Honorable Charles James Stanmore, of worshipful notoriety in these our pages. That the solitary, impoverished, and now fast declining father should rejoice to see his darling and dependant child adopted into a family so nobly descended, and so honorably nurtured as Lord Stanmore's, is not to be wondered at; and with all their exuberant partiality for their promising and highly-gifted heir, Lord and Lady Stanmore could not but feel that Granville would draw an enviable lot in life if he could succeed in obtaining the affection of a being so excellent, and withal so beautiful as Clara Lovelace, even though her excellence and her loveliness were almost her only dower. But however earnestly one father might covet such a union, or however willing the other might be to accede to it, both were too sensible and too prudent to enter into wire drawn speculations on a matter on which they felt, loving their children as they did, their votes could only be secondary.

The matter was alluded to certainly more than once, was allowed to be, on

many accounts desirable; they mutually agreed to put no obstacles in the way, rather indeed to obviate them by contriving that the young people should meet-a somewhat important preliminary to a marriage; but further than this, further than their open and unequivocal sanction to their intercourse, to leave them free as air.

Lady Stanmore, who was one of those excellent people who in the exuberance of their good-will, find it so difficult to to "let well alone," was anxious to bring Clara with her to England. She feltindependently of any project with regard to her son-an unequivocal and most affectionate interest in the motherless girl, living now at the most critical period of her life without feminine companionship to sooth, or matronly guidance to direct her. But on this point, though fully appreciating Lady Stanmore's kindness, Mr. Lovelace was peremptory; he could not expect to keep Clara long, and he was not so selfish as to wish it, but never could he part with her but to a husband.

But there was another point regarding his son, in which Lord Stanmore was, in his heart of hearts, infinitely more anxious than with regard to a possible marriage with Clara Lovelace. He was solicitous, earnestly solicitous that Charles should maintain the same politics with his forefathers-should pledge himself to the same cause. How this was to be managed he scarcely knew; he thought his son in reality did not widely differ from himself, but that he was too indolent or too indifferent to demonstrate his opinion; but that if the step, the first step, were once irretrievably taken, he would not only accede to the necessity for proceeding, but would allow that all which had been done was

"Wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best."

Lord Stanmore's own visit to Lorraine, had not been without a definite object, though it was professed to be one of mere pleasure, and Lady Stanmore's presence had helped to countenance this illusion. But a plot was agitating, it is needless to designate which, for though many of

those begun in folly, and more in mischief, proved mere abortions; and some commenced in purity and integrity of purpose had no better fate, it is well known that for three reigns succeeding the revolution, a twelvemonth never passed that some portion of the community was not interested, or agitated, or terrified as the case might be, by a project, well founded, or otherwise, as that might be, to reinstate the exiled Prince on the throne of his fathers. In such a project was Lord Stanmore now engaged, and for the furtherance of it his presence was necessary in England, whilst it was also requisite that he should have a confidential travelling agent between the two countries. His wishes pointed to his son, and as it would, probably, according to their own calculations, be a considerable period before any overt step was ventured on, (for many of the most decided Jacobites were honest in their submission to Queen Anne, and sought not to interfere with her rights)—as it would be a considerable time before Charles need identify himself with, or indeed even be cog

nisant of any plot, his father determined to send him.

He would come at first merely as an indifferent messenger to the old friend of his family, Mr. Lovelace; and hereafter when circumstances might require him to declare his opinions, he would still be free as air, for his father scorned to lay any restraint upon him, and so managed his arrangements as not even virtually to lay him under any obligation to party; but it must not be denied that in his own heart he trusted much to the influence of the air of St. Germain's acting upon a constitution so chivalrous as he knew Granville's to be.

Judge then of the cold water thrown on his hopes and projects by the knowledge of his son's intimacy with Mr. Hardynge, a low churchman, (if not a sectarian in heart) a Whig, and a Hanoverian. He knew Hardynge too, knew him to be a man of vulgar manners, while his son's were more than usually refined; therefore this intimacy perplexed as much as it annoyed him : he could not account for it. But the few words that

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