Suddenly a footstep aroufed her attention, and while fhe was debating within herfelf whether to retire or continue, George Ormfby prefented himself before her. Catharine made a motion to depart-he caught her hand-" If I am an intruder, Mifs Selby, I will leave you?" "I thought," faid Catharine, by your coming to this fequeftered fpot, that you might with to be alone." "I am not," he replied, "in a proper state of mind to enjoy your converfation, but that you will have the goodness to excufe," In faying this he took her hand to conduct her towards the feat the had left, Catharine raised her eves to his face, and obferved that his features betrayed evident marks of anxiety and inquietude. "You are unwell, I fear, Mr. Ormsby," faid Catharine, with a foftnefs in her voice and a tenderness in her manner, that seemed to say she was not an unin. terefted fpectator of his diftrefs. "Allowing that it is fo," faid he, fmiling, "will you undertake to be my phyfician?" I have not yet taken up my diploma," was the reply. "Mine," faid he, " is only a mental malady; friendship will do more than medicine." "Then I recommend you to my brother," "He laughs at my complaint," He thinks it is not a ferious one," faid Catharine. "It is one he cannot cure," replied he, fetching a deep figh. Then rifing abruptly from his feat, he leant his head against the wall, and feemed loft in thought. His agitation became very vifible, and Catharine fancied her prefence was a reftraint upon his feelings, yet to leave him was impoffible in a frate of mind that feemed bordering on infanity. About the heart of Catharine there was not one atom, either of prudery or affe&tation; much of the milk of human kindness flowed around it, which caufed her to commiferate moft fincerely the forrows of Ormfby. She advanced towards him-his eye was fixed on vacancy -he did not obferve her. She fpoke" Mr. Ormiby, we had better return to the house." 66 By all means, by all means, madam," in a hurrying accent. X 5 "Ma"dam !" dam!" faid Catharine, repeating the word, "do you forget that I am the fifter of your friend?" "You are an angel," faid he, recovering himself. "Oh! Mifs In Selby, why is Selima Pedigree to unlike you? But excufe me, I have been this morning much difturbed-I came here to recollect myfelf-I fhall be better prefently." "I will," faid Catharine, "walk flowly through the wood, perhaps you will overtake me." faying this, fhe advanced towards the door. "Do not Jeave me, Catharine," cried he, in a wild but impreffive tone of voice. "By heaven there is nothing on earth more foothing to me than your friendship, more dear than your fociety; thofe hours of rational felicity which I have paffed with you, recur in the midft of every occupation, and feem the only part of my existence worth remembering. Do not then cruelly abandon me in the midft of trouble, nor wonder to find me a niggard of thofe pleatures I am fo foon to relinquish, perhaps for ever!" Catharine felt herself extremely embarraffed at the earnefincfs of his addrefs. She entreated him to allow her to go forward, and offered to wait for him at a feat. "But why will you leave me ?" asked Ormsby. "Because," said the "you have hurried my fpirits, and I feel a fick nefs fealing over me, that walking will relieve." "Go then, dear amiable Catharine," faid he "I will endeavour to conquer this ftrange pertur bation of fpirits, and fellow you." 'Do," faid Catharine, "I fhall wait for you under the lime trees." He conducted her down the declivity and returned to the temple. Catharine proceeded flowly through the wood, wondering what could have thrown Ormiby into a ftate of mind fo very different from any thing the had before witneffed. The marriage with Mifs Pedigree immediately occurred to her; that it did not meet his approbation fhe was already acquainted with. Yet as in compliance with the wifes of Sir James, he had fuffered the preparations to proceed fo far, the could not imagine what could fo fuddenly have occafioned him 66 fo fo much anxiety, fince the had heard that though he pofitively declined hurrying the ceremony, he had said he certainly would fulfil the engagements his father had entered into for him. She therefore hoped it was only fome little hurricane that would foon be difperfed, and that Mifs Pedigree might, when the became his wife, find it her intereft as well as her duty to promote his happiness. Yet while the hoped that he would find more felicity than he expected in his approaching union -fhe, fuch is the mutability of the human mind, almost envied the fair Selima the power of contributing to it. What a ftate of fupreme fatisfaction must it be, thought Catharine, to spend one's days in domeftic tranquillity and mental improvement; to watch the gradual progrefs of a strong and cultivated understanding, to catch from his example the pure flame of filial piety, and watch with tender folicitude the wants of declining age; to fcatter the bleffings of benevolence over the habitation of diftrefs; to raise the drooping head of pining worth, and beftow the rewards of induftry on the children of labour ! From these charming images the tranfition was easily made to maternal pleafure-the cherubic fmile amply repaying the tender careffes of maternal love-the grateful look beaming from the mindillumined eye of Ormfby, on his happy wife and infant reprefentative !-But here the reverie of Catharine was fuddenly interrupted by reflecting that Selima Pedigree looked down with fovereign contempt on domeftic pleasure that, infatiable in her purfuit of fashionable amufements, the would, probably, defpife the voice of authority, and break, without remorfe, the filken fetters of affection. (To be concluded in our next.) CURIOUS CURIOUS PARTICULARS CHARACTERISTIC OF EACH MONTH IN THE YEAR. Chiefly extracted from the New Edition of Dr. Aikin's 1. CALENDAR OF NATURE. JULY. -Deep to the root Of vegetation parch'd, the cleaving fields Of fharp'ning fcythe; the mower, finking, heaps A 2. 4. S January is the coldeft, fo July is the hotteft month in the year; for though the fun diminishes, yet the air and earth ftill remains heated. Plants decay and others fucceed, as wild carrot, and hemlock, wild thyme, fedums, and cotyledons, bull-rush, water-lily, marfh St. John's-wort, fun-dew, afphodelthiftle, fow-thistle, hawk-weed, blue-bottle, mary-gold, golden-rod, camomile, and fun-flower. 3. Animal creation oppreffed with languor from the heat, feek either the woods for fhade or the water for refreshment. The infect tribe are now active and vigorous, having a fhort time to live. 5. Infects undergo three changes, in each of which they have a totally different appearance. 1. From the egg into maggots, this their ftate in the fpring. 2. Next they turn into aurelias or chryfalifes, like an infant wrapped up in fwaddling clothes. 3. They then burft into the perfect infect, shining in all its colours, furnished with wings and endowed with furprifing activity. Shortly after this final period they die. 6. The luxury of cooling fhades can be enjoyed in in this climate only a few weeks. 7. Bathing now a delightful amufement-a pleasant and heathful exercife. 8. The exceffive heat occafions great evaporation of the earth and waters, which gathering into clouds break and pour down copious fhowers. 9. Thunder and lightning-the lightning is electric fire from the heated air and earth bursting through the atmosphere; the thunder is the noise of this explofion, and therefore always follows the flash, the found to the ear travelling flower, than the light to the eyes! Thunder of itself is entirely harmless. 10. Plants flowering this month are potatoes and hops, the meadow-fweet, and grafs poly, by ftreams and ponds; the pimpernel, cockle, and fumitory, in corn fields; blue campanula by the road fide; the nafturtium, jafmine, and white-lily, in gardens. The laft by its whitenefs cooling to the eye. 11. Heat on the human body allayed by currants, goofeberries, raspberries and cherries now ripe. 12. Mushroom appears, and the pilchards are taken off the coaft of Cornwall. 13. Frogs migrate from ponds-hoary beetle appearsbees kill and expel the drones-ants quit their nefts to found new colonies. 14. Ants proverbial for frugality, forefight, and industry. 15. Ants divided into male, female, and neuter. The neuters are the labourers without wings-males and females have wings, the latter having the largeft wings.-An ant-hill has three or four paffages to it-it is a large vaulted chamber, in the center is the old one, around whom are ranged the eggs and young worms. 16. When opened in the winter there are eggs, and the labourers in torpor. Procefs curious. 17. Ants lay up no provifion-prey upon beetles, caterpillars, dead mice, rats, frogs, honey, juices from leaves and fruits. 18. When they meet with more food than they can carry, they return to fetch their comrades to help them. 19. The poultry moult, young patridges found among the corn; first broods of fwallows and martins congregate, but fuffer feverely from the hawks and other birds of prey. The farmer |