Her father--a clergyman--heard so much of this, and had so many children of a different stamp, that when he came to christen her, at six months of age (which used to be considered quite an early time of life), he put upon her the name of "Lauta," to which she thoroughly acted up; but people having ignorance of foreign tongues said that he always meant "Matilda." Such was her nature, and it grew upon her; so that when a young and gallant officer, tall and fresh, and as clean as a frigate, was captured by her neat bright eyes, very clean run, and sharp cut-water, she began to like to look at him.

Before very long, his spruce trim ducks, careful scrape of Brunswick-leather boots, clean pocket-handkerchiefs, and fine specklessness, were making and keeping a well-swept path to the thoroughly dusted store-room of her heart.

How little she dreamed, in those virgin days, that the future could ever contain a week when her Charles would decline to shave more than once, and then have it done for him on a Sunday! She hesitated, for she had her thoughts--doubts she disdained to call them--but still he forgot once to draw his boots sideways, after having purged the toe and heel, across the bristle of her father's mat.

With the quick eye of love he perceived her frown, and the very next day he conquered her.

His scheme was unworthy, as it substituted corporate for personal purity; still it succeeded, as unworthy schemes will do.