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was infinitely the more graceful of the two and was the very ne plus ultra of youth and beauty. I will not attempt to describe her, for any thing that I could say would fall so far short of the reality as only to mislead the reader. Let him think of the very loveliest that he can imagine, and he will be still below the truth.

Having said this much, I need hardly say that I had fallen in love with her, and determined that come what might I would certainly marry her, if she would only have me: to this end therefore I now devoted myself. She must have seen what I felt for her, but I tried my very hardest not to let it appear even by the slightest sign. I had many reasons for this. I had no idea what Mr and Mrs Nosnibor would say to it; and I knew that Arowhena would not look at me (at any rate not yet) if her father and mother disapproved, which they probably would, considering that I had nothing except the pension of about a pound a day of our money which the king had granted me. I did not yet know of a more serious obstacle.

In the meantime, I may say that I had been presented at court, and was told that my reception had been considered as singularly gracious; indeed, I had several interviews both with the king and queen, at which from time to time the queen got everything from me that I had in the world, clothes and all, except the two buttons which I had given to Yram, the loss of which seemed to annoy her a good deal. I was presented with a court suit, and her majesty had my old clothes put upon a wooden dummy, on which they probably remain, unless they have been