his Eminence says, wants
the oily flavor. Some of the archdukes will manage this for
you. I 'm certain your long eyelashes have got further than
this already. The second is to send me a haunch of Bohemian
venison,--Schwartenschild's, if possible. The Cardinal says
that fat is become as scarce as true piety, and that a well-
fed buck is as rare as a good Christian!

"Are they wearing their corsages pointed at the back?----not
that I care, dearest, for I am above such vanities, but
Celestine wishes to know. When you receive the St. Ursula,
keep her in your own room, and with her face to the west;
and so good-by, and, with many prayers, believe me,

"Affectionately yours,

"THEODOSIA,

"Late Hester Onslow.

"Could you, by any chance, send me a good miniature of
yourself?----perhaps you guess for what purpose.
Haselquist's oil picture is too large for what I want; and,
besides, is really not like you. Even with all its
imperfections his Eminence sits looking at it for hours of
an evening, and says he can scarcely fancy anything
lovelier. I do not ask after Madame de H., for I hate the
woman. His Eminence has told me such things of her! But of
course you can only make the best of it for the present, and
get on as well as you can.

"D'Esmonde tells me that Frank is a fine boy, and very good-
looking, but fearfully dissipated, but I suppose the service
is like the Life Guards with us--and what can one expect? _A
propos_ to this, Norwood has written to me twice some
inexplicable nonsense about you, which I have not replied
to. What does he mean by 'treating a flirt like a flounce'
Jekyl says that the police have stopped his passport, or he
should have been after you to Vienna. This is quite
unintelligible to me, and I don't know why I repeat it."

Never did a frivolous letter give more serious thought, nor bring
gloomier reflections, than did this epistle to Kate Dalton. Her mind
dwelt far less on the paragraph which concerned her own future than
on that which spoke of George,--his devoted affection and his enduring
sorrow! And so it was true that he loved her! He had even confided
the avowal to another, and asked for aid and counsel. Why had he then
concealed it from herself? Was the fault hers? Had her own conduct been
the reason? Had her encourageme