rare position of a leader of fashion and a man of business. To effect this great object of my desires, Lady Annandale should be a totally different person. She has the physique, but not the morale, for a position such as my wife ought to hold. You, my charming friend, have but it is vain

both.

Would that I could

to think of what is impossible."

He does think, and will think, nevertheless, of this seeming impossibility, until it ceases to be one: for his vanity will co-operate with my ambition in perpetually inviting him to the fulfilment of his wish; and, rather than appear as a deserted husband, he will, I am sure, marry again the instant he shall be freed from his present chains, in order to convince the world that he cared not for his former wife, and does care for her successor. Every time I attempted to advocate Augusta's cause, he silenced me by compliments on my good-nature.

The plea I most strongly urged, to prove the impossibility of her preference for another, was his own superiority. This fulsome flattery ineffably gratified his vanity; for it is so inordinate and voracious that it would devour any thing. But it did not satisfy him that Augusta was willing to accord him this superiority, for her coldness too plainly implied the contrary: consequently, my seemingly most amiable intervention had not the effect of persuading him to forgive her, but only that of making him value me the more, for appearing to believe that she must entertain a favourable opinion of him. You see, ma belle amie, that the "comedy of errors" advances just as I foretold and wished; but when a plot is founded on the vanity of man, it seldom fails of success.

Addio, carissima! votre

CAROLINE.

A note from Lord Annandale, requiring a

few minutes' audience, has just been placed in my hand.

hand. What can he have to communi

cate? I have not yet seen Lady Annandale, so I am all in the dark. I shall resume my letter after I have seen him.

This business advances more rapidly than I had anticipated, or even desired; and, what is very provoking, will sadly interfere with all the schemes of amusement laid down for the closing of the season. Mais, c'est egal; it is all in favour of other and more important schemes. Yet, now that the dénoúment of my comedy draws near, I begin to feel a little

nervous.

I left off with telling you that Lord Annandale demanded an audience, which I granted. I found sa seigneurie in his library, in a state of great agitation. He had, it appears, on

leaving me last night, entered his wife's dressing-room, with, he says, the intention of seeking an explanation from her; but, I strongly suspect, he was very certain she had been some time in bed. He asserts, that a thought occurred to him (it is only husbands who ever have such thoughts), to examine her escritoire -the key lying temptingly on her toilet — expecting to find some tangible proofs of the guilt he imagines; when, lo and behold! instead of sundry amatory billets from le beau marquis, he finds naught but my lady's diary. This he considered mieux que rien; and so it has proved. Fair ladies, while you live, or, at least, while you love, beware of keeping diaries; or if you will do so, hint not at the feelings of your hearts!

Eh bien, ma chère, I judged rightly; Augusta loves Lord Nottingham with all the enthusiasm, all the romantic fervour, of which

only a young Englishwoman is capable. Yes, ma belle, you French ladies, with all your fascinations, and all your sentimentalities (and I give you full credit for possessing both in no ordinary degree), must yield to the untravelled dames Anglaises for that strong and enduring affection, which is much less a passion than a sentiment, nursed in secret, and matured in sorrow. The naïve expression of Augusta's love for le marquis, and the no less naïve disclosure of her more than indifference for her liege-lord, have enraged him beyond measure; and, to avenge his mortified vanity, he has determined on exposing her to all the consequences of an open esclandre.

Every expression in this unfortunate diary which admits of an equivocal meaning, he has tortured into a guilty one; but I doubt whether any other person could find more in it than