tearing the strands apart with my teeth. After half an hour's biting, I succeeded in separating the rope; the continued quiet aboard the cutter induced me to believe that the watch had turned in. The twinkling of the lanterns aboard the floating beacon at the Nore, began to pale in the hazy dimness of the gray morn ing, when I committed the boat to the mercy of the stream, and sunk down to the wet floor for conceal ment. The boat, carried along by the power of the flood tide, kept the centre of the stream for some distance, but, striking against one of the harbour buoys, it entered a side current, and upon cautiously raising my head, I found that I was being rapidly carried to the shores of the small isle of Grain. "Immediately the boat struck the ground, I rolled gently over the land-ward side, and after plunging and wading for a few minutes, reached the solid ground. I walked hastily over the bleak, desolate spot; crossed the Scray or Colemouth Creek; and, having reached the main land of Kent, threw myself down amongst the long marshy grass, and slept soundly and securely till the sun had once more gained his western bed. "Wounded and stiff, I dragged my feeble limbs across the country during the night, and hid myself from the sight of my fellow creatures in deep fendykes during the day; my dress would at once have told that I was a run-away convict. The iron ring had chafed the flesh of my leg to the very bone. Some young turnips, torn from the earth, were my only food for upwards of fifty hours, and I sought my midnight draught from beneath the green filth of the standing pool, or in the muddy currents by the river's side. For three long days and nights did I endure this maddening work; and such was my agitation when I neared the dwelling of my wife, that my senses would have failed me had it been necessary to have endured another hour's delay." Henry Melton never recovered. The chafing of the iron ring produced a sore of a more serious nature than the broken bone. The badge was removed with the aid of a blacksmith, and every possible at tention paid to the wound, but the appearance of gangrene rendered amputation necessary, an operation that Melton resolutely refused to undergo. I visited him one evening, and found by the glassy fixedness of his eyes, and the indescribable taint that is ever to be found in the chamber of a departing spirit, that his hours were numbered. He beckoned me to him: his breath was noisome, and his thin palms were clammy with the dampness of death. "It will soon be over now," said he. "I care not for the anguish of my wounds-the pale cheeks and wrinkled brow of my poor wife, my father's death. the disgrace of our once honoured name-are worse than daggers in my heart. I do not wish to live, for I cannot bear to look upon the misery I have caused." His weakness rapidly increased. He took the hand of his wife, who was anxiously but silently attending to her dying husband-"Emily, I have given you cause to curse my very name-forget it-let my memory rot in the grave; cherish not a recollection of 44 the mean, degraded wretch who voluntarily left an angel's arms to wallow in the stews of infamy and sin. You are still young-and in the love of one more deserving may yet find the happiness you merit. Let me lie in the green fields, near the surface of the cool and pleasant earth. Place me not near my father's grave, lest his bones should rattle with horror at the approach of his convict son. But I am not a convict now-give me my pardon-let me die with it in my hands—a free and unchained man." He clutched the paper in his long and bony fingers; his jaw fell, and with a scarcely perceptible sigh, he yielded up his life. The wife, who had been supporting the head of the dying man, gazed with a vacant look upon the work of death; grief had dimmed the power of her sightshe knew not that her husband's life had passed away, but continued her sad offices of affection, and with a gentle hand she wiped the moisture from his brow, and damped the fever-cracked and shrivelled lips. Her child, who, in compliance with her father's wish, had been seated on the bed, crawled to the outstretched hand of her departed parent, and tried to carry it to her little mouth that she might grace it with a kiss. The hand escaped from the child's tiny grasp, and fell with a dead heaviness upon the bed. That little action roused the attention of the devoted wife; a convulsive shudder agitated her frame-she cast a searching look upon the corse-her pale, transparent fingers rambled over the immovable features-the dreadful certainty of the death of her beloved one broke full upon her mind—a mighty and unearthly shriek told of the bursting of her heart, and she fell lifeless upon the dead. THE FIRST VIEW OF THE OCEAN BY J. BIRD, ESQ. Beats there a heart which hath not felt its core Thou trackless, dark, and fathomless, and wide, A SCENE AT THE THEATRE. BY THEODORE HOOK. [The following excellent scene is extracted from Mr. Hook's last new novel of Jack Brag, a work full of the author's well-known peculiarities, and radiant with wit and humour. It was published here at the commencement of " the crisis,” and fell, still-born, from the press-an unavoidable, but undeserved fate. The hero's mother, a tallow-chandler's fat and vulgar widow, has married her apprentice, James Salmon, and with her boy-husband and her dashing son, is passing the honeymoon at Lewes, a provincial town in England.] JACK BRAG and his father-in-law proceeded to the theatre, where Jack, by dint of certain flourishes, seeured one of the stage-boxes, which luckily for the gratification of his ambitious heart, had been given up only a few minutes before by a very distinguished country lady, who was unable to occupy it, because her ninth child had been suddenly attacked with scarlatina. In turning away from the door of the playhouse, Jack was struck by the well-turned figure of an ex- | ceedingly smartly-dressed woman, whom by her gait and manner, taken in connexion with the locality, he was induced on the instant to set down in his own mind as one of the actresses. Jack was right; it was one of those fair and fascinating creatures, who, as Gay says of women in general, Minors, and calls herself, in the bills, Roseville,-it "What is it?" said Brag, "name it, and it's done,straight up, right down, and no mistake." Why," said Salmon, looking uncommonly sheepish; "there's nothing in it-but-I-wish you would'nt say any thing to Titsy about my meeting little Hogg." "Not I," said John; "I know the female sex too well, not to know how easy they are made jealous.— I conclude there's nothing serious?"— "-Nothing, upon my life!" said Salmon : "besides, I give you my word, I haven't seen the girl "Chance, and a little business together," said Sal- these six months—twig ?" mon; "twig?" "I hope you mean to come to the play to night," said Miss Roseville, with one of those looks which it is beyond the power of pen to describe. "We have just taken a box," said Salmon. "Mum's the word," said Brag; "no-no-there's no use making quarrels in families-life's too short for that, eh?" "Well, I'm sure, gentlemen," said the matron, as they entered the room," you haven't hurried yourselves." "We have been shopping, Titsy," said Salmon. 'Don't Titsy me, sir!" replied the lady, her cheeks burning, and her eyes almost starting out of her head. I have been shopping, too: you did not suppose I was going to be stewed up in this place, while you and Mr. John were flirting all about the town. I have got eyes, Mr. Salmon, and I'll take care and make pretty good use of them-I can tell you that.— Pray, sir, who was that fine flaunting miss in the lavender-coloured gown, with the short petticoats, and platted tails over her shoulders?" "Gown ?" said Jem. 66 Tails!" said Jack. Her departure was a considerable relief to J. S., who was kept in a state of perpetual twitter during the brief parley between them. He would willingly have given five pounds not to have encountered the fair syren while in the society of Brag; and would now have readily given twice as much to insure his silence upon the subject when they got home. "Yes!" said the lady, reddening with rage, "gowns, "Why," said Brag," you seem quite free and easy and tails: you are a nice pair; you'd do uncommon with that young creechur-who is she?" well to run in a eurricle, I'm thinking. I ask you who that dressed-up minx was, that you were talking to in the street?" "That," said Jim, "is Molly Hogg. I've known her these three years; she is engaged at one of the "A friend of mine, my dear mother," said Brag, resolved to bind Jem eternally to him by an act of selfdevotion, which, in the first instance, might induce him to make the check five hundred instead of three, -"knew her in London-one of the actresses :-met her at Lord Tom's-used always to take a box at her benefit-very amiable girl-supports an aged mother and nine orphan brothers and sisters." "Why, Mr. Brag is my son," said the lady. "Oh! beg pardon, ma'am," said the chambermaid, "I thought the other young gentleman was your son, being the same name." "Thought!" said Mrs. Salmon-" then you had better not have taken the trouble of thinking any thing about it. Mr. Salmon is my husband-will that satisfy you?" "Oh! quite, ma'am," said the maid, looking exceedingly surprised, and particularly foolish-" I beg pardon,-I▬▬▬▬▬” And so she retired, having by no means contributed to the settlement of Mrs. Salmon's agitated mind, who, the moment the door was shut, fired up anew, and exclaimed in a tone of exasperation— "No wonder, Mr. Jemes, the woman should be "A friend of yours, Master Johnny, is she!" said Mrs. Salmon; "why, then. I wonder she didn't shake you by the hand instead of Mr. Jim-that won't do -no, no! This was the trick of coming over here to the play, instead of enjoying the agreeable company of that genteel colonel, and showing him how we had made up matters, and how comfortable we could live together, Oh! to be sure! Mr. Salmon saw in the playbill who was to act here, and off he comes, helter-mistaken. I have no doubt she saw your goings on skelter, no matter what's to pay, in order to see her in the street, and so made up her mind that you painted face." couldn't be a married man." "I assure you, Titsy," said Salmon, "I did not know a word about it: and as for going to the play, if you don't like it, we won't go: and if you like to go back to Eastbourne, we will go back directly." "I'm sure that's fair enough," said Brag; "so don't let's squabble about nothing. Men of the world know great lots of people for whom they don't care a brass farthing. Here, dinner's just ready-the stage-box secured-all right, and no mistake." "Well," said the lady, "I don't want to break up our little family party, and I should like well enough to go to the play; but I will not go if that young woman performs to-night. What's her name, John?" 'Hogg," said Jack, "didn't you say Hogg, Salmon ?" "I!" said Jem-"no, you said her name was Hogg." "So I did, to be sure," said Jack. 64 44 'Never mind her mistake, mother," said Jack, who was determined to keep all things smooth; "you can't expect much wisdom in a chambermaid—so→ now here's dinner, let us overcome all our little worries, and you two shake hands and be friends, and no mistake." "Come, Titsy," said Salmon, holding out his hand. "Oh!" said the lady, snatching away hers, "I've no patience with you." When they sat down to their meal, common prudence dictated the observance of tranquillity and civility before the waiters, and the dinner happening to be good, and the wine extremely palatable, the matron softened from her stern resolve, and before it was time to go to the play, peace was restored, and a calumet-like glass, to the healths of their noble selves, 'Have you got the playbill, sir?” said the lady to concluded the sitting, whence, it must be owned, Mrs. her husband. "Yes, there it is," said Salmon. "And now, while Tity is looking that over, we may as well do this job about the check." "All right,” said Jack; "come along-here's pen and ink. You draw on me, I accept-payable at my banker's." Salmon rose with some reluctance, and not a little difficulty. The change of air, the increased exercise, the bottled porter at luncheon, the irritation before dinner, and the strong-bodied port wine after it, had combined to cloud the clearness of her mental faculties, and, to a certain extent, deteriorate from her bodily activity. Supported, however, by her living, loving props, the matron succeeded in reaching the theatre. When they arrived, the play had just begun, and the bang At this moment, and just as Mrs. Salmon had satisfied herself that no person blessed with the euphonic name of Hogg was to contribute to the entertainment of that night's audience, a tall, fresh-coloured cham-ings and flappings of the door and the seats drew all bermaid opened the door, having previously tapped at it, and entered the room. eyes to the stage-box, in the front row of which, and "Still fond, and amorous, and billing, Jack occupying the place immediately behind his mo "Then the young gentlemen will want two," said ther. To be sure, however desirable the stage-box the maid," and—” 64 might have appeared to be, the circumstances which No, no," said Mrs. Salmon, "we want but two." had occurred during the day, rendered it, if a post of "Then, where will your son sleep, ma'am?" asked honour, at least a post of danger, particularly as far the maid. as Jem was concerned. In the first place, the glare "My son," said Mrs. Salmon-" why in his own of the whole row of flaring lights in front of the stage bed, to be sure-where else should he sleep?" rested directly upon Mrs. Salmon's eyes; in the se "Then where will Mr. Brag sleep, ma'am?" said cond place, the illumination proceeding from the said lights exhibited her personal attractions, and all the the maid. peculiarity of her costume, with a most awful preci- | denounced Brabantio as an old fool for making it up, sion to the audience; and in the third place, their and the scene had proceeded to where Othello takes proximity to the actors, and the view which the box Desdemona away, Miss Roseville, having nothing bet commanded of “behind the scenes," not only de-ter to do, cast a lightning look at Jem Salmon, standstroyed her comfort as destroying the illusion, but af ing within two yards of him, and when she made her forded the most unfortunately favourable opportunity exit, the old lady could no longer resist the influence for Miss Roseville, née Hogg, to telegraph J. S. at of her rage. every available opportunity. 44 The play was Othello. The Moor, by what is called a London star,-King Log amongst the frogs; -and, as ill-luck would have it, Miss Roseville, who in London had been doomed to the humbler walks of the illeg.timate drama, was the Desdemona. She was, naturally, elated at her promotion, and determined to act in right earnest. To Mrs. Salmon, 'Shakspeare" was yet a sealed book,-she seldom went to theatres in London, and even if she did, the size of the houses, combined with the distance at which she sat from the stage, would have rendered any one of his finest plays a mere blank to her mind. But it so happened that she had never seen Othello, and, although it is quite impossible to spare sufficient space in these pages to record all her running commentary on the text, as it proceeded, we may be able to save a little of it, which certainly did contain some new ideas and illustrations, even after Johnson, Warburton, Steevens, Malone and Co. had done their best, or worst. 44 Did you see that, Mr. Jemes ?" said she. "What, Titsy ?—what?" asked Salmon. That girl's look at you," replied the enraged wife; "I'm sure its the same I saw you talking to before dinner :-if she does it again I'll speak to her-I will-" "My dear mother," said Jack, interposing in a whisper. The attempt, however, was futile; the demon had been awakened, and was not so easily to be appeased. It is true, that while the dreadful Desdemona was out of sight, it seemed to slumber; although when Cassio, by Iago's desire, gives Emelia a chaste salute, Mrs. Salmon's delicacy was so greatly alarmed that she exclaimed, "Well, I'm sure, what next?"'— which created a slight laugh in the vicinity of the stage, and even on the stage itself; and when Othello performed a similar act of kindness to Desdemona, a somewhat similar observation escaped her. Still as the heroine happened to be placed during that short scene with her back towards their box, nothing occurred to rouse the lion, until, as she turned to go off, In the senate scene she began to criticise the pro- the irresistible desire of Miss Roseville, nèe Hogg, to bability of the story." Run away with an old man's ascertain who Mrs. Salmon was, and in what mandaughter!-what, a nigger!-Stuff-nonsense, Jim- ner she could be related to or connected with her not true. What does he mean by his head and front? smart friend Jem, induced her to throw another tran-I don't see any curls. Antropoppygeis-where do sient glance into the corner where they sat,—a movethey live?—with their heads under their shoulders.ment which was instantly followed by Mrs. Salmon's Well, I'm sure-heard her story by parcels-that was giving her husband a pinch, of any thing but an amato save postage, I suppose." tory character, on his knee, accompanied with a terrific "Ugh," at the bottom of her voice. Her agitation now became visible, and the next thing she did, was to take so horrible a dislike to Iago for being vulgar This accompaniment was droned out in a tone of voice sufficiently loud to induce the audience to cry, "Hush! hush! silence!" and to compel Jack just respectfully to hint that his mother's remarks were, un-enough to mention King Stephen's inexpressibles by like the speeches of certain modest members in another place, quite audible in the gallery ;-but, just as the "nigger," as Mrs. Salmon called the Moor, had got to the words "she wished That heaven had made her such a man," their coarsest and commonest name, that her companions began to think she was sufficiently disgusted with what was going on, to wish to retire ;-but no-as soon as the scene between Othello and Iago commenced, her attention was fatally recalled. She fancied and felt that it was all real, and got so interested in the progress of the discovery of Desdemona's guilt, of which she was herself perfectly satisfied, that she Desdemona,-Miss Roseville,-Molly Hogg herself, kept encouraging him by continuous exclamations of appeared at the wing, ready to come on-the mo- That's right,"—" Tell him all,"-" Nasty hussey!" ment she arrived there, and before her train was con--and when he came to the words signed to the dirt of the stage, her eye caught that of Salmon ;-a look of recognition followed,-the excited matron saw it ;-she, what she called, "contained herself" at the minute,-but, coupling what she had seen in the afternoon with what she then witnessed, she was not long in making up her mind, that although she had unplatted her tails and lengthened her petti coats, the girl in the lavender gown in the street, was the nigger's wife in the play. Miss Roseville was extremely well received, and played very respectably, and things went on very "Beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is a green-eyed monster,”— she could not help saying to J. S. in a tone by no means confidential-" Better that than a black-eyed one, at any rate." Things after this proceeded rather calmly, until the Moor, in the height of his rage and abhorrence, exclaimed in a most impassioned manner "I'd rather be a toad"— quietly; but, after Mrs. Salmon had somewhat loudly Mrs. Salmon, who did not wait for the alternative, A SCENE AT THE THEATRE. cried out, loud enough to be heard half over the himself does not justify a repetition here of the word he house" Well, that's a rum taste, anyhow!" uses, called her an impudent-something; when Mrs. Salmon, starting from her seat, exclaimed at the top of her voice-"You are right old fellow!-she is one, and I know it!" This observation again attracted the attention of the gentle Desdy, who was again at the side scene, waiting for her cue to come on with the handkerchief, and again her regards were thrown upon Sal mon. "There, Jim," said the lady-" there she is again." And when she appeared solacing her husband on account of his headache, all her anxieties were met by her respectable rival and auditor, with the words Gammon !"-" Pooh!"-"I don't believe you;" until, on quitting the stage, and repeating the words, "I am very sorry that you are not well!" Miss Hogg certainly did look somewhat pointedly at "I'll tear her eyes out, Jemes," said the bride. Go away, indeed!" replied the lady-" no, no!— you don't budge an inch.-Did you ever," continued she, turning to her son, "see such imperence as that? I'll watch her pretty closely, and if it's what I think—if I don't-Never mind; them as lives longest sees the most." This sounded ominous, but Jack and Salmon hoped that nothing more would come of it. However, when Desdemona next appeared, and ventured so near the box that the direction of her eyes could no longer be doubted, although the expression of her countenance was more indicative of anger and curiosity than of love, Mrs. Salmon exclaimed can't I see?" "Jim, I'll spit in her face!" Titsy! Titsy!" said Salmon. Oh, Titsy! my eye!" cried she “Hush! hush! hush!" cried the audience in the boxes; "Silence!" said the pit; "Turn her out!" roared the gallery. This noise, the more particularly, attracted the looks of Miss Roseville to the offending party, and, consequently, provoked some horrid grimaces on the part of the jealous wife, which, when the poor girl put on something like a supplicating look, was consummated by Mrs. Salmon's performing that, which my friend Mr. Gurney saw the convicted pot-stealer, at the Old Bailey, exhibit to the astonished judge, in the shape of what is conventionally called a double sight. Still the tumult was suppressed-every glass in Lady Patcham's box being directed point-blank into Brag's box-until that part of the scene in which Desdemona, (still availing herself of every opportunity of casting looks, rather of inquiry than of tenderness, towards Salmon,) is spoken to by Othello, in the most cutting terms. At the end of every one of his severe speeches, Mrs. Salmon kept crying out in a sort of spasmodic whisper, "That's it!"—" Give it her, nigger!"-" Sarve her right!" till at last the Moor became so violent that even the mightiness of Shakspeare Here the uproar became general-the cry of "Turn her out!" instead of being confined to the gallery,was universal. The black star came forward and bowed; Desdemona herself stepped to the front of the stage, and performed a certain number of regulation heavings and pantings, amidst loud cries of "Down, down! Silence, silence!"-Salmon holding his bride back in an immense fright, and Jack actually ready to die of of the disaster. After a few minutes, silence was obtained, when Miss Roseville, trembling like a leaf, said, or rather faltered out:-" La-dies and gen-tle-men,-" (here a flood of tears P. S. produced three rounds of applause,) -“I am placed in a situation of painful difficulty.Conscious of earnestly exerting the small ability I possess for your entertainment, I find myself so loudly and constantly interrupted by a lady in the stagebox, of whom I have no knowledge, that I have only to throw myself upon the accustomed liberality of a British public for protection." (Loud cheers.) “If I have offended"-" No, no, no!"-" Ladies and gen tlemen, from my heart I thank you!" This said, with a profound inclination of the head, hands crossed over the bosom, and a courtesy down to the ground, which produced upon Miss Molly Hogg's drapery the effect of what is called in gamesome times," making a cheese," produced reiterated shouts, accompanied with cries-"Turn them out!-turn them out!" Now had Mrs. Salmon's wrath reached its highest pitch: "I won't go out!" she exlaimed. "It's all very fine your talking; but I'll tell you what, Miss Hogg-I won't let you stand making sheep's-eyes at my J. S.-I wont; and if you come near him, I'll tear them out of your head, and leave you to see through the holes." Here the riot and confusion were such as to convince Brag that nothing but the retirement of his respectable parent could save her from expulsion; he, therefore, put on a supplicating air, and begged her to come out with him—a petition in which Mr. Salmon earnestly joined, and for which his exemplary bride, having no other means of venting her rage, gave him a most tremendous slap in the face, which sent him sprawling over the second seat, accompanied with a loud remark, that he was as bad as Molly Hogg.— Jack, assisted by a box-keeper and the manager, succeeded in getting the infuriated dame into the lobby, whence seeing a door at its termination evidently leading on to the stage, she dashed through it, and if, by the merest chance in the world, her companions had not kept fast hold of her, she would assuredly have rushed on to the scene, and utterly annihilated the gentle heroine of the night, in the sight of all the audience. |