a thin, sallow, withered, little mannikin. I would not say thank ye for a dozen such any day."—" My dear Miss Jane," said Mr. Mordent, "all young people are very foolish, and generally very impertinent; I used to be so myself. Different judgments are formed of the same man by a young girl too soon let out of the nursery, and a venerable maiden of mature years, like Miss Alicia. It is a little too bad, before us, to despise any person for being thin, and withered, and sallow; but we must make allowances for the ignorance and thoughtlessness of youth."

In spite, however, of Mr. Mordent's interruption the young lady went on. "A letter has come to the post office, directed U. U. Cauliflower Hut, to be forwarded immediately,' they were just going to send it up when the little man came down. Will you not come out and see him? he is such a queer little object, you cannot think."

On arriving at the library a stranger was standing at the counter, but unfortunately with his face entirely hidden from any one in the shop. He was engaged in reading, and accompanied the perusal with sundry pshaws! and hems! which, to Miss Alicia's excited imagination, bore a great resemblance to groans. She caught a glimpse of the point of a very snub nose, which was rather more red than the points of heroes' noses are imagined to be; and, in a husky voice, he muttered something to the librarian, of which only "miserable epistle," met the ears of Miss Alicia.

herself. Thy sorrows, oh miserable and over-clouded with griefs! are well known. Thy Charlotte's cruelty has awakened an echo of platonism and pity for thee in every one who has a heart. But wherefore resign thyself to solitude and suffering? Wherefore mourn over the past, or, gracious Heaven! wherefore muse on the means of self-destruction? The pistol, once ineffectual, may be fatal next time. And oh! above all remember that thy Charlotte, hapless Werter! is the wife of another!"

After having dispatched this sublime effusion, she waited impatiently the arrival of Mrs. Tompkins and a few of the other village magnates to tea." It is so odd," said Miss Alicia, "that one so well known should ever have come to settle in our quiet neighbourhood: and he speaks English too remarkably well, but still I can trace the foreign accent."

-“Is he a foreigner?" exclaimed Mrs. Tompkins, in manifest alarm, "Dear me, I hope Mr. T. has seen into his means, for it would be a great loss to us if he can't pay the fifteen pounds for the cottage."—“ Oh, my dear Mrs. Tompkins, if you had seen his letters; they breathe such purity of sentiments, such delicacy of thought, that though all his love is addressed to another's wife 'Oh, the nasty, sallow-faced, red-nosed, little, ugly rascal! What! all that nonsense and flummery to another man's wife! I won't allow him to stay at the cottage! I have daughters to protect; and besides, who knows but the whipper

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snapper might begin writing some of his abominable letters to me!"

Mr. Mordent was just smiling before one of his kind and friendly responses, when the door opened, and, to the horror of the whole party, the stranger himself walked into the room.-" Servant, ladies," he said, in the same husky voice as before, "I take the liberty of coming in here to ask if you haven't a girl, madam, as wants an eye ?"'-"I have, sir," said Miss Alicia, "" a domestic, who, by the will of fate and the blow of a stick, is deprived of one of her ocular members."-" I know'd it-and what the devil business have you, madam, for to send your blinking maid with this here letter to my house? Who told you as ever I was an Unfortunate Unknown?" -"Sir," replied the lady, "deprived as you are of your Charlotte My Charlotte!-I know I'm deprived of her; more's my luck in getting free from her and how dared you for to say she was another man's wife?-She is my wife-worse luck, say I."

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"I perceive, sir," said Mr. Mordent, "you are a gentleman of great forbearance and observation. The lady I fear has mistaken you for another gentleman of the same name. A cousin german most probably." Well, sir, that may be as it may. But it is rather too hard to be plagued with letters from a crazy old maid.”—“But oh! most melancholy Werter," sighed the bewildered Alice. "Whirter

Folly stood on his precedence,

Older, not so old in sins; Cupid gave his claim no credence, Love and Folly must be twins. So from words to blows they flew, And they fought, as boys will do, Till Love's eyes were black and blue.

Folly had some trifling scratches;
And while Love lay on the ground,
As they use at boxing matches,
Both his swollen eyes he bound.
But he tied the knot so hard,
All the power of gods it marr'd
Folly's bandage to discard.

Vulcan tried, but he, two-fisted,

Only made the urchin cry;
Mars essay'd, but it resisted;
Pallas was too wise to try.
Hermes was too sly a thief
To spoil sport and give relief;
Venus could not do't for grief.

Hymen only tighter drew it :

Should his own knot prove a curse,

When petition'd to undo it,

Ten to one he makes it worse.

Venus then to Jove complain'd
Of the wrong her boy sustain'd,
And so Folly was arraign'd.

He at bar "not guilty" pleaded,
Charged with making Cupid blind,
And besought, ere they proceeded,
Counsel be to him assign'd.
Mercury was named by Jove,
While Apollo stood for Love,
In the Olympic court above.

All the facts upon the trial
Were establish'd to their shame ;

Cupid could not make denial,

He had also been to blame :
And, though prosecutor now,
Cross-examin'd must allow,
He had help'd to make the row.

Both were guilty. Jove suspended Sentence for ten thousand years;

And, the trial being ended,

Rul'd, as by record appears, They should journey side by side, And through nations far and wide Folly still be Cupid's guide.