The good Duchess Dowager, resisting all the entreaties of her son and daughter to take up her abode with them at Ribblesdale, now, thanks to her wise administration during her son’s minority, happily freed from all encumbrances, remains at Hampton Court; but the reigning Duchess has resigned her apartments in that ancient Palace, having, as mistress of Ribblesdale, no longer any need to occupy them. During a flying visit to Town, in endeavouring to cross Regent Street, Wilfred was cannoned against by another foot-passenger, in whom he was glad to recognise his kind friend, Mr. Caleb Lomax, of San Francisco, who was then staying at the Northumberland Hotel with his wife and family. These worthy people accepted Wilfred’s cordial invitation that they should visit him in the North; and when the visit to Holmcastle came to an end, they went on to visit the Duke and Duchess of Ribblesdale. It was the latter distinguished lady who presented Mrs. Caleb Lomax, Miss Lomax, Miss Olivia and Miss Aurelia Lomax, of the United States, to Her Most Gracious Majesty--a fact which you may be sure was duly recorded, with full particulars of the very handsome and becoming dresses they wore upon the occasion, in the San Francisco Dailies. In a cheerful room, in a snug almshouse overlooking the busy Mersey, an aged woman may be seen, thankfully passing a serene and peaceful old age, and awaiting her summons to another and less weary world. This is no other than old Biddy Maguire, and she owes her comfortable retreat to the influence of the young Squire of Holmcastle, who never forgot the blessing she had erewhile invoked upon his head in his hour of trial and disgrace, and who feels that his present prosperity may be in some degree owing to the prayers she offered up in his behalf. Marcus Ward & Co., Royal Ulster Works, Belfast. =TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES= Simple typographical errors have been silently corrected; unbalanced quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left unbalanced. Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed. Inconsistent hyphens left as printed.