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but my father's promise that the whole family should pay him a long visit in the autumn could have consoled poor Harry for the loss of our society, for he had long been considered a member of our little community, and he deplored his absence from it as deeply as if he had been bound by ties, strong and powerful as those which linked the others together.

We heard regularly from him; scarcely a week elapsed without the arrival of a letter. He wrote in raptures of the splendor of his mansion, and the beauty of his park; but hinted that the house and domain were far too large for one of his moderate pretensions. The neighborhood was excellent, a morning's ride from town, with earls and viscounts sprinkled as thickly over it as country 'squires were in ours; but the latter were in his estimation preferable to the former-in short, every panegyric was coupled with an exception.

The time for our journey into Hertfordshire arrived at last. Never shall I forget the luxuriance of that part of the county to which we were bound; the richness of the scenery, the magnificence of the seats, and, moreover, the extensive parks, which were scarcely divided by arable land, afforded so strong a contrast to the boldness and wild grandeur of Devon, that my youthful imagination was so worked upon that I renounced all the fondness I had formerly felt for my native county, and ere a few hours had elapsed I had classed my friend with those enviable beings, who, born under a lucky planet, are blessed with everything which constitutes happiness.

The mansion was indeed superb; a modern building, lofty, spacious, and aristocratic in its appearance; the approach to it upwards of three miles in length, winding under the shade of trees, clothed in the hue of autumn, or sweeping through open ground, where the deer congregated

in large herds-in short everything was noble and in strict conformity; yet, when the owner's name was mentioned, you could not help thinking that that alone was inharmonious. "Mr. Slim," the thing was ridiculous, plebeian, vulgar"Mr. Slim, of Beaudesert,"-you could not help laughing at the combination of words so opposite.

But, in spite of his wealth, and the splendor which surrounded him, it was evident that our friend was unhappy; his countenance had lost its expression of cheerful content, and betokened a mind ill at ease. My father was grieved at witnessing this alteration, and questioned him instantly as to the cause of it; but Harry laughed at his anxiety, and treated the matter as a jest. However, during the social hour after dinner, when my mother and sisters had left the room, he disclosed to my father a series of vexations, trifling in themselves, but to one of his simple nature sufficient to cloud his brow with even darker gloom.

The first grievance occasioned by his wealth and its attendant circumstances was this. He had thought fit to engage the whole of the domestics who had lived in the service of his cousin, and, being unused to so large an establishment, and totally unfit to be the head of it, the quarrels and rioting of the servants gave him perpetual uneasiness. Moreover, he complained that the butler, "a perfect gentleman," as he styled him, disobeyed every order that was given him, and grinned in his face when expostulated with the grooms, too, grumbled when he visited the stables to superintend the management of his horses-in short, he endured all "the miseries of wealth," without experiencing any of its pleasures. My father laughed at all these domestic annoyances, and endeavored without effect to_persuade Harry to do the same. They were like motes in a sunbeam, to

be sure; but they had the effect of alloying his happiness, that was

certain.

Still these were trifles when compared with a circumstance which occurred a short time previously to our arrival. Many of the neighboring families had called on him, some from curiosity, others from civility, and Harry determined to accept the first invitation that was given him. It came from a wealthy baronet, much addicted to field sports, and from whose acquaintance our friend trusted to reap much satisfaction. The long expected day came at last, and, notwithstanding the palpitation of his heart, which he would fain have attributed to causes far removed from the true one, Harry went. He was sufficiently accustomed to his own residence not to shrink at witnessing the grandeur of the house he approached, which he would otherwise assuredly have done; and, save a deeper flush than usual on his face and a little shuffling in his gait, not to mention a slight embarrassment as to the proper mode of disposing of those appendages to the hunian frame called arms and hands, Harry crossed the hall and entered the saloon; but the apartment being filled with guests, and the ante-room spacious, the announcement of his name was unheard, and he had sufficient time before he crossed it to hear the conclusion of a story with which a young sprig of nobility was amusing the company. What had previously passed, Harry came too late to hear, but it evidently related to the owners of Beaudesert, and the pith of the jest was nothing more than a play on their name. The speaker had been describing the habits of the late proprietor, and contrasting the manners of the present; concluding with an exhibition of his embarrassed address, so ludicrous and withal so true, that our shocked and astonished friend found it impossible to mistake the likeness. After that, who will feel

surprised if Harry loathed the society of his neighbors ?

For shooting, his favorite amusement, he had lost all relish. When first he arrived at Beaudesert, the abundance of game on the estate pleased and delighted him, and his gun was scarcely ever at rest; but the little trouble it required to bag a dozen brace of pheasants, and as many hares as he chose to kill, soon produced a distaste for the amusement. In Devonshire, the uncertainty of finding birds gave a zest to the sport, and the difficulties in beating covers, and traversing our hills and valleys, were obstacles, in themselves, sufficient to increase the ardor of a true sportsman; while, on the contrary, the vast quantity of game around him soon cloyed, and satiety created disgust. As he himself remarked, “What pleasure could be found in knocking down pheasants as easily as sparrows, or in killing hares that brush

ed

your very feet in passing you!" -In short, he was become listless and unhappy, and his appearance was that of a man enervated by inactivity, and wearied by an idle course of life. Nothing could be stronger than the change; his person had undergone as great an alteration as his name, and little remained in the dispirited Harry Slim (that I should be obliged to call him so !) to remind us of the sportive companion of a few months past. But in discoursing on his favorite topic, the beauty of his old home, light and laughter would flash from his dark eye, which told more plainly than words that the inward man remained the same; and the contrast he drew between the two counties was so strong, that I soon looked with a distasteful feeling on the splendid domains around.

The pictures he sketched of our western county were so vivid, and yet so natural, that the talent of an artist seemed suddenly to have sprung up in the mind of Harry. It was pleasant to hear him descant

on the beauty of the scenery which a little proud, and marvellously surrounded our home, and to mark whimsical, he scattered his money like a prince;" this was all the information Harry could gain; but, if a lurking smile, or a knowing wink, were signs of more being known than they chose to express, he felt convinced that much remained concealed.

how he lingered on the spots which were endeared to him by the remembrance of past happiness. "He longed," he said, "to inhale the sea-breezes again, to tread on the blooming heather of our extensive moors, and to gaze on the wide expanse of hill and dale, which the lofty torrs command ;" then, taking retrospective view of the events of the preceding year, he would bring back to our recollection trifling incidents which were wellnigh forgotten with a freshness and idelity that showed how strong was the attachment he bore us, and we returned it accordingly.

I have slightly alluded to the disappointment which his old cousin's will occasioned a numerous tribe of near relatives; they had all been provided for in a former testament, and the alteration which the latter document made in their prospects must necessarily be supposed to have caused them extreme mortification-not to use a stronger term to express their feelings. However, on reading the will, the expectant heir immediately quitted Beaudesert, and not the slightest allusion was made, in Harry's presence, by the legal adviser of the family, to his kinsman's defeated hopes, and our friend, either from reserve or delicacy, had never mentioned the subject himself. Often had he pondered on the sudden change of his fortune; but it certainly did not elate him as much as the fancies of many would suggest, so "passing rich" had he been on his former income.

Nor had he reflected less on the slight notice the game-keeper, the steward, the huntsman, &c. took of their change of masters. I must observe, that our friend was always on a sociable footing with those members of our establishment, and he endeavored to elicit from them ther sentiments on the subject, but in vain-"Their late master was an excellent gentleman, and though

However, during the calmness and tranquillity with which Harry had taken possession and enjoyed the fortune of his cousin, a plot had been in preparation, which in due season manifested itself by the institution of a law-suit. The object of the action was to prove that his old relation had made the will which constituted Harry his heir, when his mind was too enfeebled by age to render the instrument a legal one. All the servants at Beaudesert were privy to the design, and a host of witnesses were ready to affirm that the late Mr. Slim was, at the date of the will, in his dotage.

Poor Harry was thunderstruck; never did human being suffer more perturbation of mind. The very sound of law was overwhelming, and various were the plans he devised to rid himself of the embarrassment. The most rational course to pursue, he thought, would be to seek an interview with his kinsman, and learn from him every particular of his uncle's latter days. His request was acceded to, and the plaintiff arrived at Beaudesert. Many witnesses were examined in the presence of our friend; and the evidence of his own servants was such as to leave little doubt of the fatuity of his old relative, and the slight chance he had of his claim being confirmed in a court of law. Without the least deliberation, or asking the advice of any friend, Harry instantly resigned all right to the fortune. Another man would have prosecuted the suit at ali hazards, and have relinquished it only when legally compelled to do so; but his feelings of honor were too acute to allow him to usurp what justice declared to be ano

ther's. And now the reader must pardon me, if I digress awhile from my story.

At the time I speak of, one of our nearest neighbors was a single lady, declining in life, and affected with the mania of the sisterhood, a strong partiality for pets. Her house and grounds literally swarmed with living creatures, quadrupeds and bipeds. Possessing an independent fortune, she became the purchaser of everything that could possibly be domesticated, and even extended her patronage to animals, whose very natures rendered the taming experiment hazardous. Her friends gradually deserted her; ladies disliked entering a house where they were liable to be bitten by pug-dogs and caressed by monkeys, and gentlemen were shy of the menagerie; so that our friend, lacking any acquaintance whose counsels might have directed her affections into a better channel, became the dupe of knaves and cheats, to whom an old maid, and, moreover, a rich one, was fair

game.

A foreigner one morning arrived at her residence, offering, with much mystery, a rare bird for sale. The fellow, before he withdrew the thick covering from the cage, so eulogized the taste and discrimination of his customer, that the poor dupe determined to be the purchaser of it, at whatever price it might be offered. With a weakened mind, unstrengthened by education, the lady gave implicit credence to the tissue of lies which the man uttered, and believed the account of the far-off clime, of which, he said, the bird was a native. He called his nonpareil a "golden lory," a bird which derived its name from the color of its plumage. In sooth it was a gorgeous bird, of which any description would be faint indeed; red, blue, green, and orange, were so blended in its feathers as to give the idea of a winged harlequin : but the greatest attraction to our female zoologist was the slight golden tinge, which overspread every

com

part. The fascination was plete, and she became the purchaser of it at an exorbitant price.

But the day had not worn away, before a change was visible in the plumage of the bird, which its mistress in vain tried to account for: the golden hue rapidly vanished, and as, with sedulous care, which she ascribed to the creature's vanity, it dressed and smoothed its feathers, their varied hues became less vivid, and soon changed to a dull earthen color-the variation of the cameleon could not have been more perplexing. Moreover, during the day, it had uttered many ambiguous sounds-it did not certainly say "I can't get out," but its notes bore a great resemblance to the human voice, insomuch that our friend congratulated herself on her favorite's possessing such excellent qualities. But alas! by another day the cheat was detected, and the impostor discovered to be nothing more than a tame starling. Disgusted and angry, the lady instantly turned the bird adrift, but, being thoroughly domesticated, it made no farther use of its freedom than to hop around the house, and imitate every sound that caught its fancy.

The story of the starling was soon circulated in the neighborhood, to the increased mortification of the principal character in it; and so great a resemblance did the bird present to the hero of mine, that I trust I shall be pardoned for introducing it.

Never did human being rejoice so truly at being freed from the trammels of wealth as Harry; his exultation was complete, and, with the rapidity of a person who thinks only to act, he returned to us again, engaged his old lodgings in the good town of K-, resumed his respectable family name, and, by his increased cheerfulness, was a living instance that the possession of wealth does not constitute happiness, and that perfect content and one hundred a year are by no means so inseparable as is generally considered.

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WHY, we are now in Glen-Etive -and sitting at the mouth of our Tent. Our oft-repeated passionate prayer,

"O for a lodge in some vast wilderness! " has once more, after twenty years' absence, in this magnificent haunt of our fanciful youth and imaginative manhood, been gloriously granted, and we think we could again bound along these cloud-girdled cliffs like a deer. Nay, 'tis not twenty years since we pitched this self-same snow-white Tent amid the purple heather, by the Linn of Dee! But,

"We take no heed of time but by its loss," so winnowing on the air is even the weariest waving of his care-laden wings! A few yellow weather-stains are on the canvass-" but that not much;" the pole is yet sound-or call it rather mast-for we have hoisted our top-gallant,

"And lo! the silver cross, to Scotland dear," languidly lifts itself up, an ineffectual streamer, in the fitful morning breezes! The dawn is softly slowly-stealing upon day; for the uprisen sun, though here the edge of his disk as yet be invisible, is diffusing abroad the dewy joy of "the sweet hour of prime," and all the beauteous eastern region is tinged with a crimson, faint and fine as that which sleeps within the wreaths of the sea-sounding shells. Hark! the eagle's earliest cry, yet in his eyry! Another hour, and he and his giant mate will be seen spirally ascending the skies, in maay a glorious gyration, tutoring their offspring to dally now with the sunshine, as, when their plumes are stronger, they will dally with

the storm.

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antlers, could our eyes now behold them, motionless as the birch-tree branches with which they blended in the desart. Or roused from their lair, at the signal-belling of their king, a hero unconquered in a hundred fights, the whole herd rises at once like a grove, and with their stately heads lifted aloft on the weather-gleam, snuff the sweet scent of the morning-air far and wide surcharged with the honeydew yet unmelting on the heather, and eye with the looks of liberty Black Mount with a many-colored the glad daylight that mantles the garment. Ha! the first plunge of the salmon in the pool! There again he shoots into the air, white as silver, and new run from the sea!-for Loch-Etive is one of the many million arms of the ocean, and bright now are rolling in the billows of the far-heaving tide! Music meet for such a morn and such mountains! Straight stretches the glen for leagues, and then bending through the blue gloom, seems to wind away with one magnificent sweep into infinitude. The Great Glen of Scotland-Glen-More itself-is not more magnificent. But the great glen of Scotland is yet a living forest. Glen-Etive has no woods-and the want of them is sublime. For, centuries ago, pines and oaks, in the course of nature, all perished; and they exist now but in tradition, still wavering on the tongues of old bards, or deep down in the mosses show their black trunks to the light, when the torrents join the river in spate, and the moor divulges its secrets as in an earthquake. Sweetly sung, thou small, brown, moorland bird, though thy song be but a twitter! And true to thy time-even to a balmy minute-art thou, with thy velvet tunic of black, striped with yellow, as thou windest thy small but not sullen horn-by us called in our pride HUMBLE BEE-but not, me

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