followed the example of all prudent widows-that is to say, she married again.

Bartholeme was the name of her husband, it became hers of course. The happy pair repaired to St. Vincent, at the time that island was in possession of the French. They spent the honeymoon at the village of New Edinborough; and their dwelling was an humble cot, the foundation thereof still remaineth, but the edifice hath long been razed. In present time, there are centipedes, and lizards, and snakes, and woodslaves, and serpents, that do live among the ruins. These animals have usurped the privilege of the ancient bon-vivants of Kingstown, who were wont, in olden time, to repair thither for the purpose of drinking their champagne beneath the luxuriant shade of a silk cotton tree, that spread its stately branches far and wide above their venerable heads.

This tree has been since levelled by the axe-not of an executioner, good reader, but of a contractor; who committed it to the flames for the base purpose of burning lime stone.

There is nothing more recorded of the dwelling or of the silk cotton tree, that shaded the same. So, in the next chapter, we will take up the history of our heroine herself, she who dwelt in the unfortunate cottage, and planted the unfortunate tree.

66

CHAPTER XXII.

OLD WOMAN'S POINT-A BALL.

"And in this legend all that glorious deed,
"Read whilst
you arm you-arm you whilst you

read."

Fairfax.

"The duchess's ball was really a splendid affair, and every thing went off' à merveille.'”

PARTIES disagreed, doubts were entertained concerning the moral respectability of our heroine and her husband. The most scrupulous feared they were not married; the least particular declared it to be of no consequence, whether they were or not. My aunt Josephine's opinion on the matter would have differed widely from that of the least particular. A certain Greek author desires us "never to deem a man happy till we have witnessed his end." Reader, thou shalt hear the end of our heroine's beloved :having lived together, and in peace, in the aforesaid village of New Edinborough, longer than man and wife usually do they quarrelled.

"Than peace to keep, to go through needle's eye,

"However small, it easier far for camel is:

"And quarrels will fall out, I know not why,
"Even among well regulated families."

"So says the poet, and I quite agree.'

The wife,

in these cases, is commonly stronger than her hus

band. Madame Bartholeme did not go to law-no, no, she took the law into her own hands, it was in strong hands then. The lady found an effectual way for making her husband "keep the peace : with a conch-shell she beat out, not his brains, reader, for he had none, but whatever else of consequence his head might have contained. For this deed she obtained the name of Lambees.*

To escape justice, she was forced to fly; so it was the victory first and the retreat afterwards. She retired among the Charaibs, to the interior of the island; here she lived by fishing, meat she had none; thus the lady was penitent, and fasted for her

sins.

Our heroine attracted the attention of a powerful chief; so, after a few years his wives grew jealous: wives, when they are jealous, are very devils; Lambees knew this by experience, for she had been one herself. She therefore returned to Ausingunary, the metropolis, since called Kingstown, and took up her abode on the northern point of the bay, which is the Old Woman's Point in question. This was coming to the point at once.

The French authorities were lenient, they did not think it worth while to pursue a lady for an offence so trifling as that of beating out her husband's brains: they looked only to the present; the future they could not see, the past they would not, besides, she brought them fish for their tables, and turtle for their

* The French term, used by the negroes at St. Vincent, for conch.

soups, so they allowed her to live with impunity, and gave her rum and molasses to her heart's content.

The Spanish priest was as good natured as the French authorities." Father," said our heroine, "I "have brought thee a bunch or two of muscadine grapes for thy dessert to-day; they have been freshly gathered from my garden at the Point." The worthy priest was fond of grapes, and knew that the said garden contained the finest in the island; his reverend mouth watered for a taste: for my part, I am sure they were sour. "I have committed many "sins, Father," resumed the lady. was the reply; "give me the grapes, good woman, "and go thy way in peace."

"Absolvo te,"

Lambees returned to her cottage, where she had many visitors; her character, and not her person attracted them :-in the latter, she was what Otway calls "a wrinkled hag, by age grown double;" the former was eccentric and interesting. A bottle of wine or rum procured admittance to her company, and she scrupled not to entertain her guests with "un petit chanson à boire;" she also maintained the usual privilege of her sex in being excessively talkative, "jusqu'à la mort."

In her eightieth year the English erected a battery on the Point: this battery which was meant to annoy the enemy, only annoyed the dame. It forced her, however, to evacuate her garrison, and to retire to the house of her ancient friend and confessor, Monsieur Mark La Font, who was at one and the same time an honest priest and a good fellow. He gave

many jovial parties, and many jovial toasts; among the latter his greatest favourite was three letters of the alphabet; not indeed the three C's of a worthy alderman, of turtle and mock-turtle memory, one of which proved a K, but the three R's that belong to Rex, Rum, and Religion.

The residence of this worthy man was below the Point, in the room whereof now standeth a more modern building, the property of George Hyde, Esq., whereunto appertaineth the important title of Ross Castle.

Our heroine's life was now fast drawing to a close. After a few years' residence in her friend's mansion, she perished in the tremendous hurricane that did so much damage in the island at that period.

The poetical version of her death telleth, that

I.

The raging tempest blew in howling blast,
The whirlwind bore up Lambees in the air,
Higher she rose, and higher; unseen at last,
Lambees unseen for ever.-Legend rare!

II.

This is no frequent tale of every day,

This is a narrative by no means common:

Old Woman's Point was named from this, men say, Old Woman's Point was named from this old woman.

III.

And negroes think the devil raised the storms,

And made the wind with double fury blow,
That he might bear off Lambees in his arms
To that same place where wicked people go.