cene, remained with his eyes fixed,
in intent and anxious, although almost unconscious gaze, upon Clara
Mowbray; and when the voice of his companion startled him out of his
reverie, he exclaimed, "Most lovely--most unhappy--yes--I must and will
see her!"

"See her?" replied Touchwood, too much accustomed to his friend's
singularities to look for much reason or connexion in any thing he said
or did; "Why, you shall see her and talk to her too, if that will give
you pleasure.--They say now," he continued, lowering his voice to a
whisper, "that this Mowbray is ruined. I see nothing like it, since he
can dress out his sister like a Begum. Did you ever see such a splendid
shawl?"

"Dearly purchased splendour," said Mr. Cargill, with a deep sigh; "I
wish that the price be yet fully paid!"

"Very likely not," said the traveller; "very likely it's gone to the
book; and for the price, I have known a thousand rupees given for such a
shawl in the country.--But hush, hush, we are to have another tune from
Nathaniel--faith, and they are withdrawing the screen--Well, they have
some mercy--they do not let us wait long between the acts of their
follies at least--I love a quick and rattling fire in these
vanities--Folly walking a funeral pace, and clinking her bells to the
time of a passing knell, makes sad work indeed."

A strain of music, beginning slowly, and terminating in a light and wild
allegro, introduced on the stage those delightful creatures of the
richest imagination that ever teemed with wonders, the Oberon and
Titania of Shakspeare. The pigmy majesty of the captain of the fairy
band had no unapt representative in Miss Digges, whose modesty was not
so great an intruder as to prevent her desire to present him in all his
dignity, and she moved, conscious of the graceful turn of a pretty
ankle, which, encircled with a string of pearls, and clothed in
flesh-coloured silk, of the most cobweb texture, rose above the crimson
sandal. Her jewelled tiara, too, gave dignity to the frown with which
the offended King of Shadows greeted his consort, as each entered upon
the scene at the head of their several attendants.

The restlessness of the children had been duly considered; and,
therefore, their part of the exhibition had been contrived to represent
dumb show, rather than a stationary picture. The little Queen of Elves
was not inferior in action to her moody lord, and repaid, with a look of
female impatience and scorn, the hau