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Kemp; and only resigned for the best of reasons, that he did not think her a religious character." "That is very likely; for I put the question to Mr, Meredith, and he honestly said, he could not regard her in that light." "Well, then, do you take care, my love, not to lead my flock astray, by introducing Moabitish women." Oh, my dear; and so you would keep this poor young creature from the privileges of sitting under a Gospel ministry, for fear Mr. Kemp and your other good young men, should lose their hearts.' "I would; and so look to it, my dear. Do not bring temptation in the way of my good young men; it would be like introducing him into the same house; he must see her continually. No, it must not be; you know plenty of folks, Mentoria; you must get her a place at a distance.'

Mrs. L. "You are a dear, arbitrary thing; and I must obey, I suppose. "Yes, indeed." "Well, enough then for the present. I really know of no place; and I shall not be very active in search; because, such a young woman as this, will not long be in want, and I had rather have nothing to do with it. But, I should like to hear why you make such a great point, of not introducing her in our village?" Mr. L. "Simply for the reason I mention to you. I know

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how pleased our excellent friend, Walker, was with the firmness of Mr. Kemp's principles, in a case where few men's principles are firm; and I should be sorry we turned tempters. Walker pointed her out to me, and related the circumstances on the day Mr. and Mrs. Meredith were married; if you recollect a tall girl, of very pleasing exterior?" 66 My love, you know I was not there." True, true; I had forgotten that." "But I have some faint remembrance, that you mentioned it to me in the evening, and with high commendation of the steadiness of Mr. Kemp's principles." "Yes, I did. There are a variety of consultations in the world; I have had one of a very different nature. I have been asked this afternoon to get a place at Court for a gentleman." Indeed! Who can it be for?" "You must guess." "Is it your clerk? Does he wish to be clerk at the Chapel Royal?”

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Mr. L. Oh, no indeed; nothing so humble as that, I assure you; it was to be about the person; some little light work, he didn't care what; just something to do, and a good salary; he would not have minded how light the work, because he's getting old; he liked to see the King on Court days, and he should not mind if it was not more than £200 a year.

Mrs. L. Who can you have been talking to; some deranged person, I suppose?

Mr. L. No, indeed; a substantial farmer in this place.

Mrs. L. Oh, I know now; there can be but one; it must be Mr. Joyce.

Mr. L. The very same. Always some castle, poor man; on the very brink of eternity, and yet perpetually planning some change. Never satisfied; always full of hopes. Some new relative starting up; some consequent change in his mode of life. It may be truly said of him, "he is like the troubled sea, which cannot rest. Poor Mr. Joyce; his history is a remarkable one. He was born with very good expectations; his father was a man who had travelled in early life, and it was his great delight to tell his adventures: there was not an island in the Mediterranean, in which he had not had some personal adventure. Like most travellers, he was thought to exceed the truth in his descriptions; and, it was a standing joke against him, that he went from Majorca to Minorca in a post-chaise. Nothing provoked him more, than to ask him in what vehicle he made such or such a journey. As his fortune was easy, and his connexions limited to this village, he was reduced to the necessity of taking his pipe at the fire-side

of our little public-house, where he was looked up to as an oracle. One may truly say, he lived upon the husks of his past adventures; for nothing new could arise. He got old and infirm; and the extent of his travels was from his own fire-side, to that of mine host,' and I believe sincere tears were dropped on his grave, by the landlord and his wife. This boy was the only child of his parents. His abilities were not great; and his father being accustomed to a constant recital, thought more of shining himself, than of making his son a brilliant character. I believe the village schoolmistress's stock of knowledge, with a couple of years at a very moderate boarding-school, finished his education. He married very young, and very imprudently; and being now a widower, without children, very tired of his wife's relations, who have preyed upon him for many years, seems desirous to begin life anew, and to try the humours of the Court, having been greatly disappointed in the village. I told him I really had no interest.' He seemed surprised; and said, he thought your uncle was a Lord, and he had always understood that Lords could do any thing.' I told him laughingly, that as soon as your uncle had made me a Bishop, he should have all my interest; but, as I did not expect that, I

thought we had better try to make ourselves happy in that state of life in which it had pleased God to call us.' He seemed to attribute that to my want of will, which you well know my limited power forbids; but he is too weak a man to talk with rationality, and I did not wish to pain him, by placing his absurdity in the right light; so I withdrew, assuring him he must apply elsewhere for Court favour. "It is astonishing," said Mrs. Lascelles, "how minds of a certain cast expect the most preposterous advancement; and ask as coolly for £200 a year, as a child would for a bit of bread and butter, when he was hungry. I have heard my uncle say, he had taken the pains to note every application which had been made to him; and he believed, that were it possible to balance the account, there were not places in the kingdom to satisfy the demands.'

We left Miss Jennings and her sisters in the uneasy state of persons compelled to work against their will, with an angry father and a fatigued mother, a giddy harebrained brother, as unfit to provide for himself as his sisters, and on the following morning the father was in the same state of determination that something they should do, without pointing to any thing. They really were to be pitied more than blamed,