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“You go with us, my lord, to the archery-meeting this evening?” said Lady S—-, as she rose from breakfast–his lordship gave a negligent assent.

“Ah!” exclaimed Mlle. Panache, turning eagerly to Dashwood, “have you seen de uniforme?–C’est charmant; and I have no small hand in it.”

Dashwood paid he expected compliment to her taste. “Ah! non,” said she, “you are too good, too flattering; but you must tell me your judgment without flattery! Vous etes homme de gout, though an Englishman–you see I have got no prejuges.” Dashwood bowed. ” Allons! ” said she, starting up with vast gaiety: “we have got no time to lose. I have de rubans to put to de bow; I must go and attend my Diane.”

“Attend her Diane!” repeated Dashwood, the moment the door was shut, and he was left alone with Lord George. “Attend her Diane! a very proper attendant.” Lord George was wholly indifferent to propriety or impropriety upon this, as upon all other subjects. “What are we to do with ourselves, I wonder, this morning!” said he, with his customary yawn; and he walked towards the window. The labour of finding employment for his lordship always devolved upon his companion. “I thought, my lord,” said Dashwood, “you talked yesterday of going upon the water; the river is very smooth, and I hope we shall have a fine day.”

“I hope so too; but over the hill yonder it looks confounded black, hey? Well, at any rate we may go down and make some of them get ready to go with us. I’ll take my black Tom–he’s a handy fellow.”

“But if you take black Tom,” said Dashwood, laughing, “we must not expect to have the ladies of our party; for you know mademoiselle has an unconquerable antipaty, as she calls it, to a negro.”

Lord George declared that, for this very reason, he would order black Tom down to the water-side, and that he should enjoy her affectation, or her terror, whichever it was, of all things. “I suppose,” said he, “she’ll scream as loud as Lady Augusta screamed at a frog the other day.”

“I’ll lay you a wager I spoil your sport, my lord; I’ll lay you a guinea I get mademoiselle into the boat without a single scream,” said Dashwood.

“Done!” said Lord George. “Two to one she screams.”

“Done!” said Dashwood; and he hoped that, by proposing this bet, he had provided his pupil with an object for the whole morning. But Lord George was not so easily roused immediately after breakfast. “It looks terribly like rain,” said he, going back and forward irresolutely between the door and the window. “Do you think it will rain, hey?”

“No, no; I’m sure it will not rain.”

“I wouldn’t lay two to one of that, however: look at this great cloud that’s coming.”

“Oh! it will blow over.”

“I don’t know that,” said Lord George, shaking his head with great solemnity. “Which way is the wind?” opening the window. “Well, I believe it may hold up, hey?”

“Certainly–I think so.”

“Then I’ll call black Tom, hey?–though I think one grows tired of going upon the water,” muttered his lordship, as he left the room. “Couldn’t one find something better?”

“Nothing better,” thought Dashwood, “but to hang yourself, my lord, which, I’ll be bound, you’ll do before you are forty, for want of something better. But that’s not my affair.”

“Where’s mademoiselle?” cried Lady Augusta, entering hastily, with a bow and arrow in her hand: “I’ve lost my quiver: where’s mademoiselle?”

“Upon my word I don’t know,” said Dashwood, assuming an air of interest.

“You don’t know, Mr. Dashwood!” said Lady Augusta, sarcastically; “that’s rather extraordinary. I make it a rule, whenever I want mademoiselle, to ask where you are, and I never found myself disappointed before.”

“I am sorry, madam, you should ever be disappointed,” said Dashwood, laughing. “Is this your ladyship’s own taste?” added he, taking the painted bow out of her hand. “It’s uncommonly pretty.”