take leave of Sophy. I hope I may see her again in after life."

"And I hope, for your sake, that if so, she may not be in the same
coloured print, with Lady Selina Vipont's eyeglass upon her!"

"What!" said Lionel, laughing; "is Lady Selina Vipont so formidably
rude?"

"Rude! nobody is rude in that delightful set. Lady Selina Vipont is
excruciatingly--civil."




CHAPTER XVIII.

Being devoted exclusively to a reflection, not inapposite to the
events in this history nor to those in any other which chronicles
the life of men.

There is one warning lesson in life which few of us have not received,
and no book that I can call to memory has noted down with an adequate
emphasis. It is this: "Beware of parting!" The true sadness is not in
the pain of the parting, it is in the When and the How you are to meet
again with the face about to vanish from your view! From the passionate
farewell to the woman who has your heart in her keeping, to the cordial
good-by exchanged with pleasant companions at a watering-place, a
country-house, or the close of a festive day's blithe and careless
excursion,--a cord, stronger or weaker, is snapped asunder in every
parting, and Time's busy fingers are not practised in re-splicing broken