GEORGE BUBB DODINGTON, LORD MELCOMBE.

He had returned to Melcombe, not without shrewd suspicions that his cousin was soon to be his brother-in-law.

"Mrs. Valentine Melcombe will sound much better.

Oh, I suppose the young woman will be Mrs. Melcombe, though.

" Mrs. Peter Melcombe let Valentine know that she and Laura had returned to England, and would now gladly accept his invitation, given in the spring, to come and stay a few weeks with him whenever this should be the case.

Laura is my own cousin, and the only Melcombe.

'Sir,' says I, 'Mr. Martimer believed it, that's Mr. Melcombe

" "What did it look like?" "It looked like Mr. Cuthbert Martimer, and it stared at I, and then I saw it were Mr. Melcombe.

,' says she, 'that Mr. Melcombe be away.'

When they told her I'n seen Mr. Melcombe, she fell in a grete faint, and wrung her hands, and went in another faint, and cried out he were dead; but the sperit never walked any more, folks said it came for a token to I, 'her did ought to look for death by-times,' said they.

" Mrs. Peter Melcombe, thus welcomed back again in the gardener's mind, was then driving up to the door of Melcombe House, and Valentine was stepping out to receive her.

" Mrs. Peter Melcombe, thus welcomed back again in the gardener's mind, was then driving up to the door of Melcombe House, and Valentine was stepping out to receive her.

" "Laura," exclaimed Mrs. Melcombe, when the two ladies, having left the dining-room, were alone together in the old grandmother's favourite parlour, now used as a drawing-room"Laura, what can this mean?

Mrs. Melcombe felt that if she had not received such a warm and pressing invitation to come to visit Melcombe, she must have now supposed herself to be unwelcome.

Mrs. Melcombe felt that if she had not received such a warm and pressing invitation to come to visit Melcombe, she must have now supposed herself to be unwelcome.

" "I suppose Mrs. Melcombe has decided to marry again," he began.

" "No, I suppose, as I am a Melcombe" "A Melcombe!"

" "No, I suppose, as I am a Melcombe" "A Melcombe!"

He thought his brother seemed, with almost studied care, to avoid all reference to Melcombe.

" "Well, Mr. Melcombe shall judge.

I hope, please God, to prove that very soon; for now Laura's gone, I'm bound to Melcombe no longer than it takes me to pack up my clothes and the few things I brought with me.

I'll work, like my betters, and take not a stick or a clod away from that Melcombe.

"But how can I find time for it, even on this noble occasion, Mr. Melcombe, my wife's just been saying, is a wonder, for that long new conservatory all down the front of the house will take a sight of fillingfilled it shall be, and with the best, for if ever there was a lady as deserved the best, it's Mrs. John Mortimer.

" Mrs. Swan expressed herself pleased, and Swan marched off after her to get ready some cuttings which he was very desirous to send to the gardener at Melcombe.

"What, Swanny, is something else coming off then?" "Ay, sir; you see, Mr. Melcombe, I'm lost here, I'm ekal to something better, Mr. Mortimer knows it as well as I do.