been before, since in the face of every adverse circumstance, rising above the perplexity and incongruity of his position and hers, Robert resolved to show that whatever might be Matilda's shortcomings, however young and gay and inconsequent she might show herself, he, at least, knew his place. 'My dear Teddy, he nearly killed me," averred Teddy's sister afterwards. "I suppose he saw the joke; and the more he saw it, the less he liked it. The poor nurse, I pitied her she must have had a severe time of it, rather. There were we two, -Robert hopping about all over the cradle to get out of my way

rot being a grand-uncle; but if it was to come, of course I ought to have been asked to be its godfather."

"And of course you will."

"Very well, you know best, of course; only I happen to have heard," said Teddy, doggedly—“I happen to have heard the opposite. If you would only listen to me, I could tell you not only who are to be asked, but who have been asked; for I saw the letters lying on the slab, waiting for the post.'

"You don't say so, Teddy. Well?"

"And, to make sure, I asked Robert."

"Oh, you did?-oh. You didn't

"Well, you ought to have known, I suppose."

"I suppose I ought, but the fact remains that I did not, or, at any rate, that I had forgotten; and so what did I do but commit the heinous offence of taking it on the wrong arm! You should have

seen Mrs Gamp's face.' "Mrs Gamp?" said Teddy, bewildered.

"To be sure, yes. Her name is Burrble. How stupid of me to say Gamp! Teddy, see you remember that her name is Burrble, and never, never call her anything else. Mind that, Teddy. People are very parPeople are very particular about their names, said Matilda, anxiously. "And then I "And then I expect you will be godfather," she ran on, glibly changing the current of Teddy's thoughts. "I am sure Robert will ask you."

"No, that he won't."

"Not a bit of it. I merely pointed to the letters with my whip, as if they had just caught my eye. I had been looking at them all the time he was up-stairs with you.

However, he was not

to know that; so I poked them carelessly as we passed by, and said, 'Godfathers, eh, Robert?' in the easiest manner possible. So then he told me at once that he had written to them this morning."

"Bless the man! no grass grows

under his feet. Well, Teddy," louder, "well, and who are they?" "A Mr Whewell, and a Mr Challoner."

"A Mr Whewell, and a Mr Challoner. And who are they? What are they? Did you not hear anything about them?"

"Oh, I heard a lot, but I didn't listen."

"Stupid fellow. Why, I want

how unutterably tiresome you can be when you try! Mr Whewell, and Mr Challoner. Depend upon it, Mr Whewell is-stop, I know. He is that very clever amusing

young barrister who came down in the summer. You remember? We all wondered how Robert ever contrived to pick up such a friend. I am glad it is Mr Whewell. If Mr Whewell should come down to Endhill, we must see him again; he must come and shoot at Överton and chirp us up a bit. Those Appleby girls will be glad to come and make up the party at dinner : we owe them something, and this will do exactly. Well, and Mr Challoner? Challoner"-musing -"Challoner; that name I never heard before. Challoner! I rather like it. Teddy, can't you tell me something, anything, about this Mr Challoner?"

"No," said Teddy, calmly, "I can't."

Robert Hanwell, like other people, sometimes hit the mark without knowing it.

In the two notes which he despatched inviting his two friends severally to stand sponsors for the newborn son and heir, and for that purpose to come down shortly to Endhill for the christening, he held out an inducement which neither of them could resist. It cannot be said that either of the gentlemen thus appealed to was devoted to Robert: he and his concerns were as little known as they were of little interest to them his marriage had cost them each a present, and it appeared that the birth of his son was likely to do the same,-and that was about all,—or, at least, would have been all, had not to each invitation a clause been appended-a mere postscript, an after-thought it was -which made the announcement infinitely more interesting, and

-GASCOIGNE.

the summons more seductive. "The pheasant-shooting at Overton is remarkably good," wrote Robert, "and I have no doubt Lord Overton would be happy to give you a few days in the covers. He had folded up Challoner's note before even recollecting to say this, and indeed it was perhaps more the satisfaction of being able to answer for Lord Overton's obligingness than anything else which induced him to pause, unfold the sheet, add the P.S., and then say the same thing to

Whewell. In the matter of shooting, Lord Overton was good-nature itself, and could be counted on to grant a request for a day at any time; indeed, as it was so easily obtained, and as nobody either at Overton or Endhill cared much about it, Mr Hanwell threw in the brief suggestion, as we have seen, in the background of his letter, little imagining the effect it

would produce in changing the aspect of the whole affair in the eyes of his friends.

Both, as it happened, were good shots, and neither was possessed of good shooting.

In consequence, they rose like greedy fish to the bait, and swallowed whole the tempting morsel, -indeed, while gladly agreeing "to be present on the interesting occasion," Robert might almost have seen in their eager assent a devout wish that it could have been held earlier. Challoner indeed went so far as to feel every time he looked at the sky, the soft grey cloudy October sky, that he was being defrauded of that day in the Overton woods; while Whewell, boxed up in dreary law courts and dismal chambers, solaced himself by getting through all the work he possibly could beforehand, in order to leave himself free, should the few days specified by his friend extend themselves to the length of a week. A week he might be able to spare, when pheasants were in the question.

And as to the chance of his being invited on, he had not very much anxiety on that head, since there were not many things he could not compass if he had a mind to do so; neither were there many people he could not get round. As for Robert Hanwell! Robert Hanwell would most certainly do as he was bid.

Two "very happys" accordingly were received at Endhill, two silver mugs were promised, and two gentlemen would be forthcoming when wanted.

"I told you they would be pleased," said Robert, as he read aloud the replies to his wife. "I felt that they would, and it really is something to please a man like Whewell, Lotta. Whewell is quite one of the most rising men of the day; I had my doubts about ask

ing him-asking him to come down here at least; to a man so overwhelmed with work it almost seemed-but, however, I thought he could only refuse. You see he does not refuse; he accepts in the pleasantest manner possible; and so does Challoner. To tell the truth, I did not fancy it was much in Challoner's line either. Challoner is peculiar. Well, Lotta, we are fortunate in everything, you and I; I trust, my dear, I trust," added the young man with a sense of saying something serious—“I trust we always shall be."

Lotta trusted so too, and agreed with dear Robert in everything. There never was so good a patient, so admirable a mother. She ate, drank, slept, rested, nursed her infant, did everything Mrs Burrble told her, and of herself refrained from doing anything which Mrs Burrble would have forbidden her; and the upshot of it all was, that at the end of three weeks, the neat little brougham was brought round from the stables, and into it stepped Mr and Mrs Robert Hanwell, baby and nurse, and off they all drove to Overton to pay a state visit.

66

Well, and when are they coming?" inquired Lady Matilda, who by this time knew all about the expected guests, and took the liveliest interest in their approach. "And has the day been fixed?”

"Yes indeed, mamma-Sunday next; I thought you knew," replied Mrs Lotta, with her little air of superiority. "I am sure I told you," added she. "Sunday? That's not proper. Do you allow people to arrive on a Sunday?"

"My dear mamma, what do you mean? No people are going to arrive on a Sunday. I said baby's christening was to be on Sunday." And in the young matron's tone was heard plainly enough, "You really are a very tiresome person,

but I have to put up with you!""Surely it was the christening you inquired about?" concluded Lotta, wearily.

"Yes, yes—yes, of course; at least something of the sort.' Poor Lady Matilda blushed a little, for to be sure it was something of the sort of which she ought at least to have been thinking, and not of two young gallants of whom she knew nothing or next to nothing, and with whom she need have nothing whatever to do. It was absurd her caring whether they came or not; and yet visitors-that is to say, visitors of the right sort-were so very few and far between at the Hall, that her curiosity might have been pardoned. Overton had never made a friend, while Teddy had had, as years went on, to be gently weaned from his, and the consequence was that, as Matilda would now and then in a freak of ennui declare, no one but old women and poor relations ever found their way to the Hall.

"And how well you look, dear!" cried she, now; "and what a little darling he is! Grandmamma's cloak and hood too. Give him to me, nurse; I know the proper arm to take him upon by this time. Look, Overton; Overton, you have not half enough admired my grandson, and yet I do believe that it is you whom he is like."

"Indeed, my lady, I do declare it is then," chimed in the nurse, to whom a lord was a lord, and who would have sworn a resemblance to Beelzebub himself could she have hailed him as a relation. "Indeed I saw it from the very first from the day his lordship was over at Endhill, did I not, ma'am?" appealing to her own lady.

"He is a little like uncle Overton about the hair," said Lotta, doubtfully.

"Or lack of it," observed her other uncle.

"A most decided likeness, I think," pronounced Robert, to the surprise of all. But the truth was the likeness was there, and somehow they had hit upon it among them. The ugly little baby was like its ugly little grand-uncle; and the father, who had been one of the first to catch the resemblance, now resolved to avow the same manfully.

"What an absurd baby you are!" cried Matilda, delighted with the scene, "to go and choose Overton, of all people. Now if it had been Teddy or me-we are the beauties of the family, aren't we, Teddy? So if you had done that, how much more wise and sensible you would have shown yourself, little master, eh!"

"Mamma," began Lotta's reminding voice.

"Dear Overton, you are not beautiful," pursued the heedless Matilda

"I think we are making much too long a visit," interposed Robert.

"And so the poor little man has to go because he is like you," concluded the wicked grandmother.

She begged Overton's pardon with tears of laughter afterwards: she made both him and Teddy merry with her representation of the scene, by turns perking herself up upon the sofa to mimic Mrs Lotta's prim attitude; bustling about to show the politic nurse, deaf and blind apparently to anything amiss; or edging herself towards the door with every gesture of Robert's-the pompous, annoyed, tongue-tied Robert, so visibly, palpably disapproving, and yet so helpless,-nothing had been lost upon her. It was not until some time afterwards that she recollected that, after all, no more had been known after the visit than before it of the brilliant Whewell, and the unexplored Challoner.