CHAPTER IX.

-Oftentimes, to win us to our harm,

The instruments of darkness tell us truths."

Shakspeare.

"Do you think you can procure me a copy of old Ashley's will?" asked Mrs. Captain, in her usual disrespectful style of conversation, when alone with Cooper.

"No doubt I can," he replied; "but what is in the wind now ?-what dodge are you up to ?"

Never you mind," was the courteous reply; "perhaps I have no motive but curiosity. You let me have a sight of this will, and I shall then know better what I want."

Accordingly, as a copy of the will was among the Colonel's papers, and quite easy of access, it was borrowed by the agent, and conveyed to Mrs. Captain Mordaunt, who, after several futile attempts to come at the plain English meaning, enveloped as that was

in the technicalities of the law, was fain to ask Mr. Cooper's assistance respecting a few sentences, which seemed particularly to interest her.

"If you think to wheedle him out of more money just now, you will find your mistakehe has been bothered lately in many ways, and that annuity to you, swept off a cool five thousand and odd."

'And what of that ?" she retorted, with a contemptuous laugh; "I can put him in the way of, perhaps, repaying himself with interest, and a handsome present to the gold-finder, besides."

"What stuff you talk, Maria," exclaimed Cooper, angrily;" whenever you get on that hobby, you remind me of a beggar on horseback."

"You keep a civil tongue in your head, or when I am lady paramount, you may look for your profitable agency some fine day, and find it gone."

"By the Lord Harry!" he replied, pale with spite and rage, "if you go on so, I will blow your fine scheme about your ears, and-"

"Be buried yourself under the fragments. Dare but to threaten me again, and see if I do not rout out that Palais Royal affair."

"Fool and fury," he began—

"Keep the first title to yourself," she retorted, interrupting him; "why, you are quarrelling with your bread-and-butter, you great gaby-and now tell me, what is that man from London doing up yonder ?-what plot is hatching there ?"

"I do not know," he replied, sullenly; and if I did, I would not tell you.

'Yes you would," she replied, with a conciliatory laugh, and patting his back ;-"there, the monkey is off- and do not play these tricks with me. Are we not both in the same

boat ?"

"I am not quite sure of that," said he, beginning to be controllable; "but you make me mad when you go on so absurdly. I know no more than you about this business with Mr. Sloper; I only suppose they are trying to raise the needful somehow, though how he spends his income, puzzles me."

"If he meets that set in town, it is easily understood-remember what he lost one night in Paris- why, that German alone would strip the very skin off you, if he could make anything of it. I have often warned him, since we have had nothing to do with it—but I believe he is sometimes mad after the dice. And now I think of it, what is Miss Ruth doing, or rather what has she done lately?"

"Oh! she says every one suspects her, and that she is miserable, and talks of leaving, and being sorry, and such stuff."

"Ah! she must do a little more, and be a little more sorry, before I have done with her, and then she may leave and go where she likes; she must have acted like an idiot to cause suspicion-and serve her right."

"Well, this is good," cried Cooper; "why, you have tempted the girl to watch and betray her employers, and now you upbraid her with having drawn upon herself suspicion. That old dragon, Dawson, I am sure, has set them against her, and I owe her one for that trick."

'And I owe her many, for several tricks,' said she; "but it will be odd if I do not pay her, and another old witch, when my turn comes but even he is besotted about her honesty and management, forsooth."

The "He" thus unceremoniously alluded to, came that evening, on a little business connected with Augustus, who was expected from Paris; but from whom his mother had that day received a letter, dated London, in which he said that he should be detained there for a few days

Two or three words must here be especially devoted to Master Gussy and his doings;

for the truth is, he was absent without leavehe had absconded, deserted-in short, run away from school. He had there been detected in so many discreditable pranks-among others, frequenting estaminets, gaming and smoking with the soldiers stationed at Versailles, where his school was that the head master, at length, determining to impose some severe penance on him, ordered him to solitary confinement, till he could think of what was most likely to cure him. But Augustus did not relish the idea of waiting till this salutary measure was arranged; he contrived to escape, made his way to Paris, where, among a few profligate acquaintance he had picked up during his mother's sojourn in that city, he was concealed and encouraged-till, every franc spent, and a handsome watch and appendages, with his clothes, all gone, he wrote for a remittance to enable him to cross the water, as he positively refused to return to school; and by threatening his mother to do something dreadful, obtained at once the requisite sum. Arrived in London, he joined Juliet at the house of one of his mother's friends, wisely waiting till the storm, which he knew raged against him at Seabrooke, had passed over.

"What is this about Augustus ?" asked the