whole, that he understood her; but when he proposed to her to walk up to her own house, and she frankly declined, saying, "she liked better the arbour in which they were sitting, and that she much suspected that Mrs. Dredgely was her insidious enemy, warmed like the viper in the bosom of trusting innocence," he was utterly confounded.

Ignorant sea captain that he was, he knew not that clandestine meetings, and recklessly rushing into temptations, were quite en régle to the disciples of romance, though to reveal a villainously imposed secret would be looked upon with horror.

"But why, beautiful Rosa, do you think that this lady is your enemy?"

"I believe she has a secret correspondence with Mr. Rubasore."

"Rubasore, Rubasore-who is Mr. Rubasore ?"

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My guardian ;" and then with an extremely

honest sigh, (all sighs are not honest,) she con

"Ah, the fatal secret!-like a devouring vulture, confined within this heart, that it is lacerating, had like to have escaped."

"Then let the secret fly at once, and be well rid of it."

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Never, never!" said she, crossing her beautiful hands upon her heaving bosom, and turning the full, the insupportable lustre of her black eyes upon the poor Captain, the effects of

which look he afterwards described as if he had been shot through with musket-balls all over his body. "This harpy of the heart, this fiery-fanged secret, shall tear its prison to pieces and die with it."

The metaphor was certainly not so good as the language was strong. The unsophisticated seaman could not understand it; but, to use a vulgar expression, his own honest heart was

rising into his mouth, when he saw those bewitching eyes fast filling with glistening and uncontrollable tears, as she exclaimed, "Alas! my happiness is gone for ever; I wish I may soon die." And then the young lady burst out into a most romantic gush of girlish crying. It was by no means a lady-like, hysterical access of anguish, but a good, hearty, honest fit of sobbing.

Who can see a woman thus weep and not feel inclined to put one's arm round her waist, and pillow the drooping head upon one's shoulder? The young captain obeyed, unconsciously, this natural impulse.

"Why, Rosa?—my Rosa !”

"Never "-and the fountains at the eyes gushed afresh.

"Yes, my Rosa, I will know this terrible, this distressing secret."

"Never, never, never!" with increased sob

bing.

"Your guardian is concerned in it."

"He is your lover?"

"He-he-he--is," sobbing almost convul

sively.

"He's a villain-"

"He-he-is."

"And you hate him ?"

"Pro-found-ound-downdly," sobbed out

the youthful beauty.

"Now then, my Rosa, let me kiss away those diamonds from your eyes-for I long to see them again. Now this Rubasore-I know the rascal -taking advantage of your inexperience and extreme youth, has inveigled you into some engagement, and sworn you to secrecy. You are to marry him when you come of age. That is the secret, my bright-eyed angel ?”

"That-is-the-se-cret !-I will never-disclose it," muttered the lady at intervals, for the sobbing had not yet quite subsided.

It must be confessed that Captain Oliphant, though not a highly educated man, had a talent

for extracting secrets, that, "were like vultures eating away the hearts in which they were imprisoned;" but he did not know it, or he would, perhaps, have plumed himself upon it.

"Of course, Rosa," he said, "you don't mean to keep this damnable engagement?"

This apropos question rather increased the sobbing, and produced that sweetest of all inanities from a beautiful mouth, "I don't know."

"But I do and remarkably well too. You must pitch the old monkey to the devil."

O fie! Captain Oliphant, thus to address so superfinely a refined young lady. It was certainly wrong in morality, but right as to the effect, for it produced the first faint dawn of a smile upon the young lady's countenance.

"O Rosa!" said the Captain, tenderly, “you are laughing at me and my uncouth manners. Now, dear Rosa-for dear you ever will be to me-hear me. I shall speak plainly to you;