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Out bounded a pair of little girls, lightly yet war about and around; their red ladness

'Ah, Miss Swancourt: dearest Elfie! we heard you Are you going to stay here? You are our little one to London,' said one

'Let me tiss you,' said the other, in appearance very much like the first, but to a smaller pattern

Their pink cheeks and yellow hair were speedily interled with the folds of Elfride's dress; she then stooped and tenderly e,' said Elfride, s to Stephen 'They have taken it into their heads lately to call me "little mamma," because I a like one of Lady Luxellian's'

These two young creatures were the Honourable Mary and the Honourable Kate--scarcely appearing large enough as yet to bear the weight of such ponderous prefixes They were the only two children of Lord and Lady Luxellian, and, as it proved, had been left at ho their parents' teoverness Lord Luxellian was dotingly fond of the children; rather indifferent towards his wife, since she had begun to show an inclination not to please hi him a boy

All children instinctively ran after Elfride, looking upon her e specirown-up elder It had now become an established rule, that whenever she met them--indoors or out-of-doors, weekdays or Sundays--they were to be severally pressed against her face and bosom for the space of a quarter of a htful systeirls will occasionally abandon thesters towards the door by which they had entered directed attention to afrom the same quarter, to put an end to this sweet freedom of the poor Honourables Mary and Kate

'I wish you lived here, Miss Swancourt,' piped one like a melancholy bullfinch

'So do I,' piped the other like a rather more melancholy bullfinch 'Mamma can't play with us so nicely as you do I don't think she ever learnt playing when she was little When shall we come to see you?'

'As soon as you like, dears'

'And sleep at your house all night? That's what Ito see you I don't care to see people with hats and bonnets on, and all standing up and walking about'