bed on tiptoe. The Chevalier cocked his pistols beneath the bed-clothes, that the noise of the spring might not be heard. When the man reached the side of the bed, he held the light to the Chevalier's face, who pretended to be in a profound sleep, but contrived, nevertheless, to steal an occasional glance at his fearful host. The man soon turned from him, and, after hanging the lamp on the bed-post, went to the other end of the room and brought to the bed-side a chair, on which he immediately mounted, with the tremendous knife still in his hand. At the very moment that the Chevalier was about to start up from the bed and shoot him, the man, in a burried manner, cut several enormous slices from a piece of bacon that was hanging over his bedstead, though it had been wholly unnoticed before by the agitated traveller.The host then passed the light before his eyes again, and left the room in the same cautious way in which he had entered it-and, unconscious of the danger he had escaped, returned to a crowd of new and hungry guests below stairs, who were, of course, not very sorry to perceive that he had saved his bacon.

heart, which years passed in an intimate commerce with the world have in a degree alienated. We can almost fancy ourselves again young, artless, and happy, on our entry into the green and moss-grown lanes, so often trodden by the agile foot of childhood, whilst at every farmhouse and cottage we hail the same farm friendly smile of recognition with which we were greeted in life's early dawn. We find no change, save that the step towards us is more tottering through age, and the hand held to ours more palsied from the same cause.

Those who have patted the curly headed boy or girl, gathering the early spring flower, not feeling a higher wish than to draw out the first blown violet from beneath its thorny shelter, are apt to believe that the same unambitious feelings reign in the heart of the adult, nor do they dream of the dark changes which time may have effected, while even misconduct frequently receives from them the softer title of misfortune.

Aware of the kindness of their feelings towards us, we are naturally interested in all their joys and sorrows; and for myself I can aver, that in listening to their simple adventures, related with all the fascinating simplicity of truth, I have spent many a pleasant half hour; and many a little anecdote, believed by its relator to have been long forgotton, it still treasured among memory's valued gems.

There is even some fond remembrance revived by the sight of the aged oaks, which sheltered me in childhood from the summer's pelting shower; and I could very ill forgive the old woodcutter for levelling one old favourite, winding up the trunk of which the wreathing ivy had long hidden from view my ill-carved name; but of all the trees in my

native village, those which spread their luxuriant branches across the footpath which winds with the course of our navigable river, call forth the most pleasing ideas of both old and young. Those oaks, alders, and willows, seem to have a charm for the whole parish: the angler loves to repose on the green bank they overshadow; children, tired of basking in the noon-tide sun, love to form in groups under their shade, and gather butter-cups or make daisy chains, or to watch their flowers floating down the stream; and lovers delight to saunter beneath them in the evening's gloom; and many a fond tale no doubt could those old trees reveal had they the power.

In less than a quarter of a mile from the favourite shade, the green bank slopes gently down to the village mill, where one who was once the belle of the parish lives its happy and smiling mistress, and her laugh and song are often heard before the winding stream takes us to the habitation of the runaway, as Susan terms herself; yet, with such a pair of merry looking eyes, that every one is aware that no very serious or remorseful consequences attended her short absence from her father's cottage, which stands in the wooded knoll to the right of the mill, concealed so much from view, that were it not for the curling column of faint blue smoke, no one would guess that a dwelling was embowered there and that there bloomed the fairest flower of the place.

Susan Springfield, notwithstand ing the many hints she received concerning her beauty, still lived unharmed by pride or ambition, to be the wife of the youth who, in school days won her good will, by mending her pens, doing her sums, and various other civil offices; and whose footsteps, in after years, continually followed her's, while the

nut-tree and blackberry bush were divested of their fruit to please her. It was in vain her foud father, in whose partial eye, no doubt, her charms shone forth augmented, talked of seeing her the lady of the grange; or her mother told of the remark made by a visitor at the hall, who, on receiving home from the beautiful rustic some needle-work, remarked, that her pretty face might make her fortune. Susan was unmoved by the remark, and still fearfully uninfluenced by flattery, and young Robert's suit prospered so well, that long before the death of her mother, all prosecution had ceased on her side; but, alas! the course of true love, they say, never did run smooth, and this little tale is not an exception to the rule, if it be one.

Whether the old woodman had received any intelligence of the admiration of the young squire of the grange, for his blooming daughter, or not, from some cause or other he vehemently and decidedly affirmed that Susan should never be, with his consent, the miller's bride.

This reduced the lovers to plotting, the banns of marriage were published in another parish, and a runaway match was decided on; yet, unlike the heroines in most matches of the kind, she felt so much concern for the feelings of the old man, that she could not let him remain in suspense, even for the short space of a night and day, but arranged with a neighbour and confidante, the timely disclosure of the affair: all things then adjusted, she had to wait for the hour of her father's evening sleep, but Somnus, most provokingly, did not aid the scheme of the fair quite so soon as expected, and the aspiring cottager seemed to set the drowsy god at bay, by the more than common spirit and interest with which he talked of his hopes for her future advancement in

life, those hopes which she was about most effectually to frustrate, Alas! she used afterwards to say, I thought I never could have left him, when coaxing my face, he said, 'I think, my girl, you'll never leave me, but to better your station in life.'

At length, however, the drowsy god's power was visible, aided by a hard day's work, and an additional mug of the cotter's favourite aleand with the power, the inclination to fulfil her promise to her lover, Susan felt returned; she watched her father's eye-lids close, as he sunk gently back in his easy leathern chair, theu on tiptoe she fetched her bundle, tied on her hat, made smart for the occasion by an additional top-knot; then she took one look more, he was asleep, of which the nasal aspirations were just beginning to ascend in confirmation, when the pipe, till then firmly grasped between his finger and thumb, slipped-slipped again-and the third time fell jinking on the stone hearth, and broke. She started, and retreated behind the highbacked chair, just as its occupier, roused by the most mal apropos sound, rubbing his eyes, took a survey of the apartment, as if in search

for his best treasure..

At length, yawning, with a weary heigh-ho, he again resigned himself to repose and forgetfulness, and Susan, quitting her hiding place, moved gently and swiftly away, lifted the latch of the outer door, opened it; the rose leaves, agitated by the midnight breeze, seemed the only things in motion, she crossed the orchard, called at the cottage beside it, to warn her friend to perform her duty, and glided down the well-known lane, at the end of which she beheld the moon shining on the humble equipage, &c. provided by her faithful swain. All proceeded well, and when the shades

The gentleman laughed, but Madame Montespan, who stood near, said significantly, 'How can you be sure of that, sir?' 'Oh, Madame,' replied he instantly, I am so certain, that I would wager a thousand louis.' I would not advise you,' replied the lady drily, for I believe you would stand a chance of losing them.' Pardon me, madam, if I differ with you in opinion on this subject, but I am so positive that I am in the right, that I will bet a thousand louis with any person that I shall not have the post. I accept your wager,' said Madame de Montespan in a low tone.

This was all he wanted. He received within a few days an appointment to the post, and he paid, with a very good grace, and well affected surprise, the thousand louis to the favourite.

SERVANTS.

Elwes the miser used to say, 'If you keep one servant, your work is done; if you keep two, it is half done; but if you keep three, you may do it yourself.

FLYING.

A writer in the last Number of the Mechanic's Magazine, has given a curious paper on the means of flying, through the agency of machinery. He proposes to give men the power of impelling rotatory wings, and imitating beetles rather than birds, in their means of flight. Without the diagrams, we cannot elucidate this proposition; but as soon as we see any body taking an ærial excursion of this kind, we shall not fail to describe it accurately, for the benefit of our pedestrian and equestrian Readers.

Original Poetry.

THE MIDNIGHT NOON;

OR, FLOW OF THOUGHT.

I walk'd me abroad in the midnight breeze,
I walk'd beneath the old oak trees,
Whose wav'ring tops a vast canopy spread,
Capt with a crown of golden red:
The moon in her zenith shone splendidly
pale

Thro' the light clouds, like beauty's face seen thro' a veil ;

And light shone the stars thro' the blue vaulted skies,

Sparkling sweet like the glance shot from love-beaming eyes :

And all was hush'd, save the murmuring sweet

Of the meandering stream at the mossturf's feet,

Or the drowsy hum of the horned fly,
That's borne on his buzzing pinions by ;
Or the lone crow's caw from the lofty oak,
Or the screech-owl's scream, or the raven's
croak,

Or the gurgling sound of the small blue rill,

All-all, save Nature's voice, was still.

And I thought of the hopes and the joys that are fled,

And I thought of the friends that are now with the dead,

And the tear-drop of sorrow rushed warm to mine eye,

IN

"A portal of the arena opened, and the combatant, with a mantle thrown over his face and figure, was led in, surrounded by soldiery. The lion roared, and ramped against the bars of its den at the sight. The guard put a sword and buckler into the hands of the Christian, and he was left alone. He drew the mantle from his face, and bent a slow and firm look round the amphitheatre. His fine countenance and lofty bearing raised an universal sound of admiration. He might have stood for an Apollo encountering the Python. His eye at last turned on mine. Could I believe my senses! Constantius was before me. "All my rancour vanished. An hour past I could have struck the betrayer to the heart; I could have called on the seNo. 104.-N. S.

verest vengeance of man and Heaven to smite the destroyer of my child. But, to see him hopelessly doomed; the man whom I had honoured for his noble qualitieswhom I had even loved: whose crime was at worst but the crime of giving way to the strongest temptation that can bewilder the heart of man; to see this noble creature flung to the savage beast, dying in tortures, torn piecemeal before my eyes, and this misery wrought by me,-I would have obtested earth and heaven to save him.

But my tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth-my limbs refused to stir.I would have thrown myself at the feet of Nero; but I sat like a man of stone, pale, paralyzed-the beating of my pulses stopt, -my eyes alone alive.