esting."

"And do your sister's children live with you--had their father no
relations?"

"None; and even if he had, I should have petitioned to bring them up and
adopt them as my own. Poor children, when their mother died, their
situation was indeed melancholy. Helpless orphans of ten and scarcely
twelve, cast on a strange land, without one single friend to whom they
could look for succour or protection. My heart bled for them, and never
once have I regretted my decision."

The old man looked at her glowing cheek in admiration, and pressing her
hand, he said warmly, prefacing his words, as he always did, with the
affirmative "ay, ay."

"Your father's daughter must be somewhat different to others of her
rank. I must come and see you, positively I must. Wind and tide will be
strongly against me, if you do not see me in a few days anchoring off
your coast. No storms disturb your harbour, I fancy. But what has become
of your husband--your daughter? let me see all I can belonging to you.
Come, Mrs. Hamilton, crowd sail, and tow me at once to my wished for
port."

Entering playfully into the veteran's humour, Mrs. Hamilton took his arm
and returned to the ball-room, where she was speedily joined by her
husband, who welcomed Sir George Wilmot with as much warmth and
cordiality as his wife had done, and as soon as the quadrille was
finished, a glance from her mother brought Caroline and her partner,
Lord Alphingham, to her side.

The astonishment of Sir George, as Mrs. Hamilton introduced the blooming
girl before him as her daughter, was so irresistibly comic, that no one
present could prevent a smile; and that surprise was heightened when, in
answer to his supposition that she must be the eldest of Mrs. Hamilton's
family, Mrs. Hamilton replied that her two sons were both older, and
Caroline was, indeed, the youngest but one.

"Then I tell you what, Mrs. Hamilton," the old veteran said, "Old Time
has been playing tricks with me, and drawing me much nearer eternity
than I at all imagined myself, or else he has stopped with me and gone
on with you."

"Or rather, my good friend," replied Mr. Hamilton, "you can only trace
the hand of Time upon yourself, having no children in whose increasing
years you can behold him, and, therefore, he is very likely to slip the
cable before you are aware; but with us such cannot be."

"Ay, ay, Hamilton, suppose it must be so--wish I had some children of my
own, but shall come and watch