6

teristic we are noticing, when we point it a residence where life might flow onto the writings of Dr Channing for an ward in a stream of golden days. illustration of our meaning. They

“I am a man of strong will,' said he have to us an air of formality, a slight in conclusion, “and at my first setting out dash of pedantry. We seem to

in life as a poor unfriended youth, I rehear the echo, though it has grown such a mansion and estate as this, together

solved to make myself the possessor of faint, of the Johnsonian rhythm. with the revenue necessary to uphold it. They are often not ineloquent, but I have succeeded to the extent of my utthe eloquence seems to have passed most wish. And this is the estate which under the hands of the composition. I have now concluded to dispose of.' master. The clever classical romance, “And your terms ?' asked the Intelcalled “The Letters from Palmyra,' ligencer, after taking down the particulars has the same studied air. It is here, with which the stranger had supplied indeed, more suited to the subject, for him. every writer, when treating of a clas. “ Easy-abundantly easy!' answered sical era, appears by a sort of intui- the successful man, smiling, but with a tive propriety to recognise the neces

stern and almost frightful contraction of

the brow, as if to quell an inward pang. sity of purifying to the utmost his own

I have been engaged in various sorts of style.

business - a distiller, a trader to Africa, In some of Mr Hawthorne's papers

an East India merchant, a speculator in we are reminded, and by no means the stocks -- and in the course of these disagreeably, of the manner of Steele affairs have contracted an encumbrance and Addison. “ The Intelligence of a certain nature. The purchaser of Office" presents, in some parts, a very the estate shall merely be required to pleasing imitation of this style. This assume this burden to himself. central intelligence office is one open

“I understand you,' said the man of to all mankind to make and record intelligence, putting his pen behind his their various applications. The first

ear. I fear that no bargain can be neperson who enters inquires for “ a

gociated on these conditions. Very proplace,”, and when questioned what bably, the

next possessor may acquire the

estate with a similar encumbrance, but it sort of place he is seeking, very will be of his own contracting, and will naïvely answers, “ I want my place! not lighten your burden in the least.'» -my own place !--my true place in the world ! - my thing to do !”

Mr Hawthorne is by no means an

He is perpetually The application is entered, but very equal writer. slender hope is given that he who is giving his reader, who, þeing pleased running about the world in search of by parts, would willingly think well

of the whole, some little awkward his place, will ever find it.

specimen of dubious taste. We con“ The next that entered was a man be- fess, even in the above short extract, yond the middle age, bearing the look of to having passed over a sentence or one who knew the world and his own two, whose absence we have not course in it. He had just alighted from thought it worth while to mark with a handsome private carriage, which had asterisks, and which would hardly orders to wait in the street while its bear out our Addisonian compliment. owner transacted his business. This person came up to the desk with a quick “ But again the door is opened. A determined step, and looked the Intel- grandfatherly personage tottered hastily ligencer in the face with a resolute eye, into the office, with such an earnestness though at the same time some secret in his infirm alacrity that his white hair trouble gleamed from it.

floated backward, as he hurried up to the « I have an estate to dispose of, desk. This venerable figure explained said he with a brevity that seemed charac- that he was in search of To-morrow. teristic.

“ • I have spent all my life in pursuit " " Describe it,' said the Intelligencer. of it,' added the sage old gentleman,

“ The applicant proceeded to give the being assured that To-morrow has some boundaries of his property, its nature, vast benefit or other in store for me. But comprising tillage, pasture, woodland, I am now getting a little in years, and and pleasure ground, in ample circuit; must make haste ; for unless I overtake together with a mansion-house replete To-morrow soon, I begin to be afraid it. with gorgeous furniture and all the will finally escape me.'. luxurious artifices that combined to render “« This fugitive To-morrow, my vene

rable friend,' said the man of intelligence, amusement; while religion, thoughı " is a stray child of Time, and is flying indubitably the main thing at heart, from his father into the region of the in- is thrown tastefully into the backfinite. Continue your pursuit and you ground.” The train stops for rewill doubtless come up with him ; but as freshment at Vanity Fair. Indeed, to the earthly gifts you expect, he has scattered them all among a throng of

the whole arrangements are admirable Yesterdays.""

—up to a certain point. But it seems

there are difficulties at the other terThere is a nice bit of painting, as minus which the directors have not an artist might say, under the title of hitherto been able to overcome. On “ The Old Apple-dealer.” We have the whole, we are left with the perseen the very man in England. We suasion that it is safer to go the old had marked it for quotation, but it is road, and in the old fashion, each one too long, and we do not wish to mar with his own burden upon his shoulders. its effect by mutilation.

The story of “Roger Malvin's In the “ Celestial Railroad," we burial" is well told, and is the best have a new Pilgrim's Progress per- of his narrative pieces. “The New formed by rail. Instead of the slow, Adam and Eve," and several others, solitary, pensive pilgrimage which might be mentioned for an agreeable John Bunyan describes, we travel in vein of thought and play of fancy. fashionable company, and in the most In one of his papers the author has agreeable manner. A certain Mr attempted a more common species of Smooth-it-away has eclipsed the tri- humour, and with some success.

For umphs of Brunel. He has thrown a variety's sake, we shall close our notice viaduct over the Slough of Despond ; of him, and for the present, of “The he has tunnelled the hill Difficulty, American Library," with an extract and raised an admirable causeway from “ Mrs Bullfrog." across the valley of Humiliation. Mr Bullfrog is an elegant and The wicket gate, so inconveniently fastidious linen - draper, of feminine narrow, has been converted into a sensibility, and only too exquisite recommodious station - house ; and finement. Such perfection of beauty whereas it will be remembered and of delicacy did he require in the there was a long standing feud in woman he should honour with the the time of Christian between one name of wife, that there was an awful Prince Beelzebub and his adherents chance of his obtaining no wife at all; (famous for shooting deadly arrows) when he happily fell in with the and the keeper of the wicket gate, amiable and refined person, who in a this dispate, much to the credit of the very short time became Mrs Bullfrog. worthy and enlightened directors, has An unlucky accident, an upset of been pacifically arranged on the prin- the carriage on their wedding trip, ciple of mutual compromise. The giving rise to a strange display of Prince's subjects are pretty numer- masculine energy on the part of Mrs ously employed about the station- B. and disarranging her glossy black house. As to the fiery Apollyon, he ringlets and pearly teeth, so as to was, as Mr Smooth-it-away observed, occasion their disappearance and reap“ The very man to manage the pearance in a most miraculous manner, engine,” and he has been made chief has excited a strange disquietude in stoker.

the else happy bridegroom. “ One great convenience of the «« To divert my mind,' says Mr Bullnew method of going on pilgrimage frog, who tells his own story, I took up we must not forget to mention. Our the newspaper which had covered the litenormous burdens, instead of being tle basket of refreshments, and which carried on our shoulders, as had been now lay at the bottom of the coach, the custom of old, are all snugly de- blushing with a deep red stain, and emitposited in the luggage-van." The ting a potent spirituous fume, from the company, too, is most distinguished contents of the broken bottle of kalydor.

The and fashionable; the conversation

paper was two or three years old, liberal and polite, turning upon the but contained an article of several columns, news of the day, topics of business, ested. It was the report of a trial for

in which I soon grew wonderfully interpolitics, or the lighter matters of breach of promise of marriage, giving the

CHAPTER II.

of an elder brother freed him from the invariably do) into conversation probable burden of keeping her ma- about old times and old friends. It jesty's conscience. The same event is needless to say that I made special also relieved him of certain obstacles inquiry after Frederick Felworth. I in the way of proposing for, and ob- found that he had returned from India taining the hand of Fanny Felworth. a short time before Russell's marriage: Mrs Russell — at this time about and that, when about to rejoin his retwo years married — was the only giment after a few months' leave of daughter of Col. Felworth, who some absence, the Colonel feeling lonely years previous had held a staff ap- after the departure of his daughter, pointment in the south of England. and finding infirmities growing upon Her brother, Russell, and I, had been him,

compelled him to sell out. school-fellows some ten years before “You remember," said Russell, the time I speak of; and I may add, "the passion he had for horses wlien that the Emerald Isle, fruitful as it a boy; well, this madness (for it can is in such characters, never produced be called by no other name) has a more light - hearted youth than ever since continued on the increase;Frederick Felworth. The days of and between farming, magisterial school are quickly followed by the duties, and his horses, he finds ocactive business and the varied events cupation and amusement sufficient. of life. Russell and I went to Cam- The Colonel is daily feeling more and bridge; Felworth obtained a commis- more the effects of age, so that all sion in a regiment then in India. Soon matters devolve on Frederick. I was after, Col. Felworth retired from the writing to him this morning, and I service, and went to reside on his promised that you would pay him a property in Ireland, accompanied by visit when in Ireland. The house is his daughter and a widowed sister, called Craigduff, about forty miles his wife having died several years from Dublin." before.

“I will very gladly do so," I replied; In early youth, correspondence is “but my stay will be short, as I am seldom regularly persevered in for any under a positive promise of speedy length of time. Felworth wrote twice return.' or thrice from India, and then his let- “I am happy," added Russell, “ to ters ceased. Russell succeeded to his hear you will go. I have only to add property some time before his colle- that the country about Craigduff is giate course was finished; and as soon tranquil ;- and (you are still single,) as he took his degree, went to Ireland. though there is no charmer in the In his travels there, he visited the house, there is one not far off.” Felworths, (which I suspect was his I did not see much of Mrs Russell principal object,) and the natural con- during my stay, as some matters sequences followed. Immediately on seemed to engage a good deal of her his marriage, Russell went to the attention. In a brief conversation, Continent, where he remained until a however, which I had with her in the few weeks previous to the time of which evening, I found that she, like my I speak. Of Frederick Felworth, I saw friend Thomson, was a believer in the occasional mention in the Indian news- science of Phrenology. papers; such as his distinguishing Having been always accustomed to himself in tiger-shooting expeditions, treat the subject as a butt for the riding horse-races, and the like. Lat- shafts of ridicule, I fear I did not then terly, however, I had heard nothing speak of it with due respect. Conof him.

jecturing that “the baby" must have On my way to Ireland, I diverged a fine development, I ventured to ask a few miles from the line of railway, what bumps were the most promifor the purpose of spending a day nent. with the Russells. I found the little She immediately replied, that Fanny" of former years now the staid “number” was as largely developed matron, with the apartment called the on his head as on his Uncle Frednursery not altogether untenanted. erick's. “But there is little use," she When Russell and I were alone, we said, “in talking to an unbeliever like fell (as persons in such circumstances you on the subject :- but this I have