heart."

"He is a dwarf, surely?"

"Yes, but in intelligence--"

"Oh, that, of course," interrupted she; "they are rarely deficient in
acuteness, but so spiteful, so full of malice. My dear child, there 's
no trusting them. They never forget an injury, nor even an imaginary
slight. There was that creature what was his name? that Polish thing,
Benywowski, I think you remember, they baked him in a pie, to amuse
Charles II. well, he never forgave it after wards, and to the day of his
death could never bear the sight of pastry."

"I must except poor Hans from this category," said Nelly, mildly, and
with difficulty restraining a smile. "He is amiability itself."

Lady Hester shook her head doubtfully, and went on.

"Their very caprices, my dear, lead them into all kinds of
extravagances. For instance, this poor thing, it would seem, is so
enamored of these wooden toys that he makes himself, that he cannot bear
to part with them. Now, there 's no saying to what excesses he might
be carried by this absurd passion. I have read of the most atrocious
murders committed under a similar fanaticism."

"I assure you, madam, there need be no fear of such in the present
instance. In the first case, Hans is too good; in the second, the
objects are too valueless."

"Very true, so they are; but he doesn't think them so, you know."

"Nay, my Lady; nor would you either, were you to regard them with
attention," broke in Kate,