suddenly at the gate. "It is too late," he whispered. "Look!"

Certainly it was not convenient to be asked by Emma what made her look so much amused.

She felt as if it would be much pleasanter to show off her babe without the stranger, and was glad to find that Miss Marstone had fallen into a discussion with Theodora, and both looked much too eager to be interrupted.

So Violet fairly skipped up-stairs before her friends, turning round to speak to them with such smiling glee, that Lady Elizabeth dismissed all fears of her present well-doing. Emma fell into raptures over her godson's little cot, and quoted the "Folded Lambs", and "Pearls of the Deep", another as yet unpublished tale of her friend's, to teach his mother how to educate him, and stood by impatiently contemning the nursery hints which Violet was only too anxious to gather up from Lady Elizabeth.

'And are you not charmed with her!' said Emma, as they went down- stairs.

'I have seen so little of her,' replied Violet, embarrassed. 'Why does she dress in that way?'

'That is just what I say,' observed Lady Elizabeth. 'I was sorry to see her in that dress this evening.'

'Mamma does not like it,' said Emma; 'but Theresa feels it such a privilege not to be forced to conform to the trammels of fashions and nonsense.'

'She does everything on high principle,' said Lady Elizabeth, as if she was trying to bring her mind as usual into unison with her daughter's. 'She is a very superior person, and one does not like to find fault with what is done on right motives; but I should be sorry to see Emma follow the same line. I have always been taught that women should avoid being conspicuous.'