tle; and ever and anon it sent such wild and mournful echoes from the forest below, it was as if the spirits of its dark sanctuary were abroad, and whispering their indistinct and incomprehensible sentences; yet sometimes swelling out more clearly, till the gust seemed to bring some spell-word of their mysteries. Often it was like the distant ocean, and coming nearer and louder, with the sounds of a sudden and destroying torrent, and mingled with the crash of trees, and the wail of the drowning. The serf shuddered in his cot, as the wild uproar came to his very door, and said: "The evil genii of the mountains have left their caves this night, and are come to destroy us! The wind eddied round old trees, and uprooted them, and bore their branches onward, as by some unearthly power: and the whole forest bent, even as eastern travellers before the simoon of the desert. It was not total darkness; pale gray clouds overspread the skies, and threw a dim light across the scene; and the benighted peasant, who looked toward the castle, and saw its changing shadows as the clouds swept along the heavens, and marked the light in its western tower, and the form that sometimes passed before its casement, turned from it and fled : for superstition had invested it with mystery, and its inmates, so secluded, so separated from human intercourse, were supposed to hold companionship with powers of other spheres. Very different was the scene in the castle that night, from any thus imagined. In that western tower, and still surrounded by the tomes of "varied lore," lay the pale and sleeping student, while near him sat his sister, still paler from many days and nights of anxious watching; for seldom had she left that melancholy chamber since the first morning of her brother's illness and to cool his feverish hands, and sooth his wild fancies, and in moments of distincter recollection, cheer and amuse him, was the sad yet sought and unremitted task of the gentle sister. Annette had, a few hours previously, insisted that Alice should retire to rest, and she watched alone by her brother listening in awe and silence to the ceaseless war without. For a moment there was a deep and fearful pause, as if the powers of the air were gathering their energies; and again the blast came fiercely, till the towers trembled, and an old parapet was torn away; its fall shook the castle as an earthquake, and its noise was like rolling thunder, as it passed downward among the ivied terraces and battlements. Starting from his sleep, Kriesler was in an instant by the window; and Annette crept beside him. His arm was stretched toward the forest, his eye kindled, and his lip quivered, and he exclaimed: "Spirits of yon misty darkness, ye come! ye come! Like the divine soul, crushed and chained in its vile prison of flesh, so is your glory dim this night, for ye have left your bright free home, and your way is through the thick atmosphere of earth. I see ye speeding along yon forest tops, and beautifully do they bend to your footsteps, and the rushing sound of your train is music! I have waited and watched-at last ye come!" 'My brother!" said the trembling Annette; and instantly that wild and sublime tone and gesture sank to the utmost gentleness, and turning toward her he said: 66 My sister, the work is done that I have laboured for years to do. Dost thou know what it is, Annette? I did not tell thee till I was assured of success; and thou hast marvelled to see me plodding through all yon mystic pages. Now listen, dear sister: I knew that in their mysteries was a fount of wisdom, whereof the patient searcher should drink, and whose waters have power the world wots not of, to control and rule it, and bend it like a slave to his will. And now, Annette, that it is done, and the mine of earthly treasures is opened for thee and me to choose, I will tell thee how I have toiled, and suffered, to gain it; how I have striven, till my very heart seemed worn away in its own ceaseless exertions. Weep not, dear sister; it is all over now, and it should not be sad but pleasant to recall those days, since they have brought such stories of happiness. It was for thee, my sister, that I sought them; and day and night a beautiful vision haunted me, and drew me on, on to its accomplishment; for it was to dissipate the clouds that gathered around future years, and make all thy life blessed, and bright, and rich with the ancient power and splendour of our house. And if those days had suffering, it was when their toil seemed in vain, and I thought of thee, so lone, so separated from the world, even now, when all its gifts of pleasure should be around thee, and it should be thy happy home. But the power is won, and the secret, and we shall be most happy. To-morrow-to-morrow— He flung himself on the bed; and as Annette bent beside him, he pressed her cold hand to his feverish forehead and fell into a profound sleep. But not thus did that wandering yet pure and noble spirit depart. As some spark that seems smothered in ashes, burns out with the splendour of its intrinsic element, ere it dies, so did it return to the holiness of its nature, and the last hours of the student were peaceful, and his spirit passed humbly and trustingly to the presence of its God. And does any ask where is Annette? Ask where is the streamlet, when summer heats have dried up its fountain; ask where is the spring flower, when the frosts of winter have returned in May; ask where is the singing bird, when the icy storm has passed over its nest. In joy arrayed; And then death comes, and where, fair thing! are ye! 13001 MALCOLM DEVEREUX, OR PASSAGES FROM THE LIFE OF A DREAMER. (Concluded from page 222.) I HAD not remained long in this mood, when I heard the door of the room gently opened. I turned my head to see what inhabitant of this enchanted palace should appear; whether page in green, a hideous dwarf, or haggard fairy. It was my own man Andrew. He advanced with cautious step, and was delighted, as he said, to find me so much myself again. My first questions were as to where I was, and how I came there? Andrew told me a long story of his having been fishing in a boat, at the time of my hare-brained cruise; of his noticing the gathering squall, and my impending danger; of his hastening to join me, but arriving just in time to snatch me from a watery grave; of the great difficulty in restoring me to animation; and of my being subsequently conveyed, in a state of insensibility, to this mansion. "But where am I?" was the reiterated demand. "In the house of Mr. Mackenzie." "Mackenzie-Mackenzie ! I recollected to have heard that a gentleman of that name had recently taken up his residence at some distance from my father's abode, on the opposite side of the Clyde. In fact, it was in his pleasure-boat, which had got adrift, that I had made my fanciful and disastrous cruise. All this was simple, straight-forward matter of fact, and threatened to demolish all the cobweb romance I had been spinning, when fortunately I again heard the tinkling of a harp. I raised myself in bed, and listened." "Andrew," said I, with some little hesitation, "I heard some one singing just now. Who was it?" "Oh, that was Miss Julia." "Julia! Julia! Delightful! what a name! And, Andrew -is she-is she pretty ?" Andrew grinned from ear to ear. Except Miss Sophy, she was the most beautiful young lady he had ever seen.' I should observe, that my sister Sophia was considered by all the servants a paragon of perfection. Andrew now offered to remove the basket of flowers; he was afraid their odour might be too powerful; but Miss Julia had given them that morning to be placed in my room. These flowers, then, had been gathered by the fairy fingers of my unseen beauty; that sweet breath which had filled my ear with melody, had passed over them. I made Andrew hand them to me, culled several of the most delicate, and laid them on my bosom. Mr. Mackenzie paid me a visit not long afterward. He was an interesting study for me, for he was the father of my unseen beauty, and probably resembled her. I scanned him closely. He was a tall and elegant man, with an open, affable manner, and an erect and graceful carriage. His eyes were bluishgray, and, though not dark, yet at times were sparkling and expressive. His hair was dressed and powdered, and being lightly combed up from his forehead, added to the loftiness of his aspect. He was fluent in discourse, but his conversation had the quiet tone of polished society, without any of those JUNE, 1840. K K bold flights of thought, and picturings of fancy, which I so much admired. My imagination was a little puzzled, at first, to make out of this assemblage of personal and mental qualities, a picture that should harmonize with my previous idea of the fair unseen. By dint, however, of selecting what it liked, and rejecting what it did not like, and giving a touch here and a touch there, it soon furnished out a satisfactory portrait. "Julia must be tall," thought I, "and of exquisite grace and dignity. She is not quite so courtly as her father, for she has been brought up in the retirement of the country. Neither is she of such vivacious deportment; for the tones of her voice are soft and plaintive, and she loves pathetic music. She is rather pensive-yet not too pensive; just what is called interesting. Her eyes are like her father's, except that they are of a purer blue, and more tender and languishing. She has light hair-not exactly flaxen, for I do not like flaxen hair, but between that and auburn. In a word, she is a tall, elegant, imposing, languishing, blue-eyed, romantic-looking beauty." And having thus finished her picture, I felt ten times more in love with her than ever. I felt so much recovered, that I would at once have left my room, but Mr. Mackenzie objected to it. He had sent word to my family of my safety; and my father arrived in the course of the morning. He was shocked at learning the risk I had run, but rejoiced to find me so much restored, and was warm in his thanks to Mr. Mackenzie for his kindness. The other only required, in return, that I might remain two or three days as his guest, to give time for my recovery, and for our forming a closer acquaintance; a request which my father readily granted. Andrew accordingly accompanied my father home, and returned with a supply of clothes, and with affectionate letters from my mother and sisters. The next morning, aided by Andrew, I made my toilet with rather more care than usual, and descended the stairs, with some trepidation, eager to see the original of the portrait which had been so completely pictured in my imagination. On entering the parlour, I found it deserted. Like the rest of the house, it was furnished in an elegant style. The curtains were of French silk; there were Grecian couches, marble tables, pier-glasses, and chandeliers. What chiefly attracted my eye, were documents of female taste that I saw around me; a piano, with an ample stock of Italian music: a book of |