PUZZLED AND INTERESTED.





On the way to the parlor Lottie hovered near Mr. Hemstead. Unlike
Micawber, she was not one to wait, but purposed that something
SHOULD "turn up." The two other young ladies, and Harcourt and De
Forrest, sat down to a game of whist. In pursuance of instructions
from Lottie, De Forrest was not to be over-attentive, though it was
evident that he would give more thought to her than to his game.
Her demure mischief amused him vastly, and, knowing what she was,
the novelty of her Puritan style had a double fascination. Making
personal enjoyment the object of his life, he felicitated himself
on soon possessing the beautiful and piquant creature, who, when she
came to devote herself to him, would spice his days with endless
variety. The thought that this high-spirited, positive, strong-minded
American girl might crave better and more important work than that
of an Eastern houri or a Queen Scheherezade, never occurred to
him. He blundered, with many other men, in supposing that, if once
married, the wayward belle would become subservient to his tastes
and modes as a matter of course. In his matrimonial creed all his
difficulty consisted in getting the noose finally around the fair
one's neck: this accomplished, she would become a ministering
captive. Many a one has had a rude awakening from this dream.

Although from Addie Marchmont's description he believed that he
had little cause to fear a rival in Hemstead, still he awaited his
coming with a trace of anxiety. But when the seemingly overgrown,