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the key, love?" she unfeelingly asked, though a tear was forcibly falling from his eye. "I believe, my dear," he answered, "the key is lost forever." "Oh, I'll have the carpenter open it to-morrow; but take off that dismal paper, I protest it makes me melancholy, I shall never like the room so well again; I wish you had torn it off before I came in." "I could never tear it off," he said gravely; "it has a sacred charm about it, so expressive of the adoration in which the lovely object was held, and the severity and deep affliction her loss occasioned, that it would be almost sacrilege to remove it; but the instrument itself shall give place to-morrow to one more suited to your taste and feelings." "That is very considerate and kind," she said; but in the mean time she would try her own little bunch of keys; for she longed to know if the instrument had kept in tune, and actually ran over to force them into the experiment, with a glee that was most distressing. I started up and led her out of the room; the bridegroom followed, and all the party strayed about the lawn till dinner was announced. The fresh air I intended should recover all my uneasy feelings; I felt its delightful influence; here I was safe from absurdity; there was space enough for it to range in without annoying me, and the fine venerable, old and ugly trees, where the young and lovely musician had so often wandered under their shade, increased in value as I contemplated the many generations to whom they had belonged, and the shelter they must have afforded to the sad and melancholy mourners who had lost so lovely and interesting a child. I would not, for all the wealth of India, said 1, have one of those trees cut down; and turning quickly round to hear some taste according with my own, I met the bow of the ancient butler, who told me the company were assembled at dinner. The bride had taken her first seat at the many-legged table; her husband led her to it, and trusted that she would ever find there whatever she would most like to gratify her taste; she smiled, and really looked very handsome. I hoped that such repeated proofs of affection from such a man had at least awakened her gratitude. A band of music from the lawn played all the time of dinner, and all was gay and cheerful but the wayward mistress of the house-the plate was too heavy, the glass unfashionable, she detested every thing massy;-the wine too was old, she never liked any thing ancient-" and pray, my dear," speaking aloud to her husband at the bottom of the table, "who is that ancient dowager at the end of the room, that holds her child's hat so tastefully while he is whipping his top?" "I will explain to you another time," he replied; "give me leave now to drink your health, and wish you many years, enjoyment of my family castle, where I have many excellent neighbors, whose society you will find estimable, and the country round us is most picturesque and beautiful.” "Castle! country! and neighbors!" she repeated with a supercilious air and scornful emphasis; "but who is the old lady? for I am dying to know who she was." "You will live till to-morrow, I hope, my dear," he said with a smile, "and I will be sure to tell you then; but I must first give you her history, to secure your partiality, before you get a prejudice from her appearance upon canvass. "Oh I shall never like

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her," she said, "let her history be what it will; it is too difficult to come at, and so I will add her to the castle, the country, and the neigh. bors-four as dismal subjects for contemplation as ever I met with." "I am sorry you are not prepossessed in favor of my former friends," he said gaily; "but we will not neglect those who are present-bere is health and pleasure to them all, and a hearty welcome to the castle, where I hope we shall often meet in high health and good humor." "By all means," she said; "and let us take in old goody too, and her boy and his hat." "It is my mother, Madam," he replied quickly; "she filled the seat you do me the favor to sit in, with great affability. No person was ever more gracefully attentive to her guests, or more exemplary in virtue and elegant refinement." A general silence prevailed for a moment; the whole party seemed determined to give the lady time for reflection; but with admirable presence of mind, her husband regained his composure, and said: "I consider it as one of my heavy misfortunes that I have been deprived of the power of introducing to your partiality a woman of such rare and excellent endow. ments." 66 Pray do not be uneasy upon that head," she replied, "I dare say we shall go on very well as we are. An old gentleman who sat by me, said archly "What do you think of that, Ma'am?" I believed there was but one opinion in the room upon that subject. The conversation became general, and seem. ed to be kept up with the more spirit, to prevent the bride from opportunities of distressing her husband and his friends. Her mother was very uneasy; she had never set her such bad examples, but she was very self-willed at home, and would never be governed in any thing."

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[From the New York Atlas.]

A COTTAGE SCENE.

I saw a cradle at a cottage door,

Where the fair mother with her cheerful wheel
Carol'd so sweet a song, that the young bird,
Which timid near the threshold sought for seeds,
Paused with a lifted foot, and turn'd his head
As if to listen. The rejoicing bees
Nestled in throngs amid the woodbine cups
That o'er the lattice cluster'd. A clear stream
Came leaping from its sylvan height, and poured
Music upon the pebbles,-and the winds,
Which gently 'mid the vernal branches play'd

Their idle freaks, brought showering blossoms down,
Surfeiting earth with sweetness. Sad I came
From weary commerce with the heartless world,
But when I felt upon my withered cheek
My mother Nature's breath, and heard the trump
Of those gay insects at their honied toil,
Sparkling like winged jewelry, and drank

The healthful odor of the flowering trees,
And bright eyed violets,—but most of all,
When I beheld mild slumbering innocence,
And on that young maternal brow, the glow
Of those affections which do purify

And renovate the soul,-I turn'd me back
In gladness, and with added strength, to run
My thorn-clad race,-lifting a thankful prayer
To him who show'd me what there was of heaven
Here on the earth, that I might safer walk,
And firmer combat sin, and surer rise
From earth to heaven.

CONJUGAL OBEDIENCE.

"Let the wife see that she reverence her husband."

WE expect to hear the cry of" heresy" raised by those good ladies who have at length, by dint of main industry, established (satisfactorily to themselves at least,) their own supremacy-when, taking our 'rule of faith and practice' on the subject of a wife's duty from the Bible, we avow ourselves to be so old-fashioned, or rather so out of fashion, as to insist that she owes reverence and obedience to her husband. It will not be the first time the charge of heresy has been brought up to suppress peculiar orthodoxy.

But to return to our text-book, if any thing is laid down there with indisputable certainty and clearness, it is the obligation of a wife to the observance of these duties. This law contains no principle of offense. A respect without servility, and a deference without awe has nothing in it of fear or vassalage. When does a child appear so beautiful and so exalted as in rendering cheerful obedience to every wish of a kind parent-when does a Christian attain his proper dignity and privileges, but in yielding implicit obedience to the revealed and discovered will of God?-and we add fearlessly, when does a wife appear so well as in looking to her husband as her head, her guardian and guide, and making his wishes the rule of her conduct? We have seen more wincing under the word obedience, than any other in the whole book. If both parties rightly understood the nature of the marriage-tie, the bond would never be a fetter. When woman was made a companion and help-meet, she was not made a slave: even when it was said "he shall rule over thee," it was not written "with a rod of iron." If men will be tyrants, we know they have the power to be so-both physically and constitutionally-but even in this case, rebellion will not render the chain less galling. And in these days of general and gallant concession, there is hardly occasion to dwell upon a feature so repulsive: danger may rather be apprehended from the opposite extreme.

We have observed that men select and dwell with peculiar emphasis upon the importance and obligation of reverence and obedience while

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women take up the other line, and ring all the changes they can upon the injunction, "husbands love your wives and be not bitter against them." If each side would take what was addressed to each, and discover all that was contained or implied in it, both would be gainers thereby. These requirements were intended to deepen and secure the sanctity of the relation, and should not be distorted into causes of restiveness and aversion.

We have known some go so far as to premise that obedience should form no part of their marriage contract; and to boast afterwards that they were not married to obedience. To what then were ye married? we would ask-to anarchy, to rebellion, to confusion? You had better take shelter under the safe and sure refuge of dependence and submission, than abide the pitiless storm of such elements.

To some, affection dictates and supplies all the rule of duty. For such there is no law. Many yield to the spirit, the authority they denied to the letter: this is better than if it operated the other way. While others will not be regulated by duty or statute-but are ever restless themselves, and the cause of inquietude to all around them.

Some women overlook their happiness, their privileges and dignity, in vain repinings after that which they have not: and if they attempt to enlarge their sphere of action, influence or knowledge, by attempting it out of their province, expose themselves to inerited contempt and ridicule. Greatness is not confined to foreign premises. A woman may be as great in her sphere as the occupant of any other station in his. She can only be great here-and those individuals have been the greatest enemies to their sex, who by overstepping this boundary, have, with every effort of mind, connected the idea of neglect to their proper and becoming duties. It requires additional care to do away the effects of such an example as Mary Woolstonecraft, who handed a gentleman wine in a broken tea-cup, alledging, as an excuse, that she was too much engaged in literary pursuits to attend to the furnishing of her room. She would have done herself, and posterity, and the cause of morality more good, if she had let alone the "Rights of Women," and set herself to find out what were the duties of women.

We have no patience with those who are forever wrangling about male and female endowments or male and female equality; and draw. ing comparisons to no profit. "There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon"-as well might the beautiful moon repine and grow paler with discontent, because she is not holding the sun's office and ruling over the day. From whence does the moon receive her light? Let her forget her constancy, and strike out an eccentric orbit for herself in disdain of the station assigned her, and she at once becomes a wanderer

"In the Eternal space, Rayless and pathless."

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Religion is the natural guardian which heaven has given to sensibility;-governed by this, if it sow in tears it will reap in joy."

[For the Microcosm.]

HINTS ON PERSONAL APPEARANCE.

"REALLY! Would you have me convert our parlor into an exhibition-room, and set myself up for a show? Shall I devote myself to pride and vanity? Have I not more important concerns to busy myself in than such trifles? May I not disregard myself in my attention to the household "

The agitated and hurried manner in which Mrs. Snowden addressed these interrogatories to her husband, betrayed the impatience she felt at the subject of his conversation. Mr. Snowden, ever bland and gentle in his manners and kindly regardful of the feelings of his friends, had ventured on this occasion to broach, in as delicate a way as he knew how, the unpleasant truth, that his dear Eliza was becoming less attentive than formerly to cleanliness, the adjustment of her hair and dress, her carriage and address in the presence of others, and the various items which go to constitute personal grace and neatness. He had suggested, also,-in the way of queries for her consideration, whether, the habit of negligence into which she was falling, would not detract from the pleasure which her husband and children and the visitors of their family took in her society, and even from her own pleasure in herself and in her duties. He had proceeded thus far, when Mrs. S. threw out the above queries in self-justification.

The

Now fair and gentle readers allow me to interrupt the story while I ask your judgment on the plea made by the parties in this case. question at issue was whether the wife should habitually attend so far to her person as always to appear, in her household and before others, adorned with the charm of neatness and grace. The husband pleads that she should. And why? There is no claim on her time which necessarily prevents. All personal and domestic duties and relative duties in society can be still discharged. She is no more attentive to those duties now, than she was in the days when her husband found no fault with her appearance. Hence he pleads that the defect has its true source, not in the pressure of other concerns, but in negligence, in the indulgence of sloth and ease, and in the relaxation of that diligence itself on which success in other duties depends.

Such an attention to her person, while it interferes with no other claims upon her time, he pleads also, is itself demanded by considerations which to her should be those of benevolence and duty.

The pleasure that others take in her society is such a consideration. Not that she is to seek the applause and admiration of others, and thus minister to her own pride and vanity, as her query suggests. Not that she is to follow those narrow-hearted and selfish beings, who consider themselves the center of applause and admiration, around which the whole creation are to flutter in servility. He desires not this. It would be ruinous to his peace, and his best wishes for her welfare. But he knew it was in her power, without detracting from her regard

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