“Yesterday was married, by special license, at the house of Mrs. D—–­, his Grace the Duke of L—–­, to the beautiful and accomplished Miss D—–.  His Royal Highness the Duke of ——­ was gracious enough to act as father to the bride upon this occasion, and was present in person, as were their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of —–­, and of —–.  The bride looked most bewitchingly lovely, in a simple robe of the finest Mechlin lace, with a superb veil of the same costly material, which hung down to her feet.  She wore a set of pearls estimated at thirty thousand pounds, whose chaste elegance corresponded with the rest of the dress.  Immediately after the ceremony they partook of a sumptuous collation, and the happy pair setoff in a chariot and four, attended by six outriders, and two coaches and four.

“After spending the honeymoon at his Grace’s unique villa on the Thames, their Graces will receive company at their splendid mansion in Portman Square.  The wedding paraphernalia is said to have cost ten thousand pounds; and her Grace’s jewel-box is estimated at little less than half a million.”

Wretched as Lady Juliana had long felt herself to be, her former state of mind was positive happiness compared to what she now endured.  Envy, regret, self-reproach, and resentment, all struggled in the breast of the self-devoted beauty, while the paper dropped from her hand, and she cast a fearful glance around, as if to ascertain the reality of her fate.  The dreadful certainty smote her with a sense of wretchedness too acute to be suppressed; and, darting a look of horror at her unconscious husband, she threw herself back in her chair, while the scalding tears of envy, anger, and repentance fell from her eyes.

Accustomed as Henry now was to these ebullitions of feeling from his beauteous partner, he was not yet so indifferent as to behold them unmoved; and he sought to soothe her by the kindest expressions and most tender epithets.  These indeed had long since ceased to charm away the lady’s ill-humour, but they sometimes succeeded in mollifying it.  But now their only effect seemed to be increasing the irritation, as she turned from all her husband’s inquiries, and impatiently withdrew her hands from his.

Astonished at a conduct so incomprehensible, Douglas earnestly besought an explanation.

“There!” cried she, at length, pushing the paper towards him, “see there what I might have been but for you; and then compare it with what you have made me!”

Confounded by this reproach, Henry eagerly snatched up the paper, and his eye instantly fell on the fatal paragraph—­the poisoned dart that struck the death-blow to all that now remained to him of happiness—­the fond idea that, even amidst childish folly and capricious estrangement, still in the main he was beloved!  With a quivering lip, and cheek blanched with mortification and indignant contempt, he laid down the paper; and without casting a look upon, or uttering a word to,