mrs. deborah (with such a humanising taste, she could not, in spite of her cantankerous temper, be all bad) loved flowers: and cicely, a rover of the woods and fields from early childhood, and no despicable practical gardener, took care to keep her beaupots constantly supplied from the first snowdrop to the last china rose. nothing was too large for cicely's good-will, nothing too small. huge chimney jars of lilacs, laburnums, horse-chestnuts, peonies, and the golden and gorgeous double furze; china jugs filled with magnificent double stocks, and rich wallflowers,* with their bitter-sweet odour, like the taste of orange marmalade, pinks, sweet-peas, and mignonette, from her own little garden, or woodland posies that might beseem the hand of the faerie queen, composed of those gems of flowers, the scarlet pimpernel, and the blue anagallis, the rosy star of the wild geranium, with its aromatic crimson-tipped leaves, the snowy star of the white ochil, and that third starry flower the yellow loose-strife, the milk vetch, purple, or pink, or cream coloured, backed by moss-like leaves and lilac blossoms of the lousewort, and overhung by the fragrant bells and cool green leaves of the lily of the valley.

* few flowers, (and almost all look best when arranged each

sort in its separate vase,)—few look so well together as

the four sorts of double wallflowers. the common dark, (the

old bloody warrior)—i have a love for those graphic names—

words which paint the common dark, the common yellow, the

newer and more intensely coloured dark, and that new gold

colour still so rare, which is in tint, form, growth,

hardiness, and profusion, one of the most valuable

acquisitions to the flower garden. when placed together in

ajar, the brighter blossoms seem to stand out from those of

deeper hue, with exactly the sort of relief, the harmonious

combination of light and shade, that one sometimes sees in

the rich gilt carving of an old flower-wreathed picture-

frame, or, better still, it might seem a pot of flowers

chased in gold, by benvenuto cellini, in which the

workmanship outvalued the metal. many beaupots are gayer,

many sweeter, but this is the richest, both for scent and

colour, that i have ever seen.

it would puzzle a gardener to surpass the elegance and delicacy of such a nosegay.

offerings like these did our miller's maiden delight to bring at all seasons, and under all circumstances, whether of peace or war between the heads of the two opposite houses; and whenever there chanced to be a lull in the storm, she availed herself of the opportunity to add to her simple tribute a dish of eels from the mill-stream, or perch from the river. that the thought of edward ("dear edward," as she always called him,) might not add somewhat of alacrity to her attentions to his wayward aunt, i will not venture to deny, but she would have done the same if edward had not been in existence, from the mere effect of her own peacemaking spirit, and a generosity of nature which found more pleasure in giving than in possessing. a sweet and happy creature was cicely; it was difficult even for mrs. deborah to resist her gentle voice and artless smiles.

affairs were in this posture between the belligerents, sometimes war to the knife, sometimes a truce under favour of cissy's white flag, when one october evening, john stokes entered the dwelling of his kinswoman to inform her that edward's apprenticeship had been some time at an end, that he had come of age about a month ago, and that his master, for whom he had continued to work, was so satisfied of his talents, industry, and integrity, that he had offered to take him into partnership for a sum incredibly moderate, considering the advantages which such a connexion would ensure.

"you have more than the money wanted in the belford bank, money that ought to have been his," quoth john stokes, "besides all your property in land and houses and the funds; and if you did advance this sum, which all the world knows is only a small part of what should have belonged to him in right of his father, it would be as safe as if it was in the bank of england, and the interest paid half-yearly. you ought to give it him out and out; but of course you won't even lend it," pursued this judicious negotiator; "you keep all your money for that precious chap, mr. 'dolphus, to make ducks and drakes with after you are dead; a fine jig he'll dance over your grave. you know, i suppose, that we've got the fellow in a cleft stick about that petition the other day? he persuaded old jacob, who's as deaf as a post, to put his mark to it, and when he was gone, jacob came to me (i'm the only man in the parish who can make him hear) to ask what it was about. so upon my explaining the matter, jacob found he had got into the wrong box. but as the chap had taken away his petition, and jacob could not scratch out his name, what does he do but set his mark to ours o' t'other side; and we've wrote all about it to sir robert to explain to the parliament, lest seeing jacob's name both ways like, they should think 'twas he, poor fellow, that meant to humbug 'em. a pretty figure mr. 'dolphus 'll cut when the story comes to be told in the house of commons! but that's not the worst. he took the petition to the workhouse, and meeting with little fan ropley, who had been taught to write at our charity-school, and is quick at her pen, he makes her sign her name at full length, and then strikes a dot over the e to turn it into francis, and persuade the great folk up at lunnun, that little fan's a grown-up man. if that chap won't come someday to be transported for forgery, my name's not john stokes! well, dame, will you let ned have the money? yes or no?"

that mrs. deborah should have suffered the good miller to proceed with his harangue without interruption, can only be accounted for on the score of the loudness of tone on which he piqued himself with so much justice. when she did take up the word, her reply made up in volubility and virulence for any deficiency in sound, concluding by a formal renunciation of her nephew, and a command to his zealous advocate never again to appear within her doors. upon which, honest john vowed he never would, and departed.

two or three days after this quarrel, mr. adolphus having arrived, as happened not un-frequently, to spend the afternoon at chalcott, persuaded his hostess to accompany him to see a pond drawn at the hall, to which, as the daughter of one of sir robert's old tenants, she would undoubtedly have the right of entrée; and mrs. deborah assented to his request, partly because the weather was fine, and the distance short, partly, it may be, from a lurking desire to take her chance as a bystander of a dish of fish; they who need such windfalls least, being commonly those who are most desirous to put themselves in their way.

mr. adolphus lynfield's reasons were obvious enough. besides the ennui of a tête-a-tête, all flattery on one side and contradiction on the other, he was naturally of the fidgetty restless temperament which hates to be long confined to one place or one occupation, and can never hear of a gathering of people, whatever might be the occasion, without longing to find himself amongst them.

moreover, he had, or professed to have, a passion for field sports of every description; and having that very season contrived, with his usual curious infelicity, to get into as many scrapes in shooting as shall last most sportsmen their whole lives—having shot a spaniel instead of a hare, a keeper instead of a partridge, and his own foot instead of a pheasant, and finally, having been taken up for a poacher, although wholly innocent of the death of any bird that ever wore feathers,—after all these woeful experiences, (to say nothing of mischances in angling which might put to shame those of our friend mr. thompson,) he found himself particularly well disposed to a diversion which appeared to combine in most choice union the appearance of sporting, which he considered essential to his reputation, with a most happy exemption from the usual sporting requisites, exertion or skill. all that he would have to do would be to look on and talk,—to throw out a hint here and a suggestion there, and find fault with everything and everybody, like a man who understood what was going forward.

the weather was most propitious; a bright breezy sunny october day, with light snowy clouds, chased by a keen crisp wind across the deep blue heavens,—and the beautiful park, the turf of an emerald green, contrasting with the brown fern and tawny woods, rivalling in richness and brightness the vivid hues of the autumnal sky. nothing could exceed the gorgeous tinting of the magnificent trees, which, whether in detached clumps or forest-like masses, formed the pride and glory of the place. the oak still retaining its dark and heavy verdure; the elm letting fall a shower of yellow leaves, that tinged the ground beneath; the deep orange of the horse-chestnut, the beech varying from ruddy gold to greenish brown; and above all, the shining green of the holly, and the rich purplish red of the old thorns, those hoary thorns, the growth of centuries, gave to this old english gentleman's seat much of the variety and beauty of the american backwoods. the house, a stately ancient mansion, from the porch of which you might expect to see sir roger de coverley issue, stood half-way up a gentle hill, finely backed by woods of great extent; and the pond, which was the object of the visit, was within sight of the windows, but so skilfully veiled by trees, as to appear of much greater extent than it really was. the master and mistress of the hall, with their pretty daughters, were absent on a tour:—is any english country family ever at home in the month of october in these days of fashionable enterprise? they were gone to visit the temples of thebes, or the ruins of carthage, the fountains of the nile or the falls of niagara, st. sophia, or the kremlin, or some such pretty little excursion, which ladies and gentlemen now talk of as familiarly "as maids of puppy dogs." they were away. but enough of the household remained at chalcott, to compose, with a few visiters, a sufficiently numerous and animated group.

the first person whom mrs. deborah espied, (and it is remarkable that we always see first those whom we had rather not see at all,) was her old enemy the miller,—a fisherman of so much experience and celebrity, that his presence might have been reckoned upon as certain—busily engaged, together with some half-dozen stout and active coadjutors, in dragging the net ashore, amidst a chorus of exclamations and cautions from the various assistants, and the breathless expectation of the spectators on the bank, amongst whom were mrs. thornly and cicely, accompanied by a tall, athletic young man of dark complexion, with peculiarly bright eyes and curling hair, whom his aunt immediately recognised as edward.

"how improved he is!" was the thought that flashed across her mind, as with an air of respectful alacrity he stepped forward to meet her; but the miller, in tugging at his nets, happened to look towards them, and ashamed that he of all men should see her change of feeling, she turned away abruptly, without acknowledging his salutation, and walked off to the other side with her attendant, mr. adolphus.

"drat the perverse old jade!" exclaimed john stokes, involuntarily, as he gave a mighty tug, which brought half the net ashore.

"she's heavy, my good sir!" observed the pompous butler, conceiving that the honest miller's exclamation had reference to the sport; "only see how full she is! we shall have a magnificent hawl!"

and the spectators, male and female, crowded round, and the fishermen exerted themselves so efficiently, that in two minutes the net was on dry land.

"nothing but weeds and rubbish!" ejaculated the disappointed butler, a peculiarly blank look taking the place of his usual self-importance. "what can have become of the fish?"

"the net has been improperly drawn," observed mr. adolphus; "i myself saw four or five large carp just before it was dragged ashore!"

"better fling you in, master 'dolphus, by way of bait!" ejaculated our friend the miller; "i've seen jacks in this pond that would make no more bones of swallowing a leg or an arm of such an atomy as you, if they did not have a try at the whole body, than a shark would of bolting down punch in the show; as to carp, everybody that ever fished a pond knows their tricks. catch them in a net if you can. they swim round and round, just to let you look at 'em, and then they drop plump into the mud, and lie as still and as close as so many stones. but come, mr. tomkins," continued honest john, addressing the butler, "we'll try again. i'm minded that we shall have better luck this time. here are some brave large tench, which never move till the water is disturbed; we shall have a good chance for them as well as for the jacks. now, steady there, you in the boat throw her in, boys, and mind you don't draw too fast!" so to work they all went again.

all was proceeding prosperously, and the net, evidently well filled with fish, was dragging slowly to land, when john stokes shouted suddenly from the other side of the pond—"dang it, if that unlucky chap, master 'dolphus there, has not got hold of the top of the net! he'll pull it over. see, that great jack has got out already. take the net from him, tom! he'll let all the fish loose, and tumble in himself, and the water at that part is deep enough to drown twenty such mannikins. not that i think drowning likely to be his fate—witness that petition business," muttered john to himself in a sort of parenthesis. "let go, i say, or you will be in. let go, can't ye?" added he, in his loudest tone.

and with the word, mr. adolphus, still struggling to retain his hold of the net, lost his balance and fell in, and catching at the person next him, who happened to be mrs. deborah, with the hope of saving himself, dragged her in after him.

both sank, and amidst the confusion that ensued, the shrieks and sobs of the women, the oaths and exclamations of the men, the danger was so imminent that both might have been drowned, had not edward thornly, hastily flinging off his coat and hat, plunged in and rescued mrs. deborah, whilst good john stokes, running round the head of the pond as nimbly as a boy, did the same kind office for his prime aversion, the attorney's clerk. what a sound kernel is sometimes hidden under a rough and rugged rind!

mr. adolphus, more frightened than hurt, and with so much of the conceit washed out of him by his involuntary cold bath, that it might be accounted one of the most fortunate accidents in his life, was conveyed to the hall; but her own house being almost equally near, mrs. deborah was at once taken home, and put comfortably to bed in her own chamber.

about two hours afterwards, the whole of the miller's family, mrs. thornly still pallid and trembling, cicely smiling through her tears, and her father as blunt and freespoken as ever, were assembled round the homely couch of their maiden cousin.

"i tell you i must have the lawyer fetched directly. i can't sleep till i have made my will;" said mrs. deborah.

"better not," responded john stokes; "you'll want it altered to-morrow."

"what's that you say, cousin john?" inquired the spinster.

"that if you make your will to night, you'll change your mind to-morrow," reiterated john stokes. "ned's going to be married to my cicely," added he, "and that you mayn't like, or if you did like it this week, you might not like it next so you'd better let matters rest as they are."

"you're a provoking man, john stokes," said his cousin—"a very provoking, obstinate man. but i'll convince you for once. take that key, mrs. thornly," quoth she, raising herself in bed, and fumbling in an immense pair of pockets for a small old-fashioned key, "and open the 'scrutoire, and give me the pen and ink, and the old narrow brown book, that you'll find at the top. not like his marrying cicely! why i always have loved that child—don't cry, cissy!—and have always had cause, for she has been a kind little creature to me. those dahlias came from her, and the sweet posy," pursued mrs. deborah, pointing to a nosegay of autumn flowers, the old fragrant monthly rose, mignionette, heliotrope, cloves, and jessamine, which stood by the bedside. "ay, that's the book, mrs. thornly; and there, cissy," continued aunt deborah, filling up the check, with a sum far larger than that required for the partnership— "there, cissy, is your marriage portion. don't cry so, child!" said she, as the affectionate girl hung round her neck in a passion of grateful tears—"don't cry, but find out edward, and send for the lawyer, for i'm determined to settle my affairs to night and now, john stokes, i know i've been a cross old woman, but...."

"cousin deborah," interrupted john, seizing her withered hand with a gripe like a smith's vice,—"cousin deborah, thou hast acted nobly, and i beg thy pardon once for all. god bless thee!—dang it," added the honest miller to himself, "i do verily believe that this squabbling has been mainly my fault, and that if i had not been so provoking she would not have been so contrary. well, she has made us all happy, and we must try to make her happy in return. if we did not, we should deserve to be soused in the fish-pond along with that unhappy chap, master 'dolphus. for my part," continued the good yeoman, forming with great earnestness a solemn resolution—"for my part, i've fully made up my mind never to contradict her again, say what she will. no, not if she says black's white! it's contradiction that makes women contrary; it sets their backs up, like. i'll never contradict her again so long as my name's john stokes."