Year: 1868




aforesaid pressure of hands. He
thought, too, of her and of it more
than once over late, long, dawdling
breakfast. \ long and REMARKABLY OBJ
jectless reverie was broken by the ar
rival of some friend, who had been
staying with connections in the neigh
borhood of marlborough, and who
was now waiting a few hours for
train to town.


"Bye-the- by e." said Beauchamp,
Henley's friend 1--WE had such capi-
tai Of it at the Oaks, AID have met
there the very incest people, without
exception, with whom it has been my
luck to be thrown in contact. There
was a girl staying there who-but
talk Of angels There she is pos
ltlyely coming


Henley looked, and saw no less
person than Miss Devonport.


Miss Devonport it was, and as she
passed the pair on the pavement, on
the side nearest to Henley, they both
Of them took off their hats. Miss
Davenport, with smile a grac .ous
face, returned the bow; not, ho" ever,
so far as Henley was concerned, but
merely the salutation of his friend.
Miss Devonport, in fact, so obviously
looked past him, that he began ser
iously to think her feelings during the
night must have undergone some trans
formation.


I see YOU know Miss Devonport,
said Beauchamp, after the lady in
question had passed.


III met her last night"


She is an exceeding nice girl" :"
continued his friend, ''and | must say
| think Hughes-you know Hughes !;
he was with us at Oxford, and has
since come into that immense mine
property--a far luckier fellow than
he deserves to be; but perhaps you
were not told by whoever introduced
you that she was engaged" ."


o." No" Henley said, with a blank
stare Of astonishment, he had not
been told But was Beauchamp quite
sure


"Oh, yes my dear fellow, know all
about it. | only saw Hughes last
week He was one OF the party at
the Oaks, and he asked me to come
to the wedding.'


OF course this information could
really be nothing to Henley The
only remarkable thing was that, as
he heard it, his face grew several de-
grees paler than its usual color, and
his hand trembled perceptibly on his
friend arm.


When Beauchamp left him his
thoughts turned to Miss Devonport,
and the events of the previous even
ing. There had been nothing very
remarkable about them but he could
not help expressing to himself an
opinion that Miss Devonports man
ncr had scarcely suggested to him the
idea Of a lady engaged to be married.
With these thoughts in his mind, he
determined to 90 and have a last look
at his horses in their stalls to see that
all requisite care was being taken of
them to enable them to win, both for
themselves and their owner, honor and
glory in the morrows run. As he
was going out of the hotel door, there
confronted him face to face once
again Miss Devonport, and her man
ner was the manner of the evening
before, and not Of the morning
There was, Henley fancied, kind Of
blush upon her face as she met her
partner Of last night, and he was
quite sure there was upon 1T very
sweet smile, and as he looked at her
he felt more disposed to envy than to
congratulate the lucky Hughes. 1t
was plain enough now when Miss Dev-
onport met him in the morning she
must have failed to recognize him
Henley felt half disposed to speak
then and there to Hughes hnace, and
to make some inquiries after the fort
innate lover. But his acquaintance,
he thought, would not Justify the lib
erty. and he had come TO a kind Of
decision with himself
that for the future it would be wiser
for him not to seek to renew his ac-
quaintance with Miss DevonpOrt.


The meet happened to be close to
Rattleborough, and on such occasions
there were always numbers of persons
who came to see the throw off. As
Henley rode up he reflected with
PRIDE on his appearance. He knew
he was well mounted-as well mount
ed as a man need wish to be-and
there are probably few pleasures more
exquisite than that which is expe-
fenced by a sportsman who is consci-
Gus that he bestrides quadruped
equal to any emergencies of the hunt
ing field 1t was, therefore. with no
small satisfaction that he witnessed
the eyes of the spectators turned to-
ward him as he made his appearance
and the satisfaction was increased
when he thought that in the distance
he could descry the figure of Miss De
vonport, mounted on the neatest of
ladv's hacks. As he approached
nearer, Miss Devonport. for she it
was, turned her horse round. and as
he came quite close and recognized
her. he ventured to salute her with
bow and good morning. But Miss
Devonport remained, as he fancied,
quite passive, or only inclined her
head a very little forward in manner
emblematic of frigidity. What could
he have done TO offend herr He al
~, 80 II y, 81 flr o N az-ri ar..--r,