gentleman's confessions were of an interesting nature, this might be good fun; but as the night is cold, I must close the 'scéance,' so here goes for one effort more.

"If, Sir, you could kindly spare me even a small portion of your bed clothes."

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No, thank you, no more wine; but I'll sing with pleasure ;" and here the wretch, in something like the voice of a frog with the quinsy, began, "I'd mourn the hopes that leave me." "You shall mourn something else for the same reason," said I, as, losing all patience, I seized quilt and blankets by the corner, and with one vigorous pull wrenched them from the bed; I darted from the room-in a second I was in the corridor, trailing my spoil behind-which in my haste I had not time to collect in a bundle. I flew rather than run along the passage, reached the stairs, and in another minute had reached the second gallery, but not before I heard the slam of a door behind me, and the same instant the footsteps of a person running along the corridor, who could be no other than my pursuer, effectually aroused by my last appeal to charity. I darted along the dark and narrow passage; but soon to my horror discovered that I must have passed the door of my chamber, for I had reached the foot of a narrow back stair, which led to the grenier and the servants' rooms, beneath the roof. To turn now would only have led me plump in the face of my injured countryman, of whose thews and sinews I was perfectly ignorant, and did not much like to venture upon. There was little time for reflection, for he had now reached the top of the stair, and was evidently listening for some clue to guide him on; stealthily and silently, and scarcely drawing breath, I mounted the narrow stairs, step by step; but before I had arrived at the landing, he heard the rustle of the bed-clothes, and again gave chase. There was something in the unrelenting ardour of his pursuit, which suggested to my mind the idea of a most uncompromising foe; and as fear added speed to my steps, I dashed along beneath the low-roofed passage, wondering what chance of escape might yet present itself. Just at this instant, the hand by which I had guided myself along the wall, touched the handle of a door-I turned it-it opened-I drew in my precious bundle, and closing the door

noiselessly sat down, breathless and still, upon the floor.

Scarcely was this, the work of a second, accomplished, when the heavy tread of my pursuer resounded on the floor.

Upon my conscience it's strange if I hav'nt you now, my friend," said he ; "You're in a cul de sac here, as they say, if I know any thing of the house; and faith I'll make a sallad of you, when I get you, that's all. Devil a dirtier trick ever I heard tell of."

Need I say that these words had the true smack of an Irish accent, which circumstance, from whatever cause, did not by any means tend to assuage my fears in the event of discovery.

However, from such a misfortune, my good genius now delivered me; for after traversing the passage to the end, he at last discovered another which led by a long flight to the second story, down which he proceeded, venting at every step his determination for vengeance, and his resolution not to desist from the pursuit, if it took the entire night for it.

"Well now," thought I, "as he will scarcely venture up here again, and as I may, by leaving this, be only incurring the risk of encountering him, my best plan is to stay where I am, if it be possible. With this intent I proceeded to explore the apartment, which, from its perfect stillness, I concluded to be unoccupied. After some few minutes groping I reached a low bed, fortunately empty, and although the touch of the bed clothes led to no very favourable augury of its neatness or elegance, there was little choice at this moment, so I rolled myself up in my recent booty, and resolved to wait patiently for day-break to regain my apartment.

As always happens in such circumstances, sleep came on me unawaresso at least every one's experience I am sure can testify, that if you are forced to awake early to start by some morning coach, and that unfortunately you have not got to bed till late at night, the chances are ten to one, that you get no sleep whatever, simply because you are desirous for it. But make up your mind ever so resolutely that you'll not sleep, and whether your determination be built on motives of propriety, duty, convenience, or health, and the chances are just as strong, that you are sound and snoring before ten minutes.

How many a man has found it im

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possible, with every effort of his heart and brain aiding his good wishes, to sit with unclosed eyes and ears through a dull sermon in the dog-days; how many an expectant, longing heir has yielded to the drowsy influence when endeavouring to look contrite under the severe correction of a lecture on extravagance from his uncle. Who has not felt the irresistible tendency to drop off" in the half hour before dinner at a stupid country-house? I need not catalogue the thousand other situations in life infinitely more "sleepcompelling" than Morphine; for myself, my pleasantest and soundest moments of perfect forgetfulness of this dreary world and all its cares, have been taken in an oaken bench, seated bolt upright and vis à vis to a lecturer on botany, whose calming accents, united with the softened light of an autumnal day, piercing its difficult rays through the narrow and cobwebbed windows, the odour of the recent plants and flowers aiding and abetting, all combined to steep the soul in sleep, and you sank by imperceptible and gradual steps into that state of easy slumber, in which "come no dreams," and the last sounds of the lecturer's" hypogenous and perigenous," died away, becoming beautifully less, till as your senses sank into rest, the syllables rigging us, rigging us, seemed to melt away in the distance and fade from your memory- -Peace be with you, Doctor A. If I owe gratitude anywhere I have my debt with you. The very memory I bear of you has saved me no inconsiderable sum in hop and henbane. Without any assistance from the sciences on the present occasion, I was soon asleep, and woke not till the cracking of whips, and trampling of horses' feet on the pavement of the coach-yard apprised me that the world had risen to its daily labour, and so should I. From the short survey of my present chamber which I took on waking, I conjectured it must have been the den of some of the servants of the house upon occasion-two low truckle-beds of the meanest description lay along the wall opposite to mine; one of them appeared to have been slept in during the past night, but by what species of animal the Fates alone can tell. An old demi-peak saddle, capped and tipped with brass, some rusty bits, and stray stirrup-irons lay here and there upon the floor; while upon a species of clothes-rack, attached to a rafter, hung a tarnished suit of

postillion's livery, cap, jacket, leathers, and jack-boots, all ready for use; and evidently from their arrangement supposed by the owner to be a rather creditable "turn out."

I turned over these singular habiliments with much of the curiosity with which an antiquary would survey a suit of chain armour; the long epaulettes of yellow cotton cord, the heavy belt with its brass buckle, the cumbrous boots, plaited and bound with iron like churns, were in rather a ludicrous contrast to the equipment of our light and jockey-like boys in nankeen jackets and neat tops, that spin along over our level meadows.

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But," thought I, "it is full time I should get back to No. 82, and make my appearance below stairs;" though in what part of the building my room lay, and how I was to reach it without my clothes, I had not the slightest idea. A blanket is an excessively comfortable article of wearing apparel when in bed, but as a walking costume, is by no means convenient nor appropriate; while to making a sorti en sauvage, however appropriate during the night, there were many serious objections if done "in plain form," and that the whole establishment was awake and active; the noise of mopping, scrubbing, and polishing, which is eternally going forward in a foreign inn amply testified there was nothing which I could adopt in my present naked and forlorn condition, save the bizarre and ridiculous dress of the postillion, and I need not say the thought of so doing presented nothing agreeable. I looked from the narrow window out upon the tiled roof, but without any prospect of being heard if I called ever so loudly.

The infernal noise of floor-cleansing, assisted by a Norman peasant's, "chanson du pays," the time being well marked by her heavy sabots, gave even less chance to me within; so that after more than half an hour passed in weighing difficulties, and canvassing plans, upon donning the blue and yellow, and setting out for my own room without delay, hoping sincerely, that with proper precaution, I should be able to reach it unseen and unobserved.

As I laid but little stress upon the figure I should make in my new habiliments, it did not cause me much mortification to find that the clothes were considerably too small, the jacket scarcely coming beneath my arms, and the sleeves being so short that my hands and wrists projected beyond

diffidence and caution. Au reste, Mr. Rosenwald, the sentiments you reprobate are such, let me inform you, as will soon be shared and professed by my daughter herself."

"It is false" cried Basil, as Aurelia's image the very personification of constancy and devotedness-rose upon his mind's eye-"it is false !" he repeated, standing up; "and you, her father, know it to be false as hell! Shame upon you, sir, so to slander your own blood-ay! and to glory in the slander! But your breast is cased in triple adamant. Were it not so, I would demand of you why it is I am here at this moment-why walls and doors should be permitted to separate on such a night hearts that never can know happiness asunder. I am aware that I should appeal in vain to you, otherwise I would ask you, even now, whether I could see your daughter-if but for a minute."

"Your penetration, such as it is, has not deceived you," said Elsberg. "You cannot, upon any account, see my daughter this evening. The granting of such an interview would be impolitic; I could not possibly permit it. I have every respect for you, Mr. Rosenwald, but circumstances render

"You have every respect for hell and damnation, sir!" exclaimed Basil, in a transport of indignation. "Where is my hat? Let me be off!"

"Here is your hat, and there are your gloves, Mr. Rosenwald," said Elsberg very quietly, as he also rose up, "Is this your handkerchief? No; I believe it is my own. You are rather hot-blooded, I think, for your own peace

of mind," he added. "I have often noticed your excitability, and never without regret. I pardon you on this occasion, because you are a lover; and though I have never known what the feelings of a lover are, I can imagine them and compassionate any unfortu nate individual who suffers from them. But, if you are a lover, Mr. Rosenwald, I am a father; and, as such, I must fulfil the duties of a father. It is pure want of reflection - want of serious habits of thought-want, in short-" and the Herr Von Elsberg put on an uncommonly profound and Socratic countenance "want, in short, Mr. Rosenwald, of a philosophical, categorical, and analytical system of investigation into the operation of correct and irrefragable principles as contradistinguished from the operation of illusory and fallacious principles, that disqualifies you from perceiving that I act for the best, and with a view to the production of the largest possible amount of good attainable under existing circumstances. If you are determined on going, Mr. Rosenwald-if you will not stop and chat with me over another glass-this Rhenish, I assure you, was four-andtwenty years old last August,-why, I can only say, I have the honour of bidding you a good evening."

All this had fallen upon the ear of Basil "like sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." There was a roaring in his head-a tempest in his heart. He put on his hat, and, without deigning even to notice the farewell salutation of his host, rushed out of the house and made his way home,

an

And into the room, with a slow and stealthy pace, like Wordsworth's Doe, and silently, as one whose shoon are soled with velvet, came Herr Grabb,

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silence. At length the maire made his appearance, and, accustomed as he had been for a long life to scenes of an absurd and extraordinary nature, yet the ridicule of my look and costume was too much, and he laughed outright. This was of course the signal for renewed mirth for the crowd, while those without doors, infected by the example, took up the jest, and I had the pleasure of a short calculation, à la Babbage, of how many maxillary jaws were at that same moment wagging at my expense.

However, the examination commenced; and I at length obtained an opportunity of explaining under what circumstances I had left my room, and how and why I had been induced to don this confounded cause of all my misery.

This may be all very true," said the mayor, "as it is very plausible; but if you have evidence to prove what you have stated”.

If it's evidence is only wanting, Mr. Maire, I'll confirm one part of the story," said a voice from the crowd, in an accent and tone that assured me the speaker was my injured proprietor of the stolen blankets. I turned round hastily to look at my victim, and what was my surprise to recognize a very old Dublin acquaintance, Mr. Fitzmaurice O'Leary.

"Good morning, Mr. Lorrequer," said he; "this is mighty like our ould practices in College-green; but upon my conscience the maire has the advantage of Gabbet. It's lucky for you I know his worship, as we'd call him at home, or this might be a serious business. Nothing would persuade them that you were not Lucien Buonaparte, or the iron mask, or something of that sort, if they took it in their heads."

Mr. O'Leary was good as his word. In a species of French, that I'd venture to say would be perfectly intelligible in Mullingar, he contrived to explain to the maire that I was neither a runaway nor a swindler, but a very old friend of his, and consequently sans reproche. The official was now as profuse of his civilities as he had before been of his suspicions, and most hospitably pressed us to stay for breakfast. This, for many reasons, I was obliged to decline-not the least of which was, my impatience to get out of my present costume. We accordingly procured a carriage, and I returned to the hotel, screened from the gaze but still accom