fascinating, none sought after with greater avidity or perused with more interest than those which, relating a series of events often strange and apparently unconnected, faithfully pourtray the mysterious operations of the mind. But the principle of selection (with few exceptions) seems partial. The rich, the noble, and the wise claim almost exclusively our attention, while those whom fortune has placed in a humble sphere of life are generally consigned to unmerited oblivion. Does this arise from indifference? Oh no: there are many who take a lively interest in the welfare of the poor, and delight to alleviate their load of sorrow. Rather, therefore, should it be attributed to a deficiency of that information which, giving truth to a narrative, renders it doubly interesting. It has been the fortune of the writer, in pursuit of his professional avocations, to mix much with the poorer classes of society. He has witnessed many a scene of heart-rending sorrow; he has heard many a tale of incredible suffering and woe. And rising superior to misfortune, and shining with increased lustre amid surrounding obscurity, traits of character which would have done honour to the most exalted stations of life, have often called forth his warmest admiration. Embodied in the form of a narrative, the more prominent facts are presented to the public. The recital may be useful. Comparison does much to enhance our enjoyment of that happiness which is derived from mediocrity, and may lead us to lend our aid in lightening the burdens of our poorer brethren. It was early in the month of April, on the morning of one of those lovely days which Spring claims peculiarly as her own, and which contrasted with the rudeness and turbulence of the past are ten-fold more delightful, that I was preparing for my ordinary routine of business. I was about to leave the house, when a gentle knock at the door was followed by the servant introducing to me a little girl, whose tattered clothes told her humble condition, but her manners and countenance were strongly indicative of a superior mind. She very modestly curtsied, and in a pleasing, yet plaintive tone, requested me to visit her mother. Much pleased with her appearance, I assured her I would call during the day. She thanked me in a few broken words, for her heart seemed full; but a tear which stood in the corner of her eye conveyed more than language could express. As the message was not urgent I determined to defer my visit till the evening, when I hoped to be able to devote more time to my patient, in whom I felt somewhat interested. An unusual pressure of engagements detained me till a late hour, and the morning, which had been warm and fine for the season, was succeeded by a cold and damp evening. It was dark ere I set off, and my patient dwelt in an obscure part of the town, at some distance from my house. I soon found myself in the street to which I had been directed. It was almost deserted; a few drops of rain which were falling had driven within-doors the multitudes who usually thronged this thickly populated district, and I had to enquire at several houses before I could obtain information about the person whom I sought. At last I accosted an elderly woman, who directed me to a miserable chamber in a dark and dirty entry. With characteristic volubility of tongue she detained me with a long and unmeaning jargon concerning the object of my search, from which I could learn nothing except that she was extremely poor, and, to the mortification of the old woman, very uncommunicative. She seemed highly pleased that I had so patiently listened to her, and, conducting me to the door, bade me good night. I knocked gently, and the same girl whom I had seen in the morning admitted me. She pointed to a heap of straw in a corner of the room, on which was extended a pale emaciated form asleep. I motioned to the daughter (for it was her mother who slept) not to wake her, and seating myself on a low stool looked around. A few dying embers, contained in a broken grate, cast a glimmering light over the cold and comfortless hovel; and well do I recollect the chilly feeling which crept over me as I felt the damp stone floor and the keen blasts of wind which rushed through the broken panes. The furniture-'tis a mockery to name it-an old chest, a broken chair, the straw, and a ragged coverlet were all that the apartment could boast. My patient, so far as the gloom permitted me to judge, had not reached the meridian of life, and her features, though worn by poverty and disease, were yet beautiful. She slept; but the convulsive movements which agitated her frame, and ever and anon a deep-drawn sigh, told too plainly that it was not the sleep in which the mind finds repose, and from which nature awakes invigorated and refreshed. Beside her were two children, one yet helpless and unweaned. I was contemplating in silence the scene around me when suddenly the cry of the infant awakened the mother. She started, and seemed confused, but soon recovered herself, and when I rose to address her a smile irradiated her grief-worn countenance, and in whispering accents she thanked me for my ready attention. I asked her a few questions relative to her disease, and soon learnt the fatal truth. She was a victim of that insatiable destroyer, consumption. Already were his ravages too evident, and the hoarse, hollow cough, which ever accompanies his destructive progress, sounded mournfully in my ears; and well it might, for I knew too well the intractable nature of the disease; I knew, notwithstanding the representations of ignorant and unprincipled men, that except under very favourable circumstances, and those of rare occurrence, it is incurable. And, truly, it is a melancholy task to watch its progress from day to day, unable to avert the fatal termination, the powers of our art availing nothing, save to smooth the path to the grave. But to return to my patient. Having satisfied myself of the nature of her complaint, and given her some general directions, I was led to enquire as to the cause of the extreme wretchedness of her condition. She seemed to avoid the question; and at that moment her exhausted frame sank back on the straw. Unwilling to urge her further, I took my leave. I retraced my steps homewards, musing on the malady of this unfortutate woman, and lamenting how little assistance I could render her. I continued my visits, and each time found more to admire in my patient. Her daughter, whom I have mentioned before, and who was not yet ten years of age, tended her with the most affectionate care' anticipated all her wants, which were but few, and the look of maternal solicitude and love with which her afflicted parent would often regard her seemed more than sufficient to reward her for her attention, and knit still closer the bonds of affection between them. Still the causes of her extreme poverty were unknown, and the reserve she manifested, if any allusions were made to it, surprised me much. All my enquiries were to no purpose; and firmly, but respectfully, would she refuse my often proffered assistance. I felt grieved, not only on her account, but also for her poor children, for scanty were the means on which they subsisted, barely sufficient to support life; and often would the half-famished children cry to their mother, in accents that would have melted the hardest heart, for food to satisfy the cravings of hunger; and her little nurse, although evincing the utmost patience under suffering, and gladly enduring every privation for her mother's sake, began to sink under the combined effects of want, watching, and grief. Meanwhile the disease progressed with frightful rapidity, and, foreseeing that death would soon terminate her sufferings, I thought it my duty to apprise her of its approach. Finding her one day in a calm and tranquil frame of mind, I hinted, in the most cautious and gentle manner, at the probability of the fatal termination of the disease. She seemed not to have expected this, and was silent, as if loth to part with that delusive idea which had buoyed up her spirits with the hope of recovery. But the spell which bound her to this earth was broken. Henceforth her thoughts were concentrated on heaven. I left the room, When I next visited her, I saw a striking alteration in her manner; all reserve had vanished, and she seemed eager to communicate something to me. She begged me to sit down near her, and, in an animated tone, addressed me thus: "I fear, Sir, you will think me very ungrateful for having so long and obstinately prevented your kind intentions; but a prospect of speedy relief, together with a firm hope of returning health, have induced me to refuse the proffered aids of charity, and this not so much from feelings of pride as from the necessity of reverting to some incidents of my past life which, in common gratitude, I could not have concealed from those who took a friendly interest in my condition. But since the hope of recovery has vanished, and death may even now be at hand, I think it my duty, for my children's sake, no longer to abide by my former determination; and, as you have ever manifested towards me the utmost kindness, there is no one in whom I would more willingly confide than yourself. If you will deign to hear me, I will relate the causes which have reduced me to this wretched condition." I expressed my assent, and she proceeded thus: "I was born at the village of N -, in one of the southern counties of England. It is a lovely and sequestered spot, situate in the bosom of a vale bounded on either side by lofty hills, which, clothed to their summits in the most luxuriant verdure, pleasingly contrast with a chain of mountain heights which tower far above them in rugged grandeur and stern magnificence. By the side of a clear crystal stream, which runs across the road to empty itself into an adjacent river, there stands a neat cottage. The natural beauties that every where surround it, and the rich profusion of roses and jessamine that cover its white-washed walls impart to it an air of rustic simplicity and elegance that attracts oft the notice of the passing stranger, as he loiters awhile amid the beautiful and romantic scenery. That was my home. There, in the spring-time of youth, rejoicing in health and strength, I sported gaily over the green meadows, or, climbing the mountain side, gazed on the vast expanse of country which, arrayed in all the varied beauties of nature, was spread out before me. Happy were those days, happy was that home-would that I had known no other! "My father was a smith; he was a steady and obliging man, and much beloved by the members of our village community. Unlike those who in drunken debauch and wretched company seek for that happiness which is denied them at home, he found ever. in the bosom of his family that lively pleasure which, resulting from the union of hearts constituted alike and actuated by the same feelings, delights with its innocency and purity. I well remember the smile of contentment and happiness that would illumine his dark-burnt countenance when he returned from work on a Saturday evening; how delighted would he seem with the air of cleanliness and comfort that pervaded all around! How tenderly would he take me on his knee, and, kissing me fondly, call me his dear, dear child. "Weeks and months rapidly passed away, and I had not known sorrow. Like some placid stream on whose tranquil bosom scarce a ripple heaves but soon it dies away, such then was life; and, as I glided smoothly over its calm and unruffled surface, pleasures ever new rejoiced me on my way. Soon, alas! misfortunes unforeseen disturbed its peaceful course, and the rude blasts of adversity, heaping in wild confusion its troubled waters, hurry me to the grave." As she uttered these words, her countenance beamed with supernatural fervour. The heated flush that mantled her sunken cheeks glowed with a deeper hue, and her dark and brilliant eyes seemed to extend their gaze far beyond the bounds of time to the mysterious and unknown regions of futurity. So true is it that during the febrile paroxysms which ever attend this disease, the powers of the mind are invigorated, and there beam forth as it were from the hidden recesses of the soul brilliant, but transient, flashes of intelligence. And oft at these times, among the humble and unlearned, have I observed indications of a lofty genius, which, if nurtured with care and trained by instruction, might have figured in the pages of history, or adorned the paths of science. But insurmountable obstacles forbade this; they lie beneath the cold sod; there is no stone to tell even their names. Passing near their resting places, often have I said of them, in the beautiful language of Gray, "In this neglected spot is laid Hearts once pregnant with celestial fire, Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed, A hurried message called me away. 66. 173 There When I next visited her she resumed her narrative. were occasions when my parents would invite the neighbouring villagers to join with us in some little festivities. My birth-day was one of these. It was on the evening of the day on which I had attained my eleventh year that many smiling faces were seated round our clean bright table. We waited only for my father's arrival that the happy circle might be complete. It was late when he returned, and he had lost somewhat of his wonted cheerfulness; at times he appeared absorbed in thought, yet he joined in our pleasures as formerly. "Do not think, Sir, that the humble and low-born are exempt from those frailties which lead away their more exalted brethren. Ah, no! there is the same restless and unstable mind to all, the same dissatisfaction with the present, the same eager aspirations for the future. All are alike engaged in the pursuit of happiness, which, like an empty phantom invested in a fairy garb, flits ever before them. Now, leading them up some lofty eminence, she seems within their grasp; the next moment she hovers far beneath them. Vain is their toilsome ascent. Gladly would they seek again in humility and retirement that which exalted station has failed to bestow. But I wander from my narrative. It may be thought incredible that my father, blessed as he was with no ordinary measure of human felicity, should have bartered the many comforts we possessed for some fallacious prospect of future advantage. Strange as it may appear, he did so; and well might he be in anxiety and trouble, for, unknown to his family, he had concluded an engagement which tore us from our home, and was the foundation of all our future misery. He had been employed at the mansion of a neighbouring nobleman, and a master-workman, who had come down from London to superintend some extensive alterations, struck with the beauty of some work he had executed, and pleased with the ingenuity he evinced, allured him by the promise of high wages to go to London. Without reflection my father engaged himself, and ere a week had passed we had exchanged the sweet air of one of the pleasantest villages in England for the smoky and foul atmosphere of the metropolis. I do not recollect that the change affected me much; I cried for a few moments as we passed for the last time along the lane that leads from our cottage to the high road: it was rather, I think, because my mother wept. "Immediately on our arrival my father was employed at a large engine manufactory, and his high wages enabled him to procure us It was my fortune also to receive an many of the luxuries of life. education much superior to what is usually obtained by those in my It has enabled me to express myself in language situation of life. which seems little suited to one so wretched as I, but it has also rendered me most acutely sensible to the long train of evils which I have suffered through life. As we dwelt in a populous part of the city, we had neighbours of every description of character, yet our acquaintances were few. Accustomed to the quiet and secluded habits of a country life, my mother shrank from that indiscriminate familiarity so Close by lived a man and his wife whom common in large towns. we sedulously avoided on account of their indolent aud intemperate |