es." And he looked again at Miss Milner.

"Does your head ache, Miss Milner?" asked her friend, seeing her hold it
with her hand.

"Very much," returned she.

"Mr. Sandford," said Miss Woodley, "did you use all those drops Miss
Milner gave you for a pain in the head?"

"Yes:" answered he, "I did." But the question at that moment somewhat
embarrassed him.

"And I hope you found benefit from them:" said Miss Milner, with great
kindness, as she rose from her seat, and walked slowly out of the room.

Though Miss Woodley followed her, so that Mr. Sandford was left alone
with Lord Elmwood, and might have continued his unkind insinuations
without one restraint, yet his lips were closed for the present. He
looked down on the carpet--twitched himself upon his chair--and began to
talk of the weather.

CHAPTER IV.

When the first transports of despair were past, Miss Milner suffered
herself to be once more in hope. She found there were no other means to
support her life; and to her comfort, her friend was much less severe on
the present occasion than she expected. No engagement between mortals
was, in Miss Woodley's opinion, binding like that entered into with
heaven; and whatever vows Lord Elmwood had possibly made to another, she
justly supposed that no woman's love for him equalled Miss Milner's--it
was prior to all others too; that established her claim to contend at
least for success; and in a contention, what rival would not fall before
her?

It was not difficult to guess who this rival was; or if they were a
little time in suspence, Miss Woodley soon arrived at the certainty, by
inquiring of Mr. Sandford; who, unsuspecting why she asked, readily
informed her the intended Lady Elmwood was no other than Miss Fenton;
and that their marriage would be solemnized as soon as the mourning for
the late Lord Elmwood was over. This last intelligence made Miss Woodley
shudder--she repeated it, however, to Miss Milner, word for word.

"Happy! happy woman!" exclaimed Miss Milner of Miss Fenton; "she has
received the first fond impulse of his heart, and has had the
transcendent happiness of teaching him to love!"

"By no means," returned Miss Woodley, finding no other suggestion likely
to comfort her; "do not suppose that his marriage is the result of
love--it is no more than a duty, a necessary arrangement, and this you
may plainly see by the wife on whom he has fixed. Miss Fenton was
thought a proper match for his