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that Stephen had recognised him; and as it by no means suited his purpose to be accosted by them, he had very cleverly turned upon his heel, and had managed to dodge through a walking party advancing towards him, and then taking advantage of a carriage, or two, had managed to escape, how or where, neither Stephen nor Walter, who were entirely unacquainted with the locality, could divine.

Once Walter fancied he recognised his figure in the midst of a knot of young men near the statue, but, on hurrying thither, he perceived it to be a totally different person; and, after walking round and round again, until they were both completely tired and out of temper, they were compelled to give it up, and own that they had been outwitted.

There was, notwithstanding, some consolation, however small, in the certainty that Dinah and her father were really in London; and Walter, with the buoyant hope of youth, fondly cheated himself into the anticipation of discovering the retreat of his mistress, in a very few days at most.

Of course it was entirely out of their power to conceal from Dick and Lucy, on their return, the little adventure they had had in the Park, and, perhaps, after all, it was as well that they were inade acquainted with the circumstance, as their sympathy alleviated, in some measure, Walter's dejection at their ill success.

"Odd's life, what a queer thing, Wat, that you should really clap eyes on the fellow," cried Dick, who could think and talk about nothing else all the day after; "If I had only been in your place, I'd never have lost sight on him, until I had his arm in my fist."

"I wish you had, Dick," cried Walter, despondingly; "slight as was the gleam of hope his sudden appearance gave me, thus to be so cruelly disappointed of it almost overwhelms me, it does, indeed."

"But Lon❜on is a hugeous place to seek a body in," continued Dick, in a soliloquising voice; "a pebble in a mountain's nothing to it at all; you may look and look, and look, till you're tired entirely, and out of all heart with searching."

"But Dinah must now, to a certainty, be in London," rejoined Lucy, hopefully; "which is always some consolation."

"Yes, and that's too true, wife;" said Dick, who always adopted what Lucy said; "and yet, what's the use of knowing that, after all? We can't take Lon'on by house-rows, and knock at every door i'the place, to know whether she lives there or not; then as to putting a wartisment into the Times, earnestly requesting D. L. to let her afflicted and devoted-ain't

that the epithet, Wat-her afflicted and devotea W. M. know where she lives, without a moment's delay; why you'd get such a shower of letters from imaginary D. L.'s, that you might read your eyes blind, to see what they were all about; besides, after all, a hundred to one but the real D. L. wouldn't answer it at all; and then, as to going to the Park again, why I'm afraid old Linton is too cute a fox to show himself there again in a hurry, so that hope's gone; its allays as well, Wat, to kick a rotten beam from under you at once, or it may prove treacherous at your sorest need."

"What, in the name of goodness then, would you counsel our doing?" demanded Walter, who felt sick at heart, when Dick pointed out the little probability there was of his discovering Dinah, by any of the means he had mentioned.

"Do! why I'd go about the thing in a quicker sort of way, entirely I'd go down to Hereford again, and trace out the coachman that drove Dinah and her father up to Lon'on, and get to know where they put up at when they came here; or, hold, they'd be sure to come to the same hotel as we did, the White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly. I'd take a step down there about the time the coach comes in, and stand treat with the coachman; go quietly to work with him, and before he has got to the bottom of his second glass, my life for it, but he'll warm towards you; then you can ask him if he remembers the circumstance-a jolly, fat, pompous gentleman, all bedizened with rings, coming up in the coach with a pretty girl, don't overpaint Dinah, mind; and then ask him if he remembers whether they went away in their own carriage, or in a cab, or how; if he has anything of a memory, he'll remember that, and then you can stand treat again to the cabman if he had one, and find out from him where Linton and Dinah were put down; and that's the way to do it, and if I was you, I'd set about it tomorrow."

"I think I will, as it is really the most sensible plan we can hit upon, for the present; and who knows if something may not turn up in the chapter of accidents, that will give us a clue to her discovery, should that fail ?"

His rival, for Lord Cavendish was his rival, was passing his time in the most painful anxiety, whether Joseph Lintou would, in reality, induce Dinah to accompany him to the opera or not.

He knew, for he could read character rapidly, how firm and determined she could be, when once she had made up her mind with regard to any particular line of conduct, and in this case, he feared that she had already resolved not to be seen in any place of amusement, where she might run the risk of being subjected to his attentions.

He was so entirely absorbed in this master-passion which ruled him, that he entirely neglected that ordinary attention to his dress, which, from its fastidious elegance, had already made his fiat, law in the realms of fashion; so he passed the two or three miserable hours, between his interview with Joseph Linton, and that which was to carry him once more into her presence, should Joseph Linton's entreaties have had weight enough with her, to take her thither.

Joseph Linton, in the meanwhile, as he walked home, was debating in his mind how he should compel Dinah to appear in Lord Cavendish's box, without running the risk of producing a scene-a thing he abhorred.

To tell her that Lord Cavendish had placed his box at their disposal, would, he knew, have the instant effect of determining her against going; he had recourse, therefore, to falsehood, and resolved to make it appear that the box had been hired by him for the night.

He had been so little accustomed to treat her feelings with the slightest show of respect, that he scarcely thought it necessary, on entering the room where she was, to make much preface about the matter, merely requesting her to get dressed as soon as she could, as they were going to the opera and were pressed for time.

Dinah started, and Joseph, who, notwithstanding all his pretended carelessness, was watching her narrowly, detected the hurried and indignant blush that rose to her face.

"I did not know you had an opera-box," she said, quietly and firmly.

"Neither have I, my little Di," said he, patting her goodhumouredly on the back; "the truth is, as I have a notion of indulging you for the proper way in which you conducted yourself last night, I have hired a box for to night, I believe they play Norma," he added, fumbling for the libretto in his pocket, in some confusion.

"I am not well this evening," she said, in the same quiet, firm tone, can you not excuse my going with you?"

66

"If you are really so very unwell, I will not press you to do so," he said, restraining, with a great effort, the inclination he felt to break out at this moment; "nevertheless, my love, as I have hired the box, and as I really shall be much pleased by having you with me, I really hope you will make an effort to go, if possible."

"I will endeavour to please you, if possible," she said, in the same sternly quiet tone, as she left the room.

All further interchange of feelings was now, she knew, for ever ceased between them; as she went up the stairs, leaning languidly

on the bannisters, and pausing frequently for breath, she felt that henceforth all relationship, if there ever had been any, was dissolved; and that, for the future, a wide gulf lay between them, how wide, and deep, and black, and threatening, she almost shuddered to imagine.

When she came down again, which she did not until it was well-nigh time for them to set out, he could not refrain from noticing, little as it affected him, how very pale and ill she looked; she was so silent and abstracted, too, that he felt constrained and uncomfortable, in spite of himself; and he was not sorry when they got out of the carriage, and were swept on by the glittering stream of beauty and fashion, from the steps into the crush-room, when he once more breathed freely.

It was a very brilliant house; and, to Dinah's great relief, the box he had secured was entirely untenanted, and remained so during the entire of the first act. After that, Dinah had become so absorbed in the delicious music, that she entirely forgot where she was, until a very sweet voice said, in a low tone, close to her ear, "You have relented-you are not as cruel as you would make your slaves believe; I behold you, Dinah, once again!"

She started, as if a viper had stung her.

"This is your box, then, my lord?" she said, shrinking from him.

"Hush! I will explain all at another time; do not alarm your father," whispered his lordship; "do not, however, take umbrage at the little deception I have been a party to."

a

"It is a deception, sir!" she repeated, emphatically; deception, believe me, which no gentleman who valued his own good name, would attempt to practice towards another person; do not attempt to speak to me,-do not stir from the place you occupy, or, unpleasant as the consequences may be, I will instantly insist upon returning home."

"You will not be so mad-so foolish—so ridiculous!" he whispered, still hanging over her, until their figures nearly met. "Dear Miss Linton, why will you thus persist in rejecting the homage of so sincere and so humble an admirer of your charms? Why will you not listen to the voice of reason, and, by making me happy, escape from the painful position in which you are now placed? Look at that man," pointing to the figure of the worthy and respectable Joseph Linton, as he lay far back in the box, surveying the house through his glass, "would not a home, shared with the man of your heart, be tenfold preferable to the society of such a being?"

To escape from his importunities, Dinah had gradually drawn closer into her own corner; and at this moment, scarcely con

scious in her agitation of what she was doing, she was leaning as far out of the box as she could possibly do. The next moment, she uttered a faint exclamation; and his lordship, leaning over her, beheld the faces of a party of four eagerly fixed upon them; the next moment, two of the party had arisen, and were leaving the pit.

"Do you know those people, Miss Linton?" he inquired, in a low voice.

"Hush-hush! they are coming here;" she whispered, casting an anxious glance round to her father, who still continued his amusement; "they are at least one, is a relative of mine!"

"Then, I will immediately take my leave;" and before she could prevent him, he had sprung up, and was leaving the box. It was at that moment, that Walter Mordaunt and Stephen were engaged in an angry altercation with the box-keeper, to admit them.

PHARAOH:*

A DRAMATIC POEM.

PART II.

AN ANTE-CHAMBER IN THE PALACE.

Soldiers on guard. Bands of the royal household in waiting. Groups of men, in the costume of various countries, in different parts of the chamber. Two pages conversing apart.

First Page.-Pharaoh was greatly troubled.
Second Page. For the moment:

But all seems now forgotten. He sits proudly

Upon his throne, transacting business

• Continued from p. 45, vol. lii.

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