Year: 1868

| BllS5 OCfOApOlb, SdlQ J Juob UC-
fore he handed her in, 81 wonder shall we
meet again?"


"Why not, Mr.. Henley?"


But the aunt at that moment came up,
and I am disposed to think that gentle
pressure of hands s-unintentional of course
served as species of reply.


Oliver Henley was not given to dream
ing, and he slept the sleep of the weary
and the just. Strangely enough, however,
the first thought which suggested itself to
his mind on waking was Miss Devonport,
and the aforesaid pressure of hands. He
thought, too, of her and of it more than
once over late, long, dawdling breakfast.
A long and remarkably objectless reverie
| was broken by the arrival of some friend,
who had been staying with connections in
| the neighborhood of marlborough, and
who was now waiting few hours for a
train to town.


"By -the-by," said Beauchamp, Henley
friend, "we had such capital time of it
at the Oaks, and have met there the very
incest people, without exception, with
whom it has been my luck to be thrown
in contact. There was girl staying
there who-but talk of angels There she
| is-positively 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 near
est to Henley, they both of them took off
their hats. Miss Devonport, with smile
and gracious face, returned the bow; not,
however, 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 seriously
to think her feelings during the night
must have undergone some transforma-
ton.


81 see you know Miss Devopport," said
Beauchamp, after the lady in question had
passed.


| ell met her last night"


| "She is an exceeding nice girl," con-
tinued 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 fell
low than he deserves to be; but perhaps
you were not told by whoever introduced
you that she was engaged?"


| "No," Henley said, with blank stare
of astonishment, he had not been told.
But was Beauchamp quite sure?


ooh, 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 remark
able thing was that, as he heard it, his face
grew several degrees paler than its usual
color, and his hand trembled perceptibly
on his friends arm.


When Beauchamp left him his thoughts
turned to Miss Devonport, and the events
of the previous evening. There had been
nothing very remarkable about them but
he could not help expressing to himself an
| opinion that Miss Devonport's manner
had scarcely suggested to him the idea of
| a lady engaged to be married. With
these thoughts in his mind, he determined
to go and have 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 own
| er honor and glory in the morrow's run.
| AS he was going out of the hotel door,
| there confronted him face to face once
again Miss Devonport, and her manner
| 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,
but he was quite sure there was upon it
very sweet smile, and as he looked at her
he felt more disposed to envy than to con-
gratulate the lucky Hughes. 1t was plain
enough now when Miss Davenport met
| him in the morning she must have failed
to recognize him. Henley felt half dis
posed to speak then and there to Hughes
fiance, and to make some inquiries after
the fortunate lover. But his acquaintance,
he thought, would not justify the liberty,
and he had come to kiEd of unacknowl-
| oIn Iooioior, xrJith hirp,5o1f fhot for no
| future it would be wiser for him not to
seek to renew his acquaintance with Miss
| Devonport.


The meet happened to be close to Rat
tleborough, 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 ap-
pearance. He knew he was well mount
| ed-as we'll mounted as n N need wish
| to be-and there are are probably few
pleasures more exquisite than that which
| is experienced by sportsman who is con-
scious that he bestrides quadruped equal
to any emergencies of the hunting field.
1t was, therefore, with no small satisfac-
tion that he witnessed the eyes of the
spectators turned toward 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
Devonport, mounted on the neatest of
lady'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 a good morn
ing" But Miss Devonport remained, as
he fancied, quite passive, or only inclined
her head very little forward in manner
emblematic of frigidity. What could he
have done to offend her? He almost
wished to ask for an explanation on the
spot. He was puzzled, he was angry, he


was hurt. 1t was line of conduct that
he could not understand. Here was a
young lady whom he had met at s. ball, with


whom he had danced three or four times,


who had talked to him without the least
reserve, and who subsequently took il


into her head at one moment to meet him


as a FRIEND, and at another as almost an


entire stranger, just as the humor prompt


ed her. The whole thing was unin


telligible. While he was thinking over


all this, he was suddenly reused by the


familiar signs that the hounds had scent


of fox. He prepared to join the main


body of the hoIsemen, and as he was can


tering up to the copse in which they were
J voice he knew said, :" A pleasant run to
you, Mr. Henley" He looked round, and
saw once again Miss Devonport, with the
sweet look upon her face that had attract
ed him so much two evenings ago.
}, The day was decidedly successful. Al
there is no necessity to give the reader s
detailed account of a famous run with tn,