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chase had obtained, I started to ride gently home by myself; and, when within half a league of Paris, in crossing a small grip on the side of the road, I found my horse go lame. To dismount and inspect his foot were the work of a moment, but I could see nothing. No alternative, then, was left to me, but to lead the limping animal home to his stables. This I did, amidst the taunts and jeers of the rabble; but their insults were trifling compared to the annoyance I felt at the sad termination of my day's amusement, No sooner had I reached the hotel Borghese, than I sent for the head groom and the duke's coachman, and explained to them all that had occurred. "Well, you have gone and done it," said the latter personage, who was a great character, and to whom I shall hereafter allude. "Why, the duke would not have taken two hundred for that horse."

The groom, however, seeing I was in a state of mental agony, comforted me a little by saying he trusted it was nothing, that he would have the shoe taken off, and that he hoped it would be all right. Happily for me, the duke, who had been occupied all day, was out riding; and I did not see him until dinner-time. I had fully made up my mind to mention the accident, but wished to wait until nine o'clock, when I was to have a bulletin of "Elmore's state." As a large party was assembled, little was said about the hunting until the ladies had retired; when I was called upon to give a full, true, and particular account of it. I mentioned the brilliant manner in which the horse had gone, and the panegyric he had received from all.

"A splendid animal," said my chief; "I hope to ride him next Monday, at Fontainebleau."

My heart quailed within me. At this moment the butler, who had heard of the mishap, gave me a message from the groom, that the horse was a little better from some treatment that had been adopted.

"Quite knocked up-dead beat," said all my friends, as they saw the dull state I was in; little knowing that the mind, not the body, was suffering.

"I can take you to the play," said his grace; "the cabriolet is at the door. ... I am afraid you are quite knocked up,' said

the duke, as, seated by his side, I drove him off from the theatre.

My only answer was a deep sigh; then making a sudden resolution, I screwed my courage to the sticking-place, and told the whole of the day's adventure, and the accident that had befallen me.

66

"Can't be helped," said the duke in his usual quick voice. Hope it is not as bad as you think-accidents will happen." The tone and manner in which the above phrases were delivered, and the inward satisfaction of feeling one's conscience unburdened, completely restored me to comfort, which was not a little increased by the kind manner in which my patron wished me good-night. The fatigue and excitement of the hunt soon caused my eyelids to close in slumber, and I was awoke out of a deep sleep, during which the transactions of the day had all flitted across me, by the entrance of the trusty porter (who waited upon me), announcing that it had just struck six. I had ordered myself to be called at that early hour, being anxious to attend the stables, and hear the report of the groom as to "Elmore's" state. To my great dismay, I found my worst fears realized the horse was dead lame. From seven till ten o'clock I wandered about the house like a perturbed spirit, when at the latter hour I received a message to attend his grace in his morning-room. I entered the duke's presence like a condemned criminal.

"Turnham tells me Elmore' must be blistered and turned out!"

I quaked in my shoes; independently of the annoyance of having been the cause of so much mischief, I thought to myself that my hunting days were over.

"I've heard all particulars; you're not to blame-you did your best."

The duke had been informed of my early visit.

"But" (The thought of Othello's remark-"Never more be officer of mine!" came across my mind.)

"But," continued the chief, "I can't afford to run the chance of losing all my best horses; so in future"-the climax was coming, thought I; no more hunting -"so in future, you shall have the brown horse and the chesnut mare; and, if you knock them up, you must afterwards mount yourself."

SONNET.

BY COLERIDGE.

THOU gentle look, that didst my soul beguile, Why hast thou left me? Still in some fond dream

Revisit my sad heart, auspicious smile!
As falls on closing flowers the lunar beam!
What time in sickly mood, at parting day
I lay me down and think of happier years;
Of joys that glimmer'd in Hope's twilight ray,
Then left me, darkling in a vale of tears.
O pleasant days of Hope-for ever flown!
Could I recall you; but that thought is vain.
Availeth not persuasion's sweetest tone,
To lure the fleet-wing'd travellers back again;
Yet fair, though faint, their images shall gleam,
Like a bright rainbow on an evening stream.

THE BELEAGUERED CITY.

BY LONGFELLOW.

I have read in some old marvellous tale
Some legend strange and vague,-
That a midnight host of spectres pale
Beleaguer'd the walls of Prague.
Beside the Moldau's rushing stream,
The wan moon overhead,
There stood, as in an awful dream,
The army of the dead.

White as a sea-fog, landward bound,
The spectral camp was seen,
And, with a sorrowful, deep sound,
The river flow'd between.
No other voice nor sound was there,
No drum, nor sentry's pace;
The mist-like banners clasp'd the air,
As clouds with clouds embrace.
But, when the old cathedral bell

Proclaim'd the hour of prayer,
The white pavilions rose and feli
On the alarmed air.

Down the broad valley fast and far
The troubled army fled;

Up rose the glorious morning star,-
The ghastly host was dead.

I have read in the marvellous heart of man,
That strange and mystic scroll,

That an army of phantoms vast and wan
Beleaguer the human soul.

Encamp'd beside Life's rushing stream,
In Fancy's misty light,
Gigantic shapes and shadows gleam
Portentous through the night.
Upon its midnight battle-ground
The spectral camp is seen,

And with a sorrowful, deep sound,
Flows the River of Life between.

And, when the solemn and deep church-bell
Entreats the soul to pray,

The midnight phantoms feel the spell,
The shadows sweep away.
Down the broad Vale of Tears afar

The spectral camp is fled;
Faith shineth as a morning star;
Our ghastly fears are dead.

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ing;

Let me repose upon thy bosom sleek; But promise me that thou wilt leave off weeping, Because thy tears fall hot upon my cheek. Here it is cold; the tempest raveth madly; But in my dreams all is so wondrous bright; I see the Angel-children smiling gladly,

When from my weary eyes I shut out light. "Mother, one stands beside me now! andlisten!

Dost thou not hear the music's sweet accord? See how his white wings beautifully glisten!

Surely those wings were given him by our Lord. Green, gold, and red are floating all around me, They are the flowers the Angel scattereth. Shall I have also wings whilst life hast bound

me,

Or, mother, are they given alone in death? "Why dost thou clasp me as if I were going? Why dost thou press they check thus unto mine?

Thy check is hot, and yet thy tears are flowing:
I will, dear mother, will be always thine!
Do not sigh thus-it marreth my reposing:
And if thou weep, then I must weep with thee!
Oh, I am tired-my weary eyes are closing;
-Look, Mother, look! the Angel kisseth me!

A MOTHER.

BY MRS. NORTON.

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Ah! blessed are they for whom, 'mid all their

pains,

That faithful and unaltered love remains
Who, Life wrecked round them-hunted from
their rest-

And, by all else forsaken or distressed-
Claim, in one heart, their sanctuary and shrine-
As I, my Mother, claimed my place in thine!
Oft, since that hour, in sadness I retrace
My childhood's vision of y calm sweet face;
Oft see thy form, its mournful beauty shrouded
In thy black weeds, and coif of widow's woe;
Thy dark expressive eyes all dim and clouded

By that deep wretchedness the lonely know: Stifling thy grief, to hear some weary task,

Conned by unwilling lips, with listless air; Hoarding thy means, lest future need might ask More than the widow's pittance then could

spare.

Hidden, forgotten by the great and gay,
Enduring sorrow, not by fits and starts,
But the long self-denial, day by day,

Alone amidst thy brood of careless hearts!
Striving to guide, to teach, or to restrain,

The young rebellious spirits crowding round, Who saw not, knew not, felt not for thy pain, And could not comfort-yet had power to wound!

Ah! how my selfish heart, which since hath

grown

Familiar with deep trials of its own,
With riper judgment looking to the past,
Regrets the careless days that flew so fast,
Stamps with remorse each wasted hour of time,
And darkens every folly into crime!

USEFUL RECEIPTS.

To Preserve various Sorts of Fruit.-By covering some sorts of cherry, plum, gooseberry, and currant trees, either on walls or on bushes with mats, the fruit of the red and white currant, and of the thicker skinned gooseberry trees, may be preserved till Christmas and later. Grapes, in the open air, may be preserved in the same manner; and peaches and nectarines may be kept a month hanging on the trees after they are ripe.

A Varnish to Colour Baskets and old Straw Hats. -Take either red or black sealing wax: to every two ounces of sealing wax add one ounce of rectified spirits of wine; pound the wax fine, then sift it through a fine lawn sieve, till you have made it extremely fine; put it into a large phial with the spirits of wine, shake it, let it stand near the fire forty-eight hours, shaking it often; then with brush, a hog's bristle brush, lay it all over the baskets. Let it dry, and repeat the application a second time.-J. T. T., Leeds.

To Preserve young Shoots from Slugs and Earwigs.-Earwigs and slugs are fond of the points of the young shoots of carnations and pinks, and are very troublesome in places where they abound; to prevent them they are sometimes insulated in water, being set in cisterns or pans. If a pencil dipped in oil was drawn round the bottom of the pots once in two days, reither of these insects nor ants would attempt them. Few insects can endure oil, and the smallest quantity of it stops their progress.

To make Economical White House-Paint.-Skimmilk, two quarts, fresh slaked lime, eight ounces, linseed-oil, six ounces, white burgundy pitch, two ounces, Spanish white, three pounds. The lime to be slaked in water, exposed to the air, mixed in about one-fourth of the milk; the oil in which the pitch is previously dissolved, to be added, a little at a time; then the rest of the milk, and afterwards the Spanish white. This quantity is sufficient for twenty-seven square yards, two coats, and the expense not more than ten-pence.

Water-proof Boots.-Boots and shoes may be rendered inpervious to water by the following composition: Take three ounces of spermaceti, and melt it in a pipkin, or other earthen vessel, over a slow fire: add thereto six drachms of Indian rubber, cut into slices, and these will presently dissolve. Then add of tallow eight ounces, hog's lard two ounces, amber varnish four ounces. Mix, and it will be fit for use immediately; the boots or other material to be treated, are to receive two or three coats, with a common blacking brush, and

a fine polish is the result.

To Restore Flowers.-Most flowers begin to droop and fade after being kept during twentyfour hours in water; a few may be revived by substituting fresh water; but all (the most fugacious, such as poppy, and perhaps one or two others excepted), may be restored by the use of hot water. For this purpose, place the flowers in scalding water, deep enough to cover about one-third of the length of the stem; by the time the water has become cold, the flowers will have become erect and fresh; then cut off

the coddled ends of the stems, and put them into cold water.

Water-proof Cloth.-Brush the cloth first with a solution of isinglass, and when dry with a solution of nutgalls. This last solution changes the gelatinous mass of isinglass into a true leather. Instead of isinglass use common glue and afterwards a tincture or infusion of catachu. These receipts will scarcely do with light colours. Rub the cloth over on the wrong side with Indian-rubber varnish, or Indian-rubber dissolved by heat in spirits of turpentine. Brush over the wrong side of the cloth with a solution of isinglass, alum, and soap. Brush over the wrong side with soap-suds, and afterwards with a solution of alum.

To Extract the Perfume of Flowers.-Procure a quantity of the petals of any flower which has an agreeable flavour; card thin layers of cotton wool, which dip into the finest Florence oil; sprinkle a small quantity of fine salt on the flowers, and place layers of cotton and flowers alternately, until an earthen, or wide-mouthed glass vessel, is quite full. Tie the top close with a bladder, and lay the vessel in a south aspect, exposed to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when opened, a fragrant oil may be squeezed away from the whole mass; little inferior (if roses are made use of,) to the dear and highly-valued otto, or odour of roses.

Rust. The preservation of iron and steel from rust is a very important consideration in domestic economy. The following plan of doing this is very little known, and is far superior to any other-add to a quart of cold water half a pound of quick lime; let this stand until the top is perfectly clear; pour off the clear liquid, and stir up with it a quantity of olive oil, until the mixture becomes a thick cream, or rather assumes the consistence of butter which has been melted for the table, and has become cold. Rub the iron or steel which is to be put by with this mixture, and then wrap it up in paper. Knives and other steel articles treated in this way will not acquire the slightest rust. If the nature of the articles will not admit of their being wrapped up in paper, they will remain free from rust by covering them more thickly with the mixture.

To store Fruit.-Those to be used first, lay by singly on shelves, or on the floor, in a dry southern room, on clean dry moss, or sweet dry straw, so as not to touch one another. Some, or all the rest, having first laid a fortnight singly, and then nicely culled, are to be spread on shelves, or on a dry floor. But the most superior way is, to pack in large earthen, or China or stone jars, with very dry long moss at the bottom,

sides, and also between them, if it might be. Press a good coat of moss on the top, and then stop the mouth close with a cork, or otherwise, which should be rosined round about with a twentieth part of bees' wax in it. As the object is effectually to keep out air (the cause of putrefaction), the jars, if earthen, may be set on dry sand, which put also between, round, and over them, to a foot thick on the top. In all close storing, observe there should be no doubt of the soundness of the fruit. Guard, in time, from frost those that lie open. Jars of fruit must be soon used after unsealing.

PARLOUR AMUSEMENTS.

How to take three Balls of two Strings.-You show two pieces of strong tape to the company, of au exact size, and then you show the balls which have a hole through the middle of them; having put on one ball yourself, you let the person who is to hold one end put on the second ball, and the person who is to hold the other end the third ball. Each person has two ends which are of the same length. Suddenly you jerk the balls which slip off, while the strings, when examined, remain as before.

Explanation.-While the balls are examined you double each string, and each appears to have two even ends; you twist the double end of each together, and putting on one of the balls, which has a hole smaller than the others, over the place that is joined, the strings remain firm, and can bear to be pulled. Each person that holds it thinks he has the extremities of two strings, while in fact he has only the end of one. By a jerk the middle ball comes off, followed by the rest; you then slip them into the hands of one of the persons who holds the strings; he of course lets go his hold, and you then take care to put the strings lengthways. This is a good trick when well managsd, but it requires dexterity to conceal the deception. Formerly this trick was done with three button moulds on two small whipcords of about two feet each, and with three rings on two ribbons, but the balls and tapes are preferable.

To shut up a piece of money or a ring in a box from whence it escapes without being touched.-You ask one of the company for a piece of money or a ring, which in his presence is deposited in a box. You then give him the box to hold; beg of him to shake it, when the money or ring is consequently heard to rattle within. You then desire him to shake it harder, but on being repeatedly shaken the sound is no longer heard, and the piece of money or ring is found in somebody's hat or pocket.

Explanation. This box is made so that in shaking it softly up and down it has a rattling sound as if there was money or something else in it. On pretence of showing the person how it should be shaken, you take the box, and though locked, the piece of money or ring drops into your hand, through a little chink which opens secretly. The box will continue to rattle till shaken strongly in a horizontal direction, when a little spring falls upon the sounder, and hinders it from making a noise. It is then imagined that the piece of money or ring is gone, and by means of a sly confederate, who gives a timely hint, you point to the person's hat or pocket where it is.

ENIGMAS. 1.

One side of every thing you see,
You often think and talk of me;
Yet though I clearly should proclaim
All that I am, and tell my name
Without disguise or round about,
Still you could never make me out.

2.

By wise men in the days of yore
I was accounted one of four:
But what our number is, of late
Learning has brought into debate.
The circuit of this globe I round,
Disdaining loftiest wall and mound.
Scarce felt or known, I always move
Within you, round you, and above;
Floating the earth and heaven between,
Am often heard but never seen;
Yet though devoid of shape or size
Grow thinner always as I rise.
By drawing me you live and breathe;
If I withdraw you sink in death.
I help to feed the plant and tree;
I serve the birds for sail and sea.
Without my passport to its flight
Your eye could not discern the light,
Nor to your ear would ever reach
The voice of music or of speech.
I am a gesture, a grimace,
A blemish oftener than ag
a grace,
Except upon a favourite's face.
But many are the parts I play,
And oft the grave and oft the gay,
Am pure, am foul, am heavy, light,
Am safer in the day than night,
Upon the mountain keen and sharp,
But soft and sweet upon the harp.
The prince of demons by degree
Is for a season prince of me;
But thence, too, he shall fall in time,
As once he fell from higher clime:
Meanwhile his lies of every hue
By taking me are passed for true.

ANSWERS TO FAMILY PASTIME. PAGE 300.

ENIGMAS.-1. The letter U. 2. A card. CHARADES.-1. Tar-tar. 2. Pepper-corn. ARITHMETICAL PROBLEM.-The solution is as follows: First, 4s, 1s. = 3s. 5s. 18.48. (1s. = 1-5th of 5s. the barter-price of the wheat), and 38.28.5s. 4s.+ 2.6s. (2s. = 1-3rd of 4s.+28.), then, 5s. : 6s. :: £12 £14 4s. (= £14 80), the 6

barter-price of the horse, and hence £20: 1

bushel have of A. The answer is thus proved :

A has of B his horse, worth
With 1-5th of the barter-price of
the wheat

B has 1-3rd of the barter-price of the horse..

With 48 bushels of wheat, worth..

12 0 0

28 0

£14 8 0

4 16 0 9 12 0

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EDITED BY HERR HARRWITZ.

PROBLEM XXII.-By A. G. M'COMBE, Esq. White to move, and mate in four moves.

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1. K. P. 2.

2. K. Kt. to B. 3.
3. K. B. to Q. B. 4.
4. Q. Kt. P. 2.

5. Q. B. P. 1.
6. Castles. (a)
7. Q. P. 2.
S. K. P. 1.

9. P. takes P.

0. Q. to Q. Kt. 3. 11. B. to Q. 5. 12. Q. Kt. to Q. 2. 13. P. takes P. 14. Kt. takes Kt. 15. Kt. to K. 4. 16. B. to K. Kt. 5. 17. Q. R. to Q. 18. Q. to K. B. 3. 19. Q. to K. R. 5. (f) 20. Q. takes B. 21. B. to K. 7.

Black-Mr. Kaselach.

1. K. P. 2.
2. Q. Kt. to B. 3.
3. B. to Q. B. 4.
4. B. takes P.
5. B. to B. 4.

6. K. Kt. to B. 3.
7. P. takes P.
8. Kt. to K. 5.
9. B. to K. 2. (b)
10. Castles.

11. K. Kt. to Kt. 4. 12. P. 1. 13. B. takes P. (c) 14. Q. takes Kt. 15. Q. to Q. (d) 16. Q. to Q. 2. 17. Q. Kt. to R. 4. 18. K. to R. (e) 19. B. takes K. R. P. ch. 20. Q. takes B. 21. R. to K.

22. Kt. to K. B. 6. 23. B. takes P. ch. 24. Q. to Kt. 3. ch. and wins.

22. P. takes Kt. (g) 23. K. to Kt.

NOTES TO GAME XXII (a) Q. P. 2. at once is stronger. (b) To enable him to retreat his K. Kt. to Kt.4. If Q. takes P., White takes Kt. with Kt, and then playing Q. Kt. to K. 4., wins a piece (d) Q. to K. Kt. 3. we should have preferred. (e) Preparatory to taking K. R. P. ch. &c. (f) Intending to play Kt. to B. 6. and if Black in reply plays Q. to K. B. 4.-B. to K. 4. winning easily.

(g) His only move to avoid the Mate and loss of Q. was Q. to K. B. 4., by which, however, he loses a R. clear.

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