stipulation that he would say nothing of moment think it was otherwise. Over this having seen such a person, and the promise preface she travelled again and again, conexacted by M. Bouvier in return that the stantly shrinking from the question it was stranger would come and see them. intended to introduce. But, by-and-by it Now, the ready fancy of Madame Bouvier came; with great solemnity-with fearful, solved the mystery immediately. Julia must painful tears-and harassed breath. have been guilty of some indiscretion- "My dear child, I must ask you this: hence the coldness betwixt her husband and what dreadful mystery is it that surrounds herself, and the stranger, who requested you and your husband? Have you, my secrecy, must be the author of the mischief poor Julia, given him any cause for of -the party to the indiscretion, the one fence?" 66 Then it is you who have given offence to him; whilst he has done you no wrong? "Yes: it is so. It is he who has been wronged." against whom the vengeance of the husband “I have, I have!" was the sobbing, halfwas aroused. Dreadful would it be, Ma- stifled answer, uttered with head averted dame Bouvier thought, should the man and pressed deep down against the pillow. come there,—and perhaps in direct collision with Theodore. Deeply she regretted that her husband, in his innocent good nature, had informed the stranger where they lived, and had actually invited him to visit them. She declared he should never enter the house, and M. Bouvier, readily falling in with her construction of the matter, declared the same, and forthwith instituted almost as vigilant a watch upon all who approached his door as he had formerly kept for the arrival of Julia. "And is it a great wrong that you have done him?” "It is, it is; dreadful; fearful!" -or rather "Julia, is your offence of this nature: have you wronged him by an indiscretion with another?" More afflicted than ever, Madame Bouvier paused,-wiped her damp forehead and her streaming eyes, and sat down, in great trouble and proplexity, by the bedside. It would have puzzled an observer to decide Madame Bouvier's distress of mind was which betokened the deepest distress of deep, for from the behavior of her daughter, mind at this moment-the mother or daughter. of Theodore, and from all the other circum- After awhile, the examination was timidly stances which had accompanied their arrival, continued, the affectionate examiner not yet she felt fully assured that her suspicions having asked all she intended,were well founded, and that the peace of not having touched one immediate point of mind of all of them was perhaps lost for suspicion. ever. She resolved forthwith to question Julia, believing that if she could draw an explanation or confession from her it would tend to tranquillise the agitation which so obviously possessed her. A very affecting scene was the consequence of this resolution. "Do you know where he who caused this It was long before the poor mother could indiscretion now is?" asked Madame Bouask the dreadful question. Over and over vier, for her suspicion were strong and again she asked her daughter if she re-direct. membered how much care she took of her once, how much she used to love her, how fond they were of each other, how bitter had been their separation, but that great as was the love which watched her infancy and Is it he," continued the poor mother; youth, it had never diminished, but, on the more apt in following the thread of her own contrary, had been strengthened by absence fancies than in reflecting or reasoning; "is and time, and that now that parental affec-it he whom your father saw at the railway tion was more strong and true than ever, station the day you arrived, with two and she hoped that Julia would not for a children?" "That is it, that is it! Oh, mon Dieu! What could have possessed me!" 66 Yes: he is in Paris," was the reply. Madame Bouvier lifted her hands and eyes like one whose worst fears had received dreadful confirmation. "Yes: it is he," exclaimed Julia, with an Accordingly, when the much-dreaded accent of passion and inward exasperation, event happened-when the stranger, availwhich made poor Madame Bouvier shrink ing himself of the permission granted, called from further inquiries. In her own belief at the house, M. Bouvier, who had seen him she had now completely unravelled the approach resolutely refused to open the door mystery, and only awaited until her to him. He was old and timid, and was daughter should be somewhat less excited to alarmed at the bare thought of an altercation make an arrangement as to what course or disturbance, therefore he sat still in his could best be pursued. She rose to leave chair, and said the stranger might knock till the room, but as she was going, Julia raised he was tired; and perhaps he would think her head hurriedly, and called her back. there was no one at home, and would go "But still, dear mother, Heaven knows I away of his own accord, which would be far am not guilty; not guilty, more than in best-far best. But Madame Bouvier lost leaving him for awhile!" exclaimed she, in patience when the knock had been somea voice so earnest and truthful as to compel, times repeated, hurried with hysteric pasat once, belief and sympathy. A load was sion to the door, told the stranger, that lifted from the heart of the much troubled their daughter "had confessed all to her parent immediately: she went back-em- mother and father, and that they had debraced the poor penitent, tried to comfort termined that he should never see her again, her, and declared that if it were so, all therefore it would be quite useless for him might yet be well to come there any more." And after saying "No dear mother," continued Julia, this, with angry vehemence, she shut th "not guilty; and there is one who knows door upon him, before he had uttered a all, and who will bear witness that I have not word. wronged him more than in leaving him!" This visit the old couple kept a secret Madame Bouvier informed her husband from Julia. After the confession had been of all that had passed betwixt her and Julia, made, she seemed to be mending somewhat and the two had many a long consultation to be growing more settled and tranquilled as to what course they had better pursue, in her mind. Therefore, they deemed it in order to bring about a reconciliation be- best not to acquaint her with the fact that twixt the husband and wife. Both believed the author of her misfortune had attempted -betwixt their own suspicions and own to see her, lest it should disturb her, and construction of what Julia had said that the throw her back, or, perhaps worse, impair person who addressed M. Bouvier at the the strength of the good resolve which had, railway terminus must be the tempter who as yet, kept her from irremediable guilt. had caused Julia's offence-that he had Six weeks passed, during all this time Theocome to Paris for the purpose of attempting dore had not visited the house; and to every to prosecute his design, and that, of all inquiry made respecting him, Julia answered, things, they must prevent his obtaining that he would not come until he had reaccess to her. Many times M. Bouvier ceived the letter from America, which both commented, with bitter anger, upon the of them were so anxious about. At the sardonic meaning that he now saw in the termination of that period, however, he curiously uttered remark, that "it would came and brought with him the longgive a peculiar feeling to each of them to awaited letter which had just arrived with meet so far away from home! for Julia he the last American mail. knew that it would be a great surprise!" To M. Bouvier's mind there now seemed The distressing sequel, and the history of something quite Satanic in these words. the sad mistake were now made known. In Much he repented the warm invitation he an evil hour Julia Vandeau and her hus had given, and resolved, as things had band had quarrelled: and those who loved turned out, to do his utmost to prevent it each other deeply can sometimes quarrel in being taken advantage of. earnest. In the continuance of the quarrel, Great were the effects of that letter. THE WONDERS AND CURIOSITIES Julia madly determined upon a desperate grief, and love! And in his heart, he knew revenge, and eloped with M. Theodore that this letter was a true and sincere outVenterre, from New Orleans to France. He burst, and he as solemnly believed her was a young man of affluent means, a fidelity, after reading it, as if she had never widower, with two sons. Hardly had they left his side. He wrote the answer so lost sight of land, however, before Julia pitifully entreating, and again went back to became possessed by the most passionate France. He arrived safely at M. Bouvier's regret the love of the husband and children cottage at Saint-Denis, and there, the two she, in her anger, had left behind, returned became reconciled again. Theodore-more with wild vehemence. Her soul revolting weak than wicked, and deeply moved by from the crime she had contemplated, she the repentance of Julia, when she felt the loathed the sight of him with whom she had enormity of her fault-awaited upon M. fled, wrote a letter of repentance and en- Vandeau, with an hyperbolic heroism pertreaty to her husband, and despatched it by fectly French, demanded that he would take a passing vessel. Before she had received his life for the dreadful wrong he had done an answer to it, she dared not return, and him. M. Vandeau, however, did not do this, resolved that should M. Vandeau refuse to and it is not the least singular part of this take her back, she would seek a mainten- singular story, that afterwards, when all had ance for herself in her native country. But returned to America, they became the closest meanwhile M. Vandeau had gained intelli- of friends. Such is the history of a sad misgence of her flight, and the following day take, followed by other sad mistakes well took a passage to Europe in a steamer, which, nigh as dangerous. owing to the accidents of the sea, was the first to arrive at Havre. He was in a frame of mind, as strange as sad, and he had actually brought his two boys with him, not knowing how to leave them at home, and being too distressed to think of making The interest of one penny for 1850 years, any arrangement for them. He went up to at the rate of five per cent. per annum comParis, and recognised M. Bouvier there-in pound interest, would amount to 6,606,813,355 what wild and incoherent manner we have with the addition of twenty-seven ciphers, seen; called at the house in the Rue d'or upwards of six million, million, million, Amsterdam the day after they had left, million, million, million of sovereigns, or ascertained that his wife had been accom- pounds sterling! And admitting the prepanied by a gentleman and two boys, sent inhabitants of the earth to amount to who, from the description, he knew must be one thousand million, and each person to Theodore Venterre and his sons,-and then, have counted ten thousand pounds every losing all feeling, but disgust and detesta- hour from the creation of the world to the tion, resolved to return to America, leaving present time, or in six thousand years, the Julia to live or die as she might. It was sum so told would bear no greater proportion some time before his resolution became to the whole amount than one grain of sand fixed, however; and in the misery of his un- would to the number of grains contained in certainty, he went to Saint-Denis. When a sphere of 37 feet in diameter, supposing Madame Bouvier told him that Julia had each cubic inch to contain one thousand milconfessed all, and that he should never see lion of such grains! her again, and shut the door in his face, he The number of pounds sterling would also concluded that the father and mother be equal to the number of grains of sand wickedly acquiesed in the elopement, and, contained in one hundred globes, each equal shaking the dust from his feet, he left the to the earth in magnitude-the earth being door, and was quickly on the way back to assumed an oblate spheroid, whose equatorial America. On his return, he received Julia's and polar diameters are 7,925 and 7,899 miles letter-full of the profoundest repentance, respectively. The same sum will also be VALUE OF A PENNY. pass round it! IMPORTANT FROM THE SEAT OF LETTERS FROM THE EAST BY OUR OWN BASHI-BAZOUK. On board H. T. M's Ship, the Mahmoodjee Kebobjee, equivalent to 2316 million 242 thousand 681 globes of pure gold, each equal to the earth in magnitude, and if placed close to each other in a strait line they would extend to the distance of 18,344,642,033,520 miles! It would take a steam-carriage 348,784 centuries to pass through this distance, constantly MY DEAR SIR,-I returned to the Hotel travelling at the rate of sixty miles per hour. d'Angleterre, immersed in disagreeable The above sum would also amount to a thought, for it is never pleasant to look on globe of pure gold whose circumference would friends for the last time, more especially if be 50,652,672 miles. It would take 1386 you are going away from a pleasant place years, at the rate of 100 miles per day, to on a confoundedly disagreeable journey, as a trip in a chain gang to Siberia undoubtedly The results above stated are truly aston- is, most especially of all, if you are about to ishing, and are above the comprehension of part from a being so beautiful, beloved, and the human mind. Had the interest been devoted as I then thought Matilda Schouzoff. taken at 10 per cent. instead of 5, the result Beautiful? yes. Devoted? phoo! Beloved? would have been still more incredible; the ha! ha! But I am advancing matters. number of globes of pure gold, each equal to We had our usual company to supper, exthe earth in magnitude, would amount to cepting of course Tuffskin, who, for very 55,086,658,333 followed by 36 ciphers, and good reasons, did not show, and drank many if extended in a straight line close to each a friendly bumper to our Quaker friends, other, it would take light, which travels at whose last night it was, and whose luggage the rate of 195,000 miles in one second of lay piled in the hotel corridors, ready to be time, as many thousands of years as there carried off to the steamer before dawn. are grains of sand or particles of matter con- Young Dobkins was particularly melancholy. tained in the whole earth, admitting each He has beautiful blue eyes, and a figure and cubic inch to contain one thousand millions an expression, as I have previously stated, of such grains as before stated. singularly like my own. The young fellow's N.B.-The specific gravity of fine gold of eyes, I remarked, began to fill with tears, 24 carats is taken at 19,258, and its value and he spoke with profound emotion of the £4. 5s. per oz. troy, or £74,600 per cubic kindness which he had received from inhafoot of gold. The simple interest of one bitants of St. Petersburg, contrasting the penny for 1850 years, at 5 per cent. amounts splendour and elegance of the society there only to 7s. 84d., and at 10 per cent. to no more than 15s. 5d. A wonderful contrast between simple and compound interest! with the humdrum routine of Godmanchester, Bristol, and other cities whither his lot had led him as a Quaker, a manufacturer, and a man. A TARTAR DELICACY.-With the Tartars I know the world pretty well, and when a the tail of the sheep is considered the most young fellow begins to blush, and shake, and delicious, and consequently the most hon- sigh and tremble in his voice, and hang down ourable portion. MM. Huc and Gabet, the his head, and rub his eyes with his fist, I feel travellers, were hospitably entertained on tolerably certain what is the matter. “Hulone occasion, and received this enormous lo, my friend Broadbrim," says I'"there's lump of fat, weighing from six to eight a woman in the case; I see that in a jiffey." pounds. Loathing the luxury yet afraid to Broadbrim gave a heave of his chest, a offend their host, they at length hit upon a squeeze to my hand, and demurely pleaded happy expedient for their relief. "We cut," guilty to the soft impeachment; a woman says Huc, "the villainous tail into numerous there was, as beautiful, oh! as be-eu-eu-tiful pieces, and insisted, on that day of general as an angel, he gurgled out, concealing his rejoicing, upon the company partaking with emotion and a part of his comely young us of this precious dish." countenance (confound it!) in a frothing 1 266 IMPORTANT FROM THE SEAT OF WAR. 66 My letter," says Dobkins, slowly, and beaker of champagne-a woman, the loveliest toed walk of life. 66 I have a feeling heart, and having been Ha! boy," I exclaimed, strongly moved touched by love and frantic with passion, by the young crocodile's words, for as I many, many scores of times in my life, can never told falsehood myself I am slow to so thou knowest the feel another's woe under those painful and suspect it in another; delicate circumstances. I consoled honest fate that menaces me, and hast found out Dobkins, therefore; I clapped him on the means to avert it; speak, my friend; whatback: returned squeeze for squeeze of his ever a man of courage may do, I am ready hand, and pledged his lady love in innume- to attempt, in order to escape from a tyrant, rable bumpers of champagne, for which- and one day to avenge my wrong." poor satisfaction-I now console myself by Easy, my good friend!" cries this young thinking that the young rascal was left to pay. square-toes, this arch sly-boots, "we QuakAs we were talking, Dobkin's servant ers are of the peaceful sort; here is no quesbrought him a note, which he seized eagerly, tion about revenge, but about escape, and that read with glittering eyes and flushing cheeks, immediately. Thee knowest that the gates over which he murmured a hundred gasps of Petersburg are shut against thee, and that and exclamations, and was about to kiss, thee may as well hope to escape from the had not my presence deterred him. Autocrat as from death, when the day comes. A way, however, there is, and but one, by which thee can put thyself out of reach of the claws of this Russian eagle: and though I shall risk myself not a little, nevertheless for thy sake, and for the sake of those who are interested in thy welfare, I will abide "Of course I do," I answered with a the peril, so I may set thee free. Our steamlaugh. "Dost thou think, O bashful Broad- er, the John Bright, sails from the Potemkin brim, that the"-I protest I had here very nearly written down my name and title"that Verax has never been in love with a pretty girl." "Kiss away, my boy," said I; "I have osculated reams of note paper in my time, and know full well whom that pretty little packet comes from." "Dost thee?" says he, blushing up to the temples. Quay at half-past two o'clock this morning, when the tide serves. The Friends have given orders to be waked at one, which is now the hour. Thee must take my passports, "Chief," says he-for Chief I am, though thee must shave off thy moustaches, and put my tribe is well nigh extinct, and my chief- on the broadbrim and drab, which thee loves tainship a mockery-"Chief," says he, to laugh at, and so escape." "dost thee know that this letter concerns "Generous boy!" I exclaimed, griping his thee; a great danger menaces thee-exile, hand like a vice; "and what will happen to chains ;" and in a low whisper, so that the you?" I was quite confounded by the seemwaiter should not hear, who was cutting the ing nobility of the young scoundrel's selfstring of the sixth bottle-" Siberia." sacrifice. "Does the whole town know it?" cried I, "Never thee mind that," says Broadbrim. double-distilled donkey that I was- "is my "How can I help it if a rogue makes off disgrace the talk even of the hemp and tallow with my coat, my hat, and my passport? I merchants of the city?" am a Briton, and my Ambassador will get 2 : |