beheld through an aperture, in the blackthorn hedge, cut into an oval shape, so as to resemble the frame of a picture, a beautiful prospect of corn fields and reapers, lofty hills and meandering streams." "This is, indeed," exclaimed Charles, "the best picture I ever saw framed. You have given a living frame to a living picture." "So," said Mr. Kindley, "do the glorious prospects of eternity dawn upon a sinner through the lattice work of mortality, when he is induced and led by the blessed Spirit to lift up his eyes and look beyond this mortal tenement into a distant and eternal world." "Your improvement of the scene," said Eugenia, “is delightful, indeed. How charming it is to look from the lovely prospects on earth to the bright fields of heaven, and to be enabled to catch a glimpse of celestial glory through the vistas of time and the shadows of earth."

"Yes," said Mr. Kindley, "we here meet together a society of friends, but we shall ere long be separated by different pursuits and new connexions, and death must soon divide us all; but loving and fearing God, treading the same path to the kingdom, we shall in a future world be reunited in a blessed community which will never be dissolved.'

All the ladies re-echoed the sentiment, and beamed a smile of love and kindness round upon each other; a glance of which touched Charles's young heart with exquisite delight. Just emerged as he was from the seclusion of a college where there were, to use an Oxford term, "men and men for ever," Charles felt himself in a new world in the sweet society of these amiable ladies, whose good sense, piety, and affection gave an irresistible charm to all they said, and looked, and did. The four Miss Milds, with minds improved by education and regulated by piety, had retired about a year before upon a small independence, to the Vine-cottage belonging to Mr.

Kindley, beautifully situated on a little rising ground in the midst of a garden, opposite his house, to be near Mrs. and Miss Gell, to whom they had been long attached by the ties of friendship; whose abode was distant about a quarter of a mile, and which we have already described as delightfully situated on the banks of a gurgling stream. The party remained till after tea in this secluded retreat when twilight began to fade into the shades of the evening. Their eyes naturally turned to survey the ample sky, then bestudded with stars. A beautiful comet appeared sweeping the heavens with its fiery train. "Ah!" said Eusebia, the mother of Eugenia, "wondrous orb! how it sails along through the immensity of space, carrying terror to the superstitious, but in itself perhaps an innocent visitant of our sphere, and of spheres far distant and remote, connecting them in a manner most wonderful, and performing great and important services throughout the mighty system of the vast creation. Charles! have you studied astronomy? perhaps you can give us some fresh information respecting these erratic pilgrims through the fields of light.'

its

"I recollect," said Charles, " an electrifying sensation which ran through the whole audience on one occasion when Dr. Hornby was delivering his lecture on astronomy. He described the different comets which had appeared, and the periods betwixt their return to our sphere; there was one comet, he remarked, which made its appearance every four hundred years-that he had traced up appearance, through former ages, to the deluge, and that he supposed it had occasioned the flood; that the last time it was seen it directly crossed the path of the earth's orbit, and if it had passed its perihelion a few months sooner it would inevitably have set fire to our globe; that this comet would, ere long, appear again, and that the next time it crossed our system, if our earth was near the path

of its orbit in its perihelion or apphelion, it would produce the long predicted conflagration; but that the earth had a thousand chances to one, and that this catastrophe need not affect the hopes and fears of the present generation, for that it would not appear again for the next one hun dred and eighty years! The pause of silence and of awe which the remark produced was truly electric; the young and gay audience, who before were either whispering or smiling, kept a breathless stillness, and on every countenance sat solemnity and suspense, as if each felt a personal interest in the catastrophe likely to befal our planet." "I have read somewhere," said Eusebia, "some beautiful verses on the comet: I wish I knew where to find them again."

"I believe," said Charles, "I can repeat them." The party joined in their request, and while they walked on the smooth lawn banks of the glassy current, and eyed the twinkling stars which bestudded the azure firmament, and contemplated with awe the glaring comet, with its streaming fiery tail, Charles rehearsed the following lines:

THE COMET.

Mysterious orb! that with unusual light

Shed'st a faint radiance 'o'er the veil of night
Say-dost thou come, with fearful tidings fraught,

Of wars approaching, or of battles fought?

Art thou the tempest's herald?-Does thy form
Precede the whirlwind's desolating storm?

Or bring'st thou fiercer scourges of mankind—
Plague, pestilence, and famine! each design'd
To punish sinners, and to prove a rod
Too justly rais'd by an avenging God?

Whate'er thy purpose-and where'er thy course—
Where ends thy journeying, or whence thy source-

Whether a presage of disasters dread,
Or sign of mercies hovering o'er our head,
I love to view thy far-diverging ray,
Like a bright train attendant on thy way;
Less luminous than moonbeams, or the light
Of stars that gem the canopy of night;

But yielding far more splendour, and possess'd
Of power to awe the most obdurate breast.
For some wise end, unknown to erring man,
God sees thee needful in his mighty plan;
Not like a bauble sent to please the eyes,
Or strike the warring nations with surprise;
No!-whilst to us, thy light mysterious seems
And gives fresh vigour to the peasant's dreams,
Angelic hosts, to whom thy powers are known,
Shout songs of triumph 'round th' Almighty's throne.
Oh, be it ours the narrow path to tread,

And closely follow where a Saviour led;

'Til Heaven attain'd, on wisdom's book we pore,

And, whilst we wonder, tremblingly adore;
Then shall the mist that dims our mortal sight
Vanish like clouds before the morning light,
And God's decrees no longer strange appear,
But there prove gifts-which seem'd destruction here.
Be this my lot, each pensive soul replies!
Believe-repent and gain it in the skies!"

Marazion.

X. These are beautiful lines," said Eugenia, "and if you please to peruse them, I will shew you some on the same subject, written by a well known friend of ours. a few days

since

"Now see! ah see! yon glorious visitant,

With mighty speed describe his paths immense!
Bright fugitive of many* wand'ring fires

* Above five hundred comets have been calculated since the christian era.

That through the depths of Heaven's blue solitude
In flaming grandeur rolls millions of miles.
Where dewy night o'er the reposing world
Far flings his spangled veil, what eye can view
The comet's radiant march, and not be struck
With wonder and delight? The fiery train
That from its nucleus shoots unnumber'd leagues
Is, when attracted by the solar heat,

Quick spun in giddiest whirl-of miles on miles,
Nine hundred thousand* wheeling in an hour!
Stupendous flight! That bold and winged fancy
O'er her eagle car pulls in the slack'ning rein,
Nor more essays to follow on her course.
But when receding from the sun's fierce blaze
To the dark frontiers of dim glimm'ring orbs
Of pale reflecting light, it then revolves
With slow ellipses round the frozen zone.

On what sublime intent and wise design
Th' Almighty guides it through the void profound,
Is yet to man unknown. Its burning globe
Awe strikes the illiterate mind, as sent to tell
Of wars' dread thunder, or the close of time,
Or the curs'd regions of the tortured damned.
Fair science views it in a lovelier form,
And hails its bright approach, emblem and glory
Of Omnipotence, on noblest errand sent―
Th' abode, perhaps, of angel potentates,
Sent from the throne of Deity to watch!
And regulate creation's boundless works;
To keep the myriad planets in their course,
And thus preserve eternal harmony.”

I must not here forget to announce one character of the party, Mrs. Wenlow, the sister of Mrs. Geil. With a fine

* The velocity of the comet accords with Sir Isaac Newton's theory.