grass, by which a portion of the plain was covered, having taken fire, the column of flame approached our troop so quickly, that one of the carts, laden with wine, took fire and was entirely destroyed, while the rest escaped with considerable difficulty. The best plan of escape in cases of this kind seems to be that of setting fire to the grass to leeward on seeing the approaching flame at a distance; and then driving into the vacant space thus obtained. But there is risk in this plan, because the fibrous roots of the grass retain the fire for a considerable time. On the 6th of October we reached Mendoça, after having been seven weeks on the road. THE DIVIDED HOUSEHOLD. OUR hearth-we hear its music now-to us a bower and home; Our home-when will these eyes, now dimm'd with frequent weeping, see When will these throbbing hearts grow calm around its lighted hearth ?— The haunts-they are forsaken now-where our companions play'd; Yet mourn not, wanderers-unto you a thrilling hope is given, THE GRAVE OF THE BROKEN HEART.* AUTUMN was fast fading into winter, health and cheerfulness in the object of their mutual anxiety. Passing the common love between parent and child, had been that which bound up, as in one, the hearts of Colonel Aboyne and his motherless daughter; and the reflection that, for her sake, this beloved father had undertaken the voyage which had terminated so fatally, failed not to dash her * See page 103. cup of sorrow with peculiar bitterness. which completed the sixth month The suddenness of the shock had also from her father's death, Millicent tried to the uttermost her delicate and Aboyne should become the wife of already impaired constitution; and for Horace Vernon. a considerable time it required all the sedulous care of love and fidelity, and all the skill and unremitting watchfulness of her medical adviser, to avert the threatening symptoms of decline. But not only was Millicent Aboyne too truly a Christian, to sorrow like those who have no hope, but even in this world she felt and gratefully acknowledged that she had hopes, and dear ones; and that, if it pleased God to restore her to health, the after life that was to be passed with the husband of her choice, to whom she had been consigned, in a manner, by the dying breath of her beloved father, would be one of sweet contentedness. Therefore, when she prayed fervently to be reconciled to God's will in all things, she thought it no sin to add to that petition, a humble and pathetic supplication for continued life, if he saw that it was expedient for her; and the boon so submissively implored was, to present appearance, graciously conceded. Returning health once more re-invigorated the long-drooping frame, and again there was hope, and cheerfulness, and innocent enjoyment, and sweet companionship, in the orphan's home. Then it was that Vernon began to urge her on the subject of an immediate union, with affectionate and forcible persuasion; and Millicent was too well aware of the reasonableness of his arguments, and too nobly free from all taint of affectation, to hesitate a moment in acceding to his entreaties, except from motives of tender reluctance to exchange her mourning dress for bridal raiment, before the expiration of a twelvemonth from the time of her irreparable loss. She was also desirous, with God's blessing, to feel her health more perfectly re-established before she took upon herself the responsibility of new and important duties; and finally a compromise between the lovers was definitively arranged, that in three months from that last May morning Few, on either side, were the requisite marriage preparations, Little of worldly goods had each wherewith to endow the other. On Vernon's side, only the small stipend of his curacy; on that of Millicent, no more than the property of her little cottage, and the broken sum of that small hoard, which was all Colonel Aboyne had been enabled to bequeath to his orphan daughter. Added to her scanty heritage was, however, one heir-loom, justly valued by Millicent as a jewel of great price. The faithfully devoted Nora was never to be sundered from her foster child; and with her aid and experience, the latter smilingly promised Vernon that comfort and frugality should go hand in hand in their future establishment. Already Horace had assumed the management, not only of Millicent's flower-beds, but of the whole productive and well-arranged little garden; and he never quitted the small domain to return to his solitary corner of the large rambling old Rectory, (occupied in part payment of his scanty dues,) without longing more and more impatiently for the approaching hour, when the gentle mistress of Sea Vale Cottage should admit him there, the wedded partner of her humble and happy home. One morning Vernon entered Millicent's little sitting-room with an open letter in his hand, which he flung into her lap as she sat at work, with an air of half jesting, half serious discomposure. “There, Milly!" said he; "read that—and you may expect me to come and take up my abode here directly-whether you will or not. Perverse girl! if you had not doomed me to such long exclusion, I should not now be annoyed by the contents of that provoking letter. Read, read, Milly! and revoke my sentence." The letter so ungraciously commented on was nevertheless an exceedingly well-turned, well-bred epistle, from no less a personage than the honorable and reverend Dr. Hartop, Vernon's rector, and the rector and holder of more than one other valuable living and comfortable piece of church preferinent. He had not visited his Sea Vale flock since it had been committed to the care of the present curate; but his physician having recommended sea air and quiet as restoratives after a long enfeebling illness, and cherish ing in his own mind an affectionate recollection of the lobsters and turbot that frequent those happy shores, the honorable and reverend gentleman forthwith felt a conscientious call to bestow his pastoral presence for the summer months among his coast parishioners. He was to be accompanied in his retirement by the youngest of eight portionless daughters of his brother-in-law the Earl of Marchwood, who, as well as his amiable Countess, was always magnanimously ready to spare either of their blooming treasures, to enliven the solitude of their wealthy and reverend uncle, and smooth his gouty footstool. The noble parents would, indeed, have extended the sacrifice to any number of the fair bevy Dr. Hartop might have been pleased to put in requisition; but that highly conscientious person not only revolted from exacting too much from such all-conceding generosity, but felt a strong conviction that his personal comforts would be more attended to, and the orthodox regularity of his household less deranged, by one of the lovely sisters, than if he had availed himself of the liberally-granted privilege to summon them in divisions. The privilege of selection he, however, exercised without scruple; and on the present occasion, was to be accompanied to Sea Vale by his favorite niece, Lady Octavia Falkland, a very lovely, gay, good-humored, captivating creature of nineteen-" toute pêtrie d'esprit," said her French governess-brilliantly accomplished, and (as every body said) "with the best heart in the world." Lady Octavia was perfect, in short-or would have been, but for some of those trifling alloys inseparable from earthly perfection: such as a little vanity, a little selfishness, a little cunning, and a little want of principle. To leave London in full season, with an old valetudinarian uncle, for "the ends of the earth," was, however, such a heroic sacrifice to duty as Lady Marchwood failed not to turn to good account, by descanting thereon with maternal sensibility in the hearing of all with whom the touching trait was likely to tell-especially in the presence of a young Earl of immense property, lately come of age, and as yet encumbered with a few rustic prejudices in favor of religion and morality, the fruit of much seclusion with a sickly Methodistical mother, who had early instilled into the heart of her only child, "that peculiar way of thinking" which had strangely supported her through trials of no common character. Lord Mhad been evidently struck by the beauty of the fair Octavia, and as evidently captivated by her engaging sweetness. He had danced with her, talked with her, and, as was clearly perceptible to Lady Marchwood's discriminating eye, watched her still more assiduously; and still he spake notand on one or two late occasions, as he became more familiar with the home circle of Marchwood House, he had looked startled and uncomfortable at some interesting naïveté of the Lady Octavia, (who, to do her justice, was seldom off her guard in his company); and then there was such a visible réfroidissement—a something so like drawing back, in his demeanor towards the lady, that her affectionate mamma, having lectured her pathetically on the consequences of her indiscretion, thought there was something quite providential in the Sea Vale scheme, of which she purposed to make the most in Lord M.'s hearing in the manner aforesaid. “And then," said she, "Octavia! when he comes down to us in the autumn, as you know he has half promised, if you WILL but be prudent for a little while, and fall naturally into his odd tastes and fancies, depend on it he will speak." Which maternal consolation, combined with private visions of other contingent rewards to be coaxed out of the rich old uncle, and her constitutional good temper, enabled the fair exile to submit to her fate with a degree of resignation not less edifying than amazing, considering she was aware of all its horrorsof the perfect seclusion of Sea Vale, where the curate and apothecary were likely to be the only visiters at the Rectory. The said Rectory was a large, old-fashioned, but not incommodious mansion, of which, as has been said, a couple of rooms were occupied by Horace Vernon. Dr. Hartop's letter (which had been so ungraciously received) very politely requested that Mr. Vernon would consider himself his guest during his, the Doctor's, residence at Sea Vale; and then went on to bespeak Horace's obliging superintendence of certain arrangements and alterations respecting furniture, &c. &c., especially in the apartments designed for the occupation of his niece, Lady Octavia Falkland. This letter was brought by the first division of the household, and Dr. Hartop and Lady Octavia were to be expected at Sea Vale in a week at farthest. "And the old Rectory is half turned out of window already," said Vernon, pettishly, when he had told his story, and Millicent had glanced over the Doctor's letter-" and a whole waggon-load of things is arrivedcouches, chaise longues, a French bed, a whole steam kitchen, and a huge harp case among the rest. I dare say that Lady Octavia is very fine and disagreeable." from the eye of strangers with a morbid timidity, which, from long seclusion, had grown upon her natural diffidence,-still enfeebled in health, and not unconscious that her present situation was one of peculiar delicacy, Miss Aboyne would have indeed preferred that the Rector and Lady Octavia's visit to Sea Vale should have been deferred till after her union with Horace Vernon. Perhaps if he had, at that moment, more seriously enforced his jesting petition, to be forthwith admitted to the peaceful sanctuary of Millicent's cottage, she might have been induced to rescind her former decision, and cede to him, without farther delay, the possession of herself and of her little dwelling. But Vernon talked away his vexation, and Millicent kept hers within her own heart, secretly chiding its utter unreasonableness; for what would the She should not strangers be to her? see or be seen by them but at church, and then why need she shrink from observation,-if, indeed, one so insignificant should attract any? The preparations at the Rectory went briskly on; and as the new and elegant articles of ornamental furniture were unpacked, Vernon insensibly became interested in examining them, and superintending the arrangement of Lady Octavia's boudoir. An elegant harp was extracted from its cumbrous case, by a servant entrusted with the key, and, together with music-stands and stools, a painting easel, sundry portfolios, inlaid workboxes, &c. &c. disposed in picturesque order in the dedicated chamber, and a pile of Italian music, two or three volumes of Italian and English poems, "A most candid conclusion, truly!" some German novels, and one of Schilobserved Millicent with a smile,-but ler's dramas in the original, arranged it was a half smile only; for in her with good effect on the different tables heart she was as much annoyed as and chiffonnières by the well-trained Horace by the intelligence he had footmen, gave the tout ensemble an air communicated. In former days, the of so much literary elegance, as failed arrival of these strangers would have not to make due impression on Verbeen a matter of indifference to her, non's tasteful imagination, and in some or perhaps of cheerful interest; but measure to soften down his prejudice at present, scarcely recovered from the (so unwarrantably imbibed !) against effects of recent affliction,-shrinking the unknown possessor. But still he had settled in his own mind, that in her deportment to himself, she would be reserved, distant, and disagreeable; and he promised himself to be as little as possible in her august presence. This preconception and predetermination savored far less of judicious reasoning and amiable humility, than of ignorance of the world, and lurking vanity and pride; but it has been observed, that the latter were among Vernon's besetting sins, and the former was the unavoidable result of circumstances. The important day arrived, and from the porch of Miss Aboyne's cottage, (in and out of which he had been fidgeting for the last hour,) Vernon spied a travelling carriage and four descending the hilly approach into Sea Vale. "There they are, Milly!" he exclaimed, suddenly letting fall her arm that had been resting on his, and starting involuntarily a few paces forward-" and I must begone to receive the Doctor and that fine Lady Octavia. It's all your fault, Milly, when I might have remained here, if you had pleased, and been independent of all this fuss and bustle;" and he turned back and took both her hands, gazing on her for a moment with a look of reproachful tenderness. "And how pretty and quiet everything here looks this evening!" he added, glancing round him ;" and we should have had some music in the honeysuckle arbor, now that you can sing again, Milly."" Perhaps," replied she, faintly smiling, "Lady Octavia will sing to you."- -"Oh! if she were to condescend so far, I should hate her singing; and that fine harp would never sound half so sweet to me as the dear old guitar, Milly." Millicent thanked him with a look for the fond unreasonableness of the lover-like assertion, and then hastened him away to receive, with honor due, his honorable and reverend Rector. To say the truth, when his really affectionate feelings for her had given utterance to those few hurrying words, he did not seem very loth to obey her injunction; and, when he had cleared the green lane at three bounds, and turned the corner towards the Rectory, he stopped a moment to take off his hat, run his fingers through the bright waves of his fine thick hair, and pull up his shirt-collar to the most becoming altitude. The Rectory and Miss Aboyne's cottage were situated at opposite extremities of the straggling village; and the distance between the two habitations being so inconsiderable, Millicent thought it not improbable she might see Horace again that evening, after Dr. Hartop's late dinner, or before the hour of retiring. More than once after twilight, and in spite of the fastfalling dews, she returned to the garden gate, to listen if a well-known footstep were coming down the lane; and that night, long after the usual hour of its disappearance, a light was burning in Millicent's little parlor. But it was extinguished at last, and all was darkness, and quiet, and sweet rest probably, under the humble roof of the orphan cottage. "What The next morning, as Millicent was seated at her early breakfast, the little casement opened from without, and Vernon's handsome face, radiant with smiles and cheerfulness, looked in between the clustering roses. vulgar hours you keep, Milly," said he; "I'm positively ashamed of you, Miss Aboyne ! We are in our first sleep yet at the Rectory, and shan't breakfast these three hours." "Look, then," she smilingly replied, " at this tempting bowl of rich new milk, and this brown bread, and fresh yellow butter of Nora's own making, and the tea is as strong as you like it-see !—and such cream!— there can be none such at the Rectory. Won't all these delicacies tempt you to breakfast with me ?”—“ Half of them,—the least of them, dearest!" he answered, twisting himself dexterously in through the window, demolishing a whole garland of roses, and upsetting a work-table and a glass of flowers, in his unceremonious entrée ; in spite of which high crime and misdemeanor, in two minutes he was seat |