simple-hearted, straight-forward, worthy women; prone, as Miss Caroline said, to beg patterns, and invite to tea in a friendly way; but thoroughly good-natured; good-natured even in their gossip; no spiteful version of a fact ever originated with the Miss Oddleys; and if their heads resembled their sitting-room in being ornamented with lumber, their hearts did not, for they contained nothing three-cornered. This has been a long digression from the main subject; but if one exhibits the worse parts of human nature, it is but common justice to pourtray its worthier.

Well, ladies,' commenced their matron visitor, here I am, with all my tribe-no leaving them behind when we are to call on Miss OddleysWell, and how have you been this age since I saw you? I said to Anne or Julia, I don't know which, as we were dressing, my dear, said I, we will go and call on the Miss Oddleys this morning, come what will; and here we are, and here you are, snug and comfortable as ever. Ah, as I often say to my girls, Miss Oddleys' life for happiness. By the way we have brought you a newspaper, and the pattern of a morning-cap Miss Letty, which, take my word for it, will become you amazingly. We are on our way to the fashions; I suppose you don't countenance such vanities, Miss Esther?'

My pocket does not,' replied the spinster, with a good-humoured smile, but we always see them nevertheless; we contrive to want a yard or two of ribbon, or a bit of persian, when Mrs. Taffety exhibits. But have you seen our strangers? Certainly the Finches must be doing uncommonly well. I prophesy Sir John will lose his heart whilst he is here; young ladies, mark my words. But what do you think of him, my dears?' The young ladies smiled, and bridled, and declared they really had not formed any opinion on the subject; that from the very transient notice they had taken of him, Sir John appeared a rather pleasant, somewhat good-looking young man then, to make amends for their decorous reserve as to the brother, one and all were rapturous in their encomiums on the sister.

But to proceed in this elaborate, question-and-answer manner, will protract our morning calls till doomsday; we shall venture therefore to make a multum in parvo of all the useful and interesting information received and imparted during this present sitting of the Gossips' Parliament.

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That four parties only were in projection throughout S-; that parties were not half so pleasant in summer as in winter; that people's dresses never appeared half so nice; that Mrs. Jones's governess was about to leave; that it was suspected she was going to marry the eldest son; that the match between Emma Leicester and her cousin was broken off; that it was not supposed there was any fault on either side; that poor Mrs. Merton had had the tooth-ache a whole week; that the new curate played the best rubber of any gentleman in the place, and preached moreover most excellent sermons; that it was a great comfort to have a good clergyman; that Doctor Dawdle had been called out of church the last Sunday; that Mr. Clare had increased his business; that Mrs, Thompson was likely to increase her family; that the Waleys were just gone into mourning; that the Morris's were just gone out; that mourning was very disagreeable in summer; that it was very convenient when it so happened that people could put it on in winter, &c. &c.

This is but a brief abstract of what transpired; at the end of half an hour Mrs. Sharpley and her daughters rose, for time was precious to them.

They felt that news like knowledge was not to be hoarded; and if like Dr. Watts's busy bee

They gathered honey all the day

From every opening flower,

they were, to do them justice, neither idle nor selfish recipients; like the same busy bee they stored it up for the use and pleasure of others; what they gathered in one place they deposited elsewhere in a new and improved form,

Mrs. Morris's was the next point for which our party made; and having there unloaded the cargo of intelligence taken in at the Oddleys, they proceeded to take in fresh supplies of such articles as Mrs. M. could furnish; which, most unfortunately, consisted chiefly of contradictions. From her then they learnt, that Sir John Dashford had only two thousand a year ;— that the Finches were exceedingly censured for keeping so much company, (Mrs. Morris had not been included in their last party) ;-that Mr. Clare was likely to be gazetted soon;-that the new curate did not preach his own sermons; that the Waleys were going into black, not into mourning; that there were very unpleasant reports abroad concerning young Jones; that servants were the ninety-nine plagues of Babylon;—that five ladies wanted cooks, and as many house-maids ;-that Mrs. Waley's new gown was a dyed one; that Emma Leicester was not likely to overget her disppointment, &c. &c. In addition to all this important intelligence, our morning callers further increased their stock of useful knowledge by one or two culinary details, and managing discoveries, which we purpose to impart to Dr. Kitchener, for the benefit of his next edition of the Cook's Oracle,' and the Footman's Directory.' 'How shameful that there should be so many contradictory reports about the same thing,' said Mrs. Sharpley as she left Mrs. Morris's, but as we have many places yet to call at, I dare say we shall get at the truth by and bye.'

In this hope she proceeded with her daughters to the Jones', the Walkers, the Waleys, and the Mertons. At all these places, excepting the last, (poor Mrs. Merton, as usual, knew nothing), the same peal of subjects was rung, and at each with changes. Poor Sir John's two thousand a year dwindled down to five hundred; his other good qualities were plucked from him in like manner; and his overthrow was crowned by the certain intelligence from unquestionable authority,' (there never yet was a piece of scandal that did not plead unquestionable authority'), that he was on the point of marriage! At each reduction of his income Mrs. Sharpley's eulogies waxed fainter and fainter, and at the last piece of intelligence she determined in her own mind to forego her new turban and let the girls wait till Christmas for their new frocks.

How the matter ended we cannot at present explain; all we dare venture to declare, is, that our morning callers returned home weary with walking, perplexed with contradictions, comforted only by reflecting how much business they had got through in one morning.

M. J. J.

It is as easy to count atomies, as to resolve the propositions of a lover.

A palace, yet a place of thrall,

My bosom is I ween;

Where thou, altho' the space be small,

Art captive, yet a queen :—
Thou hast no power to leave me,
Yet being bound art free;
Full often dost thou grieve me,
Yet joy is summed in thee.

Though to the world I praise thee,

Thy worth it cannot know;
Above the stars I raise thee,
Yet leave thee all too low.

When absent, I deplore thee,

Yet shrink when thou art near;
My pain is to adore thee,—
My happiness to fear.

I would have all men love thee,

A world of hearts be thine;
Yet die, should thou my dove, flee

To other Ark than mine.

I'd have thee blythely range, love,
Yet fixed beyond control ;-

AS YOU LIKE IT.

To the eye, be a moon for change, love,
A load-star to the soul.

AN ADVENTURE IN THE NORTH.

MY DEAR FRIEND,-A truce to your complainings- a traveller cannot be a punctual correspondent-unless indeed he travel on business, and correspond with his employers. It is true I have not once addressed you during my two months absence from home, but then so much the more shall I have to tell you when we meet by our own fire-side; and if I have never committed my thoughts to foolscap, believe me, I have never ceased to think of you. Whether I climbed Skiddaw, or wandered among the fastnesses of Borrowdale or sailed over the clear blue depths of Windermere-whether overtaken by a storm-or taking mine ease in mine inn'-or feasting on char, or fasting on oat-cake-wheresoever I went, whatsoever I did, suffered, or enjoyed, I invariably wished for the presence of my wise, foolish, incomprehensible cousin and friend-Walter Freeman. Nevertheless as I am threatened with instant loss of favor, unless I give some account of myself, or, to use thine own phrase, 'relate my adventures,' I am fain to take up the pen and sacrifice an intended moonlight ramble. But if truth must be told, friend Walter, and a very disagreeable truth it is-the romance of this country is confined to the appearances of nature; the course of human life, is as little poetical here, as it is in your Babel of brick and mortar, London: and for aught I see, the men and women are, in the main, precisely like the men and women everywhere else-beings who eat, drink, and sleep; and are alternately pleased and vexed with trifles. Furthermore, much as it will grieve thy romance loving self to hear it, I am constrained to confess that adventures are rarely to be met with, or even made. I protest that notwithstanding all my efforts, I have been utterly unable to get up an attachment of any sort or kind; and I begin to think with thee that the world is becoming a mere volume of prose. A line of poetry was certainly taken from it, when Fashion added the Lakes to her territories. It is true the scenery remains in nature's keeping, and the by-ways are yet unsophisticated, but the highways are lost for ever to the true-lovers of the picturesque: carriages-stage-coaches-dandies-livery-servants-green-veiled ladiesparasols, and opera-glasses-affront the eye at every step. Not only the days of chivalry, but the days of sentiment are past!

It was on the morning of a second day of almost incessant rain, that I strolled out to refresh both mind and body, after the ennui occasioned by solitary confinement in a strange place. The sky was covered with gloomy ragged clouds, except in the west, where the sun had burst forth, preparatory to his setting, and thrown a partial, troubled splendour, over the dark masses which immediately surrounded him. The far-off mountains with their awful depth of shade, and the lake, swollen with the rain and ruffled with the wind, accorded well with that sullen sky. The little rills no longer trickled over the rocks like lines of silver, making in their descent only a quiet murmur, but came pouring down with the impetuous speed of torrents. In my mountain rambles I usually choose the most unfrequented paths, as being less likely to encounter in them the regular promenaders, and as enjoying greater facilities of becoming acquainted with the country and its inhabitants. In the present instance, I had struck into a by-road wild enough even for my taste, and careless whither it might lead me, I wandered on until my further progress was stopped by a rapid stream, which, increased far beyond its natural size by the rain and mountain rivulets, was flowing right across my path. Over boots over shoes,' says the proverb, but in this case it seemed likely to be over head over ears'-therefore, wisely de

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