"And must be at our May-day," adds Belle-bouche, quickly. "Good evening, Mr. Mowbray and Miss Lucy; I wanted to see you." With which words Belle-bouche gives her hand to Lucy. "You must come to our May-day at Shadynook;--promise now. Mr. Mowbray delivered my message?" "Yes; and I will certainly come--if Ernest will take me," says Lucy, smiling. The pale face of Mowbray is lit up for a moment by a sad smile, and he replies: "I will come, madam--if I have courage," he murmurs, turning away. "You must; we shall have a merry day, I think. What a fine assembly!" "Very gay." "Oh, there's Jenny----" "A friend?" "Oh, yes!" And while this conversation proceeds, Jacques is talking with Lucy. He interrupts himself in the middle of a sentence, to bow paternally to a young lady who has just entered. "Good evening, my dear Miss Merryheart," he says. "Oh, sir! that is not my name," says little Martha, laughing. "What is?" "Martha." "And are you not desirous of changing it?" The girl laughs. "Say, for Mrs. Jacques?" "Oh!" cries Martha, with a merry glance and a pleasant affectation of reserve, "that is too public." "The fact is," replies Jacques, smiling, "you are looking so lovely, that I could not help it." "Oh, sir!" says the girl blushing, but delighted. Which expression makes her companion--a youthful gentleman called Bathurst--frown with jealousy. Lucy is admiring the child, when she finds herself saluted by Sir Asinus, who has made her acquaintance some time since. "A delightful evening, Miss Mowbray," says that worthy; "and I find you admiring a very dear friend of mine." "Who is that, sir?" says Lucy, smiling. "Little Miss Martha." "She is your friend?" "Are you not?" says Sir Asinus, bowing with great devotion to Martha; "you caught me this morning, you know." "Oh no, sir! you caught me!" "Indeed!" cried Sir Asinus; "I thought 'twas the lady's part!" And he relishes his joke so much and laughs so loud, that the girl discovers her mistake and blushes, which increases her fresh beauty a thousand-fold. Sir Asinus heaves a sigh, and contemplates a declaration immediately. He asks her hand for a quadrille instead. "Oh, yes, sir!" Whereupon Bathurst revolves gloomy thoughts of revenge in the depths of his soul. Sir Asinus, seeing his rival's moodiness, smiles; but this smile disappears like a sunbeam. He sees Doctor Small approaching, and turns to flee. In doing so, he runs up against and treads on the toes of Mr. Jack Denis, who laughs, and bowing to Lucy, presses toward her and takes his place at her side. Sir Asinus makes his way through the crowd, paying his respects to every body. He arrives, at length, at the door of the side room where the devotees of cards are busy at tictac. He is soon seated at one of the tables by the side of Governor Fauquier, and is playing away with the utmost delight.