nity. He never would own this child, who was, however, named Paul after him, nor provide for it, so repugnant was it to his nature to make the smallest pecuniary sacrifice. I then left for Paris, where I had been two years, when I suddenly received two letters from Y'dumarc, dated Toulouse. He anxiously inquired whether I should not soon return, spoke of his son, and added, "I am most unfortunate in not having any one here worthy of my confidence: I miss you very much. There are things that one can mention to a friend which prudence forbids us to write. Return hither, my dear Francis, I want you sorely." I replied to these letters, and there our correspondence dropped. One night I had been to a ball at the hotel of the Marquis de Soyecourt, and returned home so late that having an appointment with M. Dunoyer at seven that morning, I thought it best not to go to bed, so I threw myself into an arm-chair, and was soon asleep. I then had a dream. In my dream I saw a wall rise before me. It was pierced by a cabinet with two folding doors, made of walnut-wood like the rest of the wainscot. On the right door, in a frame of black wood, was the portrait of his majesty, Henry the Fourth, with two verses which I could not read below it, and on the left door, in a similar frame, was the likeness of the king then reigning, Louis the Thirteenth. I know not why, but so it was, that when I awoke this dream haunted me; I could not succeed in shaking it off: it recurred again and again, as if to impress itself on my memory. On the next day, however, I thought of it no more. About six months afterwards Chalvet, one of my cousins, arriving from Toulouse, inquired whether I had not much regretted the loss of poor Paul Y'dumare? "What? Is he dead ?" said I. "I thought you had been informed of his death," replied he. "Six months ago-let me see-yes, it was in last January-a villain who had differences with him about some money transaction, settled his accounts with a brace of bullets. The nocturnal assassin, to make sure, gave poor Paul the contents of both barrels of his fusil." I was greatly shocked. After deploring the fate of my unhappy friend "And his son ?" inquired I. "Having no reason to believe that his end was near, our friend had made no will. His mother and brother not finding their inheritance what they, and indeed all of us expected, have not given a denier to Paul's poor child." "The base wretches! But what have they lost?" "They pretend that they only found in their relation's chest a sum very far below what they ought to have found, and not one of the notes or other securities that his debtors must have put into his hands; for you know how careful Y'dumarc was of his money." Minister under Louis XIII. He flattered himself that he should succeed Cardinal de Richelieu, but, finding his case hopeless, sent in his resignation in disgust. Having thus become acquainted with the affairs of this family, I remained two years more at Paris, and then returned to Toulouse. I had been there eight months, when I was invited to pass some days at Castelnaudary with my cousins de Tréville. I left Avignonet on horseback, having nearly a three hours' ride before I reached my rela tions. During this ride a violent storin arose, and my servant proposed that we should take shelter in Y'dumarc's house, which was situated hardly fifty paces from the road. Notwithstanding my intimacy with the elder brother, I did not even know his mother, who was an ordinary woman enough. In truth, I cared not to go near them: it was making a sort of acquaintance with those of whom I had no good opinion, on account of their inhumanity to Paul's natural child, who had been to see me, poor fellow! and I had done him all the good I could. At this moment of hesitation, vivid lightning and loud thunderclaps announcing an increase of the storm, and combining with the terror which had seized my horse, determined me to seek refuge under the roof of this family. I arrived at the gate, gave my name, was recognised by the mother and son, and received with open arms. They offered me refreshment, and while at table, the deceased was the subject of conversation. Then I learnt all the details of the case, and was informed that his cash and portfolio, the whole valued at fifty-five or sixty thousand francs, were not to be found. Each supposed debtor, standing on the defensive, said, "If I am in your debt, you hold my security;" and as it was impossible to produce any such thing, the chagrined heirs were obliged to be content with this answer, and had now despaired of recovering any of their credits. "It looks," said I, thinking aloud, "like a punishment from heaven for the abandonment of Paul's child." At these words both mother and son loudly denied that my friend was the child's father; they could prove, they said, that the mother had deceived him, and that it was no more his than theirs. "How can you," replied 1, "talk thus to me, when nature, as if to furnish irrefragable proof, has given to the child not only a resemblance to my poor friend, in which there may be nothing extraordinary, but the strongest family likeness. He has the very expression of his uncle's features. Ay, sir," continued I, turning to the brother, "the unhappy boy is your living portrait." This conversation was not to the taste of my hosts. To arrest it, they proposed to conduct me to the chamber in which I was to pass the night. I acquiesced, finding little to interest me in their company, which I had only sought from necessity. The mother and son led the way; the first as far as the corridor, the second into the room. I entered it was still broad day. I threw around a rapid glance, and instantly my heart beat quick, my imagination was roused, a vanished recollection rushed again upon my memory, and turning to my host, I said, "Monsieur Y'dumare, will you consent to give two thousand pistoles to Paul, your brother's son, if I put you in possession of that part of the inheritance which you believe to be lost?" He whom I addressed stood like one planet-struck at my proposal, and eagerly demanded if I had been made the depositary of my friend's secret or of his treasure? "Of neither," was my reply. "Nevertheless I am certain-yes, very certain, that I can increase your fortune, if you consent to be a good brother and a kind relative." We spoke loud: Madame Y'dumare, who heard us, came forward, bringing with her the curé of the neighbouring parish, whom the storm had also driven to entreat their hospitality. He was of a noble family of Languedoc. The mother was as much surprised as her son at my proposition, and begged an explanation. My answer was that I could be of no service, if they had no pity for the unfortunate boy whom I protected. Fontaine-Vandomois, for that was the name of the good priest, supported me, saying to them "You regret the loss of some sixty thousand livres which have been as nothing to you for many years, you will come at once into twothirds of that sum, and one who has your blood in his veins will enjoy the rest. Take my advice: do what M. de Tourreil requires." One might now see that a conflict was raging in their bosoms between two kinds of avarice, that which would engross the whole, and that which would be satisfied with the greater portion. The last conquered. They gave me their word that they would comply with my request in the presence of the curé. Then I said, "On the night of Paul Y'dumarc's murder, I saw in a dream a walnut-tree cabinet open in the midst of a wainscot of the same wood. On one of the doors was the portrait of Henry the Fourth, and on the other, in a frame of black wood, was that of Louis the Thirteenth. "Well! what does that signify?" cried all three. "Look," I answered, "there stands the cabinet, there are the two portraits, and there the treasure is." Their countenances fell. "Alas! we have so often searched that piece of furniture." "Try again." The brother whose strength seemed to be raised by his avidity to twice its natural power, broke up the planks which composed the cabinet, and from the inside of them-for their substance had been hollowed out, leaving a superficial shell-fell on all sides, bonds, bills payable to the bearer, and gold; and these in such quantities, that instead of the so-much-regretted sixty thousand livres, they gathered up property to the value of one hundred and twenty-seven thousand livres. The wild and indecent joy of these two persons, who at that moment forgot both son and brother, scandalized me not less than the curé. Suddenly they looked blank-it evidently crossed their minds that I should demand a portion of the treasure for myself. I put them at their ease, however, on this score, and to their praise I ought to state, that each of them liberally added five thousand livres to the orphan's portion. I did not suffer their enthusiasm to cool; and the worthy ecclesiastic and myself, took from the mass two thousand livres in gold and ten thousand in good securities. July.-VOL. LXVIII. NO. CCLXXI. 2 c "A very marvellous story," said one of the auditors, "which, I suppose, I may believe or not at my option." "Undoubtedly; and to assist your choice, here is the attestation of the narrator." "Tel est l'événement extraordinaire dans lequel j'ai joué un premier rôle, et dont je certifie l'exactitude, en tous les points, sur ma part de paradis, comme chrétien, et sur mon honneur, comme gentilhomme. "Paris, ce 23 Septembre, 1667. "Noble FRANÇOIS DE TOURREIL, “But see, the rain is over: one more turn at the lake, and then home." The evening was closing the precious minutes were not misused; and it seemed as if every finny thing in the water was on its feed. The pike and perch ran and bit as if they had been Moslems, and it was Rhamazan's sun that had just set, whilst the moon was rising, to usher in the Bairam-feast. It was a scene such as none but Byron could paint on the page, and Turner only can realize on his atmospheric canvass. Merrily did the ficats dance in the varying light as the carp and tench were taking their last evening's refreshment. All that's bright must fade; and soon the floats were no longer visible; but enough light remained to show the long row of goodly fish laid out on the sward, and glittering in the moonbeams. The well-filled baskets were now packed and received by the Shanderidan aforesaid, the party were stowed away, somehow, in that accommodating carriage, Smuggler reared four times as if conscious of the noble spoil behind him, and in honour of the vanquishers, and went off at the rate of ten miles an hour. One silvery genial shower fell as we descended the last hill, and saw the home-lights twinkling beneath us, and called up a most perfect lunar rainbow by way of a finish. "Twas told me by a man whose hairs were gray, Maintain'd that lingering spell which age endears, DURING a recent visit to the sea-coast, I used to be much interested in observing how the cottages of the poor, and even middle classes, were invariably ornamented with some species of marine treasure. I cannot remember a mantelshelf, let the furniture be ever so humble, without its two large, pink-coloured shells, and a piece of seaweed, or rock-coral in the centre. While the sideboard, if it did not boast some rare foreign bird ingeniously stuffed, had, what was perhaps still more prized, a rough sketch, and rough enough it often was, but no matter for that, of the ship in which even now some of the family might be sailing upon the treacherous deep. I have seen a piece of dark fossil, or even a common muscle-shell, which the owner would not have parted with for any thing that could have been offered. It may be that the husband or the son had brought it home from his last voyage, promising with a cheerful smile something more valuable another time, but had never returned again! Heaven knows, but there were tears in the woman's eyes as she dusted it carefully with her apron, e'er she returned it to its place. And I noticed that she wore black ribbon on her simple cap. And yet where these relics are not consecrated by death, how eagerly every thing you venture to admire is pressed upon you. They think it must be such a treat to a Londoner, and you need not fear depriving them of it, as they are sure to have plenty more soon. And yet the poor of England are called boorish and uncivilized! True it is, that poverty and want may in many cases have frozen up the heart, but it needs only the gentle word, and the spring of human kindness gushes forth again like a fountain in a wilderness. For virtue and goodness, even among the very dregs of society, as they are called, are never wholly dead, but sleep, ready to leap up at the voice of sympathy. And now to our tale. In one of the dwellings I have been describing, there was a piece of green spar which glittered strangely at night, and altogether had a very curious appearance; sometimes resembling an emerald, but at others much paler, and apparently transparent. "Ah! I guess you never saw the like of that," said an old man with gray hair, who sat in the chimney-corner. "No, indeed," replied I. "What do you call it ?" "That's more than I can tell you; but they say it grows in the caves under the sea, almost as plentifully as our trees upon shore." "Who says so ?" "One who has been there and gathered it! But it's a strange tale if you have time to listen to it." "Oh! yes, indeed, and shall be very grateful to you besides." We hope that our readers love a strange history as well as we did then, or do now for the matter of that. The old man's face lit up as I came and sat myself close beside him, for he spoke low; while the children whispered one another "Now grandfather is going to tell the lady the story of Jack Hinton." "Many, many years ago," he began, "there dwelt in this neighbourhood a poor widow-woman, with an only child of such rare beauty, that the people around prophesied that he would not live long, which gave the mother many a heartach and sleepless night. But for all these forebodings the boy grew up the picture of health and happiness, |