"Most assuredly not since the period you allude to," replied the other, laughing.

"So I thought," said the alderman, whose spirits had attained considerable elasticity from his trip; "but now that we have met once again, what say you to our dining together, eh ?"

"Nothing in the world can give me greater pleasure," replied the colonel, to whom the invitation was more particularly addressed.

Nothing will afford me such happiness," joined in the ori

ental.

"And I am sure your ludship will be charmed," continued Mr. Vernon; " old friends, you know-egad, we'll have a jovial party, what say you, Sir George?"

Sir George accordingly expressed-since it was as useless as impossible to say otherwise-his great satisfaction at the arrangement; but in his inward thoughts most devoutly wished Mr. Cooley in the middle of some impenetrable jungle, and the gallant colonel any where he chose, provided it was not within a hundred miles of the spot where they then stood.

But the thing was now unavoidable; nothing could avert the infliction of their presence; and cursing the untoward chance that brought such unwelcome visitors, he endeavoured to lay his plans so as to avert any indiscreet exposure on the part of the merchant, which might at once lay open and effectually mar his purposed arrangements.

Influenced by the indecision which marked his character, and far from sorry for an interruption which promised to supersede any conclusive arrangement which he anticipated would that evening be expected, Lord Dropmore felt rather relieved than otherwise, at what to him appeared so timely a reprieve; for although he had invited Mr. Vernon to accompany him to Greenwich, with something approaching to an understanding that the long-pending negotiation should be then and there arranged, he felt, as the period drew nigh, most particularly anxious to avoid the discussion, though at the same time fully aware that nothing less than a miracle could extricate him from his numerous difficulties, save the alternative, which he half wished, and yet dreaded to embrace.

As for the alderman, secrecy in the matter was by no means the object most desirable to him,—his ambition was, to behold his daughter married to the heir apparent to a peerage, and little could that vanity be gratified, if publicity were not given to the event. In short, so anxious had he been for concluding the match, that it was with the greatest difficulty Sir George was able to prevent the old merchant from bruiting about the

intelligence, and that solely from a belief of no trivial importance, viz. that if prematurely made known, Lord Blanchard would detach every acre within his power from his son,-that convinced him of the necessity of silence, at least for a time. But months had now rolled on, since first the parties met in Gracechurch Street; and as neither father nor daughter had advanced their acquaintance one iota further with the family in Grosvenor Square, Mr. Vernon began to pourtray unequivocal demonstrations of rebellion, and with considerable labour and management, the mediator contrived to appoint the day in question for a final adjustment of the preliminaries.

What then could it signify to Mr. Vernon how public the avowal was made?-The time was fast approaching, when he might proclaim his daughter the affianced bride of Lord Dropmore; besides, Colonel Handstop and Mr. Cooley were old friends, both of his lordship and Sir George.-In fact, to this worthy merchant's conception, every thing progressed in accordance with his utmost wish, while on the other hand, each occurrence, as it turned out, inflicted poignant uneasiness on him who was the chief director of the plot, and prime mover o the whole affair.

Having thus in some measure explained the motives which influenced the actions of the masculine part of this ill-assorted cotérie, we must turn for a moment towards the tacit, yet original, cause of so much plotting, who, leaning on Lord Dropmore's arm, little imagined the various schemes running through the heads of the party; and still less did she dream that she, the mild and gentle Mary, was unwittingly the innocent occasion of the whole.

From the time when we first introduced Mary Vernon to our readers' notice, the elaborate dissertations in favour of Lord Blanchard's family, became not only palatable to the listener, but at length deeply interesting: and as the visits of their titled guest grew more frequent, the fair attraction readily hailed the approach of her new acquaintance with delight, and invariably testified her pleasure at his presence with an unfeigned look of happiness, which her ingenuousness could never have assumed, had it not in reality existed.

Flattered by these demonstrations of partiality in his favour, Lord Dropmore really felt interested in the person whose innocent manner, and ignorance of artificial society, unconsciously and at every interview betrayed her sentiments towards him. Neither was it to be marvelled at, that a girl educated as Mary had been, yet so completely secluded from the world, should naturally fix her attention, and finally her affections, on the

first and only person whose feelings and ideas appeared to flow in the same channel with her own.

Occasionally a spark of curiosity might tempt her to ponder on the singularity of the circumstance of so great an intimacy existing between her father and her friend; and yet fully conscious was she that the numerous members of Lord Dropmore's family were to her parent and herself utter strangers. But these doubts and cogitations were, for the most part, shortlived and evanescent, because fully confident in her father's shrewdness, and her own incapacity of solving matters connected with the etiquette of fashionable life, poor Mary, happy in the enjoyment of the present hour, consoled herself with the reflection, that her natural protector was the best judge as to whom he should admit or exclude; and consequently she went on her way rejoicing, willingly and with all her soul rendering up her best and purest affections to one who possessed neither the power nor the inclination to appreciate the inestimable treasure thus cast, as it were, before him for acceptance.

What his lordship's "intentions" were, as the ladies in Ireland facetiously designate any act of common courtesy, or what his final purpose might have been, Mary neither knew nor inquired. It was enough for her that the only being she had ever met, on whom she could look with an affection different from that which she entertained towards her parent, was continually at her side. Distant anticipations, future probabilities, were to her alike hidden and unsought. All she ever loved and cared for in the world were near, and little heeded Mary Vernon what fate yet held for her in store.

Always happy when Lord Dropmore was present, and joyous from the anticipation of his coming, when absent, the days of that young creature flew rapidly away; and never did a lighter heart, or less clouded brow, cross the pavement of the ancient Hospital than on the day when the rich citizen and his daughter so unexpectedly encountered Colonel Handstop and the oriental on the river.

The honourable Mark was naturally of a cheerful and agreeable temper, and on this occasion seemed determined to exert himself to the uttermost; indeed, had he not enjoyed a most unwonted portion of placidity and constitutional coolness, it would be hard to say how he could have existed so long a period in so irritating and destructive a climate as that in which the greater part of his life had been occupied.

Equally bent on "doing the agreeable," Colonel Handstop resolved to play his part, yet not without a strong hope that, during the course of the evening, something might be extracted

from one party or another, whereby to elucidate the exact nature of the association existing; and, as the sequel proved, the colonel was not far wrong in his calculation.

"Now for dinner," vociferated Mr. Vernon, as the party approached the "Ship," rubbing his hands in anticipation of the gratification about to be vouchsafed to him. "Ready for the feast, my lud?" he inquired, looking towards Lord Dropmore, "business first and pleasure afterwards,—that's my motto. Can't have harder work than eating, though we have got a little something to arrange afterwards,-eh, my lord, you understand, eh?" and, by way of making his meaning beyond all doubt intelligible, he applied the forefinger of his right hand to the side of his olfactory nerve, as though by reference to that member his ambiguous hints would be more plainly understood. "Business after dinner, Mr. Vernon!" cried Colonel Handstop, delighted at the opening thus afforded of further investigation. I thought you most piously eschewed all labours of the mind, after so important an exercise of the animal powers; and, if I recollect rightly, you one night asserted at Sir George's that it was much against your inclination, and totally at variance with your habits, to trouble yourself with dry, tedious details, of a complicated nature at such an hour. No, no; don't let us have any business, to-day, but devote all our time and energies to the enjoyment of whatever amusement may offer."

Aye-but there are more kinds of business than disagreeable ones," replied Mr. Vernon; "for instance, his lordship, myself, and another person, who at present shall be nameless, may have some small arrangements to conclude, which may turn out far less troublesome than business generally proves. In short, gentlemen-" but before the loquacious alderman could let out the secret, which he certainly would have done, if permitted, ere the waiters brought in the soup, the baronet saved him the trouble by taking the explanation on himself.

"In short," said Sir George, "Mr. Vernon is pleased to be particularly facetious, to-day, and evidently alludes to the plebeian occupation of settling the account; but dinner will be on the table directly, so let's away, and make what toilette our circumstances will permit;" and seizing the alderman by the bright yellow buttons of his capacious vest, he carried him in triumph to a chamber, there to attempt reasonings and explanations whereby to induce the old gentleman to forego the announcement of the intended marriage, although a measure which he had so long cherished in his heart.

This, however, proved far more difficult than the plotter contemplated; for the elated merchant was so strongly bent on finally fixing the engagement that evening, that it was no

easy task to persuade him to relinquish his intentions. Indeed, to do the baronet justice, he was equally anxious for the marriage as was the father of the lady concerned; but he was fully aware, which the citizen was not, that, in the event of the business becoming bruited before all the arrangements were completed, it was just as probable as otherwise that some unforeseen occurrence might intervene, at the instigation of the marquis, which would finally and most effectually disconcert their schemes. Not that Sir George cared one farthing for the result of the marriage, as connected with his friend's disseverance from his family; but he cared very much that the ceremony in question should be performed, since it was privately agreed that on the occasion coming to pass a certain sum was to be transferred from the merchant's account in Lombard-street to that of the baronet in Pall-mall.

No one could better fathom the intentions of the two intruders than the baronet; and, in proportion to the anxiety which they evinced to ascertain exactly how the case stood, so was he equally bent upon frustrating their designs, and baulking their fast rising curiosity, for to him it was a matter of great import that not a chance should be given of having the thing noised abroad until the victim was irretrievably entangled in the net.

Nothing could have induced the alderman to listen to Sir George's mode of reasoning, had he not momentarily repeated the heavy pecuniary loss which must be suffered, provided the marquis's displeasure was called forth; and, although little flattering to the vanity of the merchant, the baronet found himself compelled to confess that, however much the match might be wished for by the son, yet, until measures had judiciously been taken for breaking it to the father, it were as well not too publicly to promulgate the matter.

"Well, well," said Mr. Vernon, somewhat testily, after an impatient hearing of his mentor, "what you say is all very well, I dare say; but, truth to tell, I understand but little of it. Look-ye, Sir George, you and I ought to understand each other, by this time, so let's not have any useless entanglements whatever; and now mark you, Sir George, I'm getting most considerably tired of the way in which you carry on business, and I think it full time, and only fair, that my turn should come now. Here have I been kept off and on by excuses, and so many things have been hourly started to upset my plans, that were I anything of a predestinarian, I should pitch the whole thing overboard."

"But, my dear sir," interrupted the baronet, "do you not see how necessary further secrecy must be for the completion of our plans? All progresses well, as yet; Miss Vernon is evi