Grande Place d'Orleans. The pretty Lisette, too, continued to amuse her-performing all the duties of a hostess (by no means leaving out that of prattling) to admiration. Had she been deficient, indeed, the father had now come to her assistance. But he was a plain man, of not near so many words, intent upon his garden toil, which led him daily to the market at Orleans; and little more could be got from him, than regrets that la bonne femme should be absent at such a time. She was, however, l'amie, et la confidente de Madame la Concierge of the chateau on the hill; and, as the announced return of the owner was very sudden and unexpected, she could not possibly be spared from her task of providing furniture, particularly beds and linen, from the most celebrated tradesmen at Orleans, where she at present was.

"And who is the owner?" asked Evelyn, while Jerome was tying up his bundles of flowers, and filling his pottles with raspberries for the market at Orleans.

He really could not tell, except that he was grand officier militaire, who had just succeeded to the estate by marrying the heiress.

"And who was she?"

Of that too Jerome was ignorant; for he was himself a mere vieux soldat, only lately settled in those parts; but la bonne femme, l'amie de Madame la Concierge, knew all about it, and would certainly

tell all she knew if Monsieur did not intend to proceed immediately on his journey.

'Twas the last thing that Monsieur did intend; for, pleased himself, and seeing his daughter pleased with their pretty quarters, he resolved to stay where he was, for at least that morning.

He proposed boating (for Jerome had a boat), and Georgina, too, said she should love a few hours by that pretty river's side, while the hay was strewed in its very sweetest fragrance, on both its banks. Evelyn was delighted that any thing could please her, and told her she was queen of the day. Accordingly, a garden chair was carried out into the pleasantest part of the meadow, directly opposite the chateau which rose on the other much higher bank of the stream. Georgina was soon established with some books, and attended by Lisette,-who, while she staid, supplied the place of them; and the Doctor had the delight of seeing, almost for the first time for many a long month, something like placidity on the cheek of his invalid.

The hearts of both seemed to dilate. They looked along the plain where every thing was so rich, with the broad road winding through it, between a double row of elms, and cattle of all kinds tended by herdsmen from the busy city. There the great church always closed the prospect, in grandeur more venerable for a thousand classical associations that

attended it, whether for a Frenchman, or an Englishman.

"We shall not be able to stir to-day," said Evelyn.

"I know not why we should," observed Georgina; "and I think you have a wistful eye on the chateau on the hill before us."

"It stands exactly where it ought," returned the Doctor, examining it critically. "Those grey brick turrets, heavy leaden roofs, and gilt vanes, are very much to my taste, and I question if that mass of yew, so closely shaven, just along the terrace overhanging us, may not actually be cut into a temple; perhaps even a peacock itself, could one but see the inside.”

"Why not make the attempt?" said Georgina. "As for me, I am so much taken with Lisette's account of a fête she was allowed to go to this time last year at Orleans, that you need not fear leaving me alone."

Evelyn patted her cheek, and set off for a little bridge that led over the river immediately up the hill, to the Chateau de St. Jules. He was soon there, and found no other difficulty in entering the garden, along one side of which the buildings ranged themselves, than arose from the immense weight of the iron gates that let him in. The great door of the house was in the same heavy taste, and certainly had kept the interior safe from at least the days

of Lewis XIV. when the front seemed to have: been erected. That too was open, and led into a hall, from which, on each side, was a complete enfilade of apartments, handsome from their spaciousness, but all without furniture. As it never occurred to Evelyn that he might be taking too great a liberty, even with an empty house, he became in a moment under the influence of that irregular impulse of feeling that has been mentioned, and gave way, without scruple, to his curiosity, or rather his taste for an old building. The style of it brought old Lewis, and all his court, before him; Villeroy, Roquelaurre, Brissac, Madame de Maintenon, La Valière, Sévigné, and a thousand others; and he paced the rooms, and afterwards the gardens, and then the rooms again, with all the liberty of an absent man. He was, therefore, almost surprised, in one of his wanderings, to be asked his business, by an elderly female of good address; evidently from the bunch of keys at her girdle, the Madame la Concierge of whom he had heard. Her fly cap and lappets, short crimson petticoat under her white jacket, slippers down at heel, and milkwhite cotton stockings, displayed the complete Orleannoise, and French bonne bourgeoise. Though asked with great civility, it must be owned the question was a puzzling one, and the answer to it still more so. It was, at least, not easy for a grave English divine like Evelyn to ex

plain to a French housekeeper, that he was a man who, on his travels, generally followed the whim of the moment; and that that whim, combined with a great fancy for examining empty houses, and a particular taste for the style of Lewis XIV. had led him, unbidden, and without permission, to scale the territory of Mount St. Jules, and invade her dominion in the manner she saw.

"C'est fort extraordinaire," said the Concierge, "bien qu'il n'y a rien à voir. Nous ne sommes pas même meublés ;" and then she went on to say, that chairs, tables, beds, and vaisselles de cuisine, all were to arrive, only that very day, in barges, from Orleans. There was nothing but her own room, and the cabinet and petite chambre de lit de Monsieur, at the top of one of the turrets, that could be said to have any furniture in them at all. Evelyn would then have asked leave to see the style of the room which the top of the turret contained, and of which he supposed the correspondent turret at the end of the gallery was a counterpart; but the old lady, hearing a step from the little staircase, at the bottom of which they had been debating, put her finger on her mouth, while she looked at the door of the staircase. That door opened, and to the utter and overpowering astonishment of Evelyn, he beheld Tremaine.