not come up to my standard of female perfection, she is far too amiable and too forlorn to be trifled with; and, therefore, I will not try to win her affections, till I know I can reciprocate them.  With regard to the Falkners, I will be guarded.  I respect the old man sincerely, and his family; farther, deponent sayeth not.  He is the beau ideal of a country squire, and I think you will like him!  They are all remarkably civil, and I must, for many reasons, keep up an intercourse, or give room elsewhere of having my plans suspected, The whole village, I believe have given me to one of the Falkners.  I do not wish even the worthy Dr. Sherman and his excellent wife to suspect that I feel more than a common interest in their protegee.  I wish you would come down for a month, I think you would like this part of the country, and I am sure you and Mr. Falkner would get on together.  Neither have I the slightest doubt, but you would be pleased with the Shermans; they are gems, perfect gems, in their way.  And as to Miss Willoughby,—­but come and judge for yourself.  You are engaged, or I might not, perhaps, be so pressing.

“Just as I was concluding this, a letter was brought by the mail, from a distant relative, who is just returned from India.  It was hastily written, and sent off while the ship was laying in the Downs, requesting me, if possible, to meet him at Deal.  So I am off for a short time, and will write to you directly I return.  Till when, farewell.

  “Ever faithfully yours,

  “GEORGE.”

Every meeting increased Helen’s respect for Mr. Mortimer; she often met him at Dr. Sherman’s, but it seemed always the result of chance, nor had she the slightest idea that he felt for her other, than the esteem of a friend.  The village gave him to one of the Misses Falkner, and Helen took it for granted it was so.  She rather regretted it, as she thought him too good, and feared they could, neither of them, appreciate his worth.  She occasionally met the Falkners at Dr. Sherman’s, when the eldest young lady always took care to monopolize him, which, for reasons of his own, he readily fell into.  When he took leave to go to Deal, Helen could not help fancying there was a tenderness and peculiarity in his tone, as he addressed her, and yet she thought she must be mistaken, and that it was only his natural friendly warmth of manner, for she had none of that silly vanity, that leads many girls to fancy, because a man is kind and attentive, he must be in love.

She missed him greatly, for latterly he had accompanied her in her songs, and supplied her with music and books; still, all was done under the mask of friendship, and duplicates of these little presents were generally procured for Falkner Villa.  Also, Henry, too, was sadly at a loss for his companion; all his out door amusements seemed to have lost their interest, and he began to look anxiously for the time proposed for his return.  A room was prepared both for Mr. Mortimer, and his cousin, at Mr. Falkner’s.  On his return, however, he preferred going to his own quarters, leaving Sir Horace Mortimer, his relative, to the hospitalities of Falkner Villa.