is scarcely room for my chair and writing table, and it requires the exercise of a careful step, if any one would pass through without doing mischief. And I must not forget to speak of a huge fireplace surrounded with veritable pictured tiles, to polish which has become the daily pleasing pastime of an old negro who waits upon me, and who, for a spirit of fidelity unsuited to these times, has become the most notable of all my curiosities.

CHAPTER SECOND,

Showeth forth in what manner I was left alone.

It was at a window of this library that I sat one day, and gazed out upon the rippling Hudson, but although all nature danced, my heart was filled with sadness. My only worldly relation, an orphan nephew, whom I had myself educated, and, for his amiable and high spirited qualities, loved as my own son, was that morning to leave me, in order to travel through foreign lands. And while I thought upon my coming loneliness, and sadly wondered whether, with years so thickly strewn upon my head, I should ever see him again, the door was thrown open and he bounded in.

"You have come to say good-by,' my boy," I said.

"Yes, uncle, the boat is already turning between the Highlands, and will touch the wharf ere many minutes are over. So you see that my time here must be short."

"Good-by, and God bless you! Ludwig. You will leave me alone, but I must not speak to you of that, for it is necessary that you should go. In the days of my youth, no young man of family considered his education completed, until he had seen every part of Europe; and if, after that, he crossed over into any of the other continents, so much the better for him. He must shoot the chamois in the Alps-make his bow at every foreign court-drink coffee, hob-and-nob with some pacha of a dozen tails-dance with the peasant girls of France and Italy-kill wolves in Norway, and be shipwrecked in the Archipelago, or else he was considered a poor, good-for-nothing fellow, destitute of the first rudiments of an education, and only fit to work a farm. At present, it is true, matters are changed. It seems to be sufficient to fill one's head with Greek, Latin and Hebrew, gain a smattering of Shakspeare and Dante, and look across the great Atlantic through the medium of some fashionable review, and the work is done. The young man is turned out into society and pronounced perfect, for he knows every thing about the wide world except its realities. Now I belong to the past generation, and have been educated in accordance with its principles, and am determined that you shall enjoy the same advantages. You will not complain of my deci sion ?"

"Certainly not, Uncle. Whatever may be the merits or demerits of your system, it is a vastly pleasant one."

"To be sure it is. Every young man rejoices at having an

opportunity of seeing the world; and indeed, I myself would like to go with you, were it not for my rheumatism."

Rheumatism, Uncle? not a bit of it! How often have I told you that you are as well as I, and that if you were to run about over the fields, instead of moping through the day in a close room, you would find the vigor of youth still boiling in your veins? Try it, Uncle! Throw away those hideous crutches, which so foolishly and uselessly prop up a body fully able to support itself. Cast off those slippers and put on the stout boots which you once wore. Then mount your horse and gallop over the lawn and through the neighboring woods, and ere an hour is over, you will shout with animating glee, and laugh to think what a trick your sick fancy has played you these three years."

"No, my boy, my dancing days are over," I said, and at the time I fully believed it. "I have naught to do now but watch myself unceasingly, and endeavor to keep in feeble motion, for a few years longer, the blood which has already begun to stagnate in my veins. But now to other matters. Until my thirtieth year I lived on this manor with my father. Then your parents came hither, and dying within three months of each other, left you to my care. I have adopted you as my child and heir, and now, for the first time in my life, I shall be left completely alone, since you are going away, in order to learn how to preside over this estate in future years as should become a true Marschalk. Endeavor to cheer my heart with a frequent correspondence. A single letter will place you at my side, in spirit, for many a month."

"My dear Uncle, you shall have no cause to complain of me." "And now, once more, God bless you! You will make me to look upon this river in future with new interest, for I shall imagine that every tiny wave which curls itself upon its bosom is floating down to waft you safely over the ocean."

My noble boy wrung my hand, and vainly endeavoring to hide the tear which glistened in his eye, left me, while I hobbled to the window to watch his receding form.

I saw him mount his horse and ride swiftly down to the landing at Cold Spring. Then the beautiful steamer received him and exultingly bore him away with many a splash and hideous snorting. Another of those leviathan palaces appeared in sight above, and in its turn passed on, but it had no interest for me. The first had received all my prayers and good wishes. That had vanished from my sight. I was alone.

And what of that?" I soliloquized. "Is it any great hardship to be for once without company? Or can a man have a better companion than his faithful dog? Here, Zephyr!"

The beautiful grey-hound raised himself from his cushion in the corner and affectionately rubbed his nose against my hand. I gazed at him with admiration for a brief moment, and then turned

away.

"You are beautiful and you love me, but-you cannot speak.

Pshaw words are not the only medium of speech. All nature talks in eloquent strains. Why should I feel lonely by this noble river, and encompassed as I am by these grand old hills, peopled with a thousand traditionary tales?"

And again I looked forth, but although nature was not wanting in conversational powers, the subjects discussed were most unsatisfactory to me.

"You're alone!" said a little bubbling stream, which coursed between two of the noblest bluffs of the Highlands.

"You're alone-quite alone!" discoursed the mocking wind, and it swept over the water, bearing with it the same disagreeable strain.

"You're alone-most miserably left alone!" whispered the river, as it dashed against its pebbly boundaries.

And every thing took particular pains to taunt me with my loneliness, and, at the same time intimated, that all other objects were enjoying the tantalizing delights of companionship.

There seemed to be no tree that had not a neighbor with which to lock its giant branches; no little ripple on the stream, which did not ever and anon mingle its spray drops with the crest of some other tiny wave; not even a dry leaf, which did not course in airy circles with some fellow leaf.

Two birds with golden plumage flew by, and, with malicious envy, I wished a musket in my hand, whereby to spoil their insufferable happiness. A sullen croak directed my attention below, and I perceived two ill-omened frogs telling discordant compliments to each other. I caught up a heavy leaden inkstand and hurled it with my best aim. The offenders remained unhurt and hopped away-together.

I saw a black mass of mud and rotten leaves beneath the overhanging roof. With my crutch I poked it away, when, with many a shrill hiss, too hideous bats issued forth and flew to some safer abode-in company.

What! shall even the wretched frogs and bats enjoy companionship, while I, the oldest representative of the Marschalks, am left without a friend with whom to hold intercourse? By the Saint! it is a dreadful thing to be alone!"

Such were my reflections, and forced from the window by these disagreeable sights, nothing was left me but my pipe. I fixed its pearl mouthpiece between my lips and smoked steadily for the next hour. And as the room became filled with vapor, so my eyes gradually closed with the premonitory symptoms of slumber.

CHAPTER THIRD,

Showeth forth how and wherefore I was led to perform a very inglorious achievement.

How long I slept, I know not. I only remember that the shades of night had commenced falling, when I shook off my drowsiness and looked around. Legions of frogs were now croaking forth

their discordant notes, and myriads of bats were fluttering past my window in a ceaseless stream, all putting forth their best endeavors to increase my former aggravation. But they vainly toiled. Some silent whisperings of hope had penetrated my forlorn heart, telling me that I should not long remain desolate.

I had enjoyed no dream. No vision of soothing import had come to cheer my soul. When I looked back upon the last few minutes, I could recall nothing but an uninterrupted blank of deep sleep, unbroken by the slightest shadow of fancy's play and yet I awoke with the persuasion nestling in my heart, that it was incumbent upon me to leave my Manor-House and proceed somewhere in search of a friend. I have myself nothing to do with investigating the nature of such a phenomenon. I leave it to physiologists to determine how a person, having dreamed nothing, can yet awake with a new and exciting thought filling his whole soul. So it was-and the more I tried to banish the idea, the more it rushed in floods upon my mind. And to such an extent did this strange reflection press upon me, that I gradually believed it the result of some supernatural power, and finally determined that it was my duty to obey this imaginary mandate, and that, having done so, I should be led into close contact with some one previously ordained to become a bosom friend to me.

No doubt the idea was but a phantasy of a troubled brain, and what subsequently happened, a mere coincidence, but now, from constant reflection, I became more and more excited as to its reality, and at last, leaping from my seat, made a vow to myself to set off for New York that very night, and hunt up this unknown friend.

"Are there not old and valued names yet left in the city?" I reasoned. "And may not many of these entertain kindred associations with myself?"

And here a wonder suddenly assailed me. How came I to have made such a startling leap, when, but a few hours ago, I scarcely dared to lift a leg or an arm too suddenly? Was it actually true what any nephew had told me, that exertion was only necessary to assure me of my freedom from ill? And had I indeed lost three years of active life, passed in moping in a close apartment, afraid lest the blessed air of Heaven might visit me too roughly? Thus sober reason began to dawn upon me, and banish my former foolish fancies. I stood still and remembered that I had never experienced any pain, except the slight aching produced by close and careful confinement; and that all such care had been engendered by the insane impression, that being old, I was naturally obliged to be in feeble health. And then again I called to mind how many there were, older than I, who still rode and walked with the vigor of youth; and why should not I emulate their activity?

"Hurrah!" I shouted, again making a tremendous leap. "Ludwig was right! I, who was never really sick, will now become well again! I, who was never decrepid, will again become young and strong, and mount and ride, as in the good old days of yore!"

And again I stopped my saltatory exercises, and closely consid ered their effect upon my constitution, but could not perceive the least twitch or twinge of pain. A pair of old boots now attracted my attention, as they lay in the corner covered with dust. Three years ago I had last worn them, and had pitched them aside with a malediction upon my fancied rheumatism, and the melancholy expectation of walking in loose slippers during the remainder of my natural term of existence. I sprung to them, caught them up in my arms, embraced them as old and dear friends, and slipped them upon my feet with the most extraordinary ease.

Hurrah! I could once again dance and sing, and I did so with most uproarious glee, until an old negro who had lived for years at the Manor-House, and of whom I have already spoken, stumbled up stairs, alarmed, to see what was the matter.

"Saddle Ruby!" I shouted.

"God bress massa! What for he want de horse when he know berry well dat de rheuma-"

"Do you call this rheumatism?" I demanded, and I seized a heavy book, kicked it up to the ceiling, leaped up and caught it as it fell, and finished by jumping upon my crutches and breaking them to pieces. And then I stopped to breathe and looked around for applause.

But not a bit of it did I get. Old Claes merely shook his white poll and solemnly expressed his opinion that I had seen the devil. "And suppose I have?"

"Dat no reason to break de crutches. To-morrow, maybe, de debil gib back de rheumatism."

"Silence! And saddle Ruby!"

"Where does massa mean to go?"

"On the road to the city."

"De city!" the astonished negro ejaculated, lifting his shrivelled hands. "And it is ebening already!"

"I care not if it were midnight. Saddle the horse, I say." "Claes knows better dan to do dat."

"What! do you refuse to obey me?" I shouted, though my patience still held on by a very fine thread.

"Claes do so now and massa be angry. To-morrow massa say, Claes, my leg feel berry bad. You did right not to saddle de horse. Here am silver dollar for you.' Den I say-"

The slender thread broke, and patience quickly flew away. What Claes would have said is uncertain, for at that instant, he caught sight of one of the broken pieces of my crutches, uplifted in the air most ominously, and he vanished from the door-way with astonishing celerity.

Will it be credited that I took no further notice of Claes's disobedience? He had lived so long upon the estate, that I could not bear to chastize or scold him, particularly as I knew that the course he took was one dictated by motives of pure affection towards myself. But how was I to have my desire performed? I knew Claes