THE

CHRISTIAN LADY'S MAGAZINE.

SEPTEMBER, 1839.

HELEN FLEETWOOD.'

WHO that has seen the sun's uprising, when his first bright gleam comes sparkling over the billows on a clear autumnal morning, but has felt a thrill of gladness at his heart-an involuntary, perhaps an unconscious ascription of praise to the Creator, who has so framed him that all his innate perverseness cannot bar the entrance of that thrill? The brisk wind that curls the wave, and flings its light spray abroad, does but multiply mirrors for the imaged ray to flash from; and when the mighty orb has wholly lifted his disk above the swelling outline of the beautifully rounded horizon, and looks down upon the surmounted bar

'Some of our readers may be ready to imagine, when they discover the nature and drift of this story, that the idea has been borrowed from some of the works on the same subject which are now being extensively advertised. The writer, therefore, wishes to say, in explanation, that she has never seen a single page of any of those works, and that the plan of the present narrative was fixed upon before either of them were so much as announced. Although subsequently laid aside, from illness and other obstacles, all that is here printed, and several chapters more, were written upwards of eight or nine months since. SEPTEMBER, 1839.

rier, sending beam after beam to traverse that watery world, and to gild it with dazzling splendour, who does not accord the palm of natural magnificence to that of which no adequate idea can be conveyed to one who has not looked upon it-sunrise at sea.

It was on such a morning, in the month of September, when the breeze was strong, the billows tumultuous, and the sun resplendent in a clear blue sky, that Helen Fleetwood paused on the edge of a cliff which overlooked the eastern wave, to indulge, perhaps for the thousandth time, an emotion of delight not the less vivid because Helen was a simple country girl, whose thoughts had never learned to clothe themselves in language worthy of the occasions that called them into existence. Of the milkpail, which swung lightly to and fro upon her arm, she could have discoursed with judgment and propriety but of that blaze of light, first stealing, then flashing, then broadly spreading in a refulgent mantle, over the surface of the deep, Helen had little to say. She nevertheless felt its joyous influence through every fibre of her frame, and her young heart danced as gaily beneath its light as the most airy bubble upon the billow's crest. In like manner Helen's lips had hitherto been mute, when others spoke of brighter beams, the influence of the Sun of Righteousness, as he rises with healing in his wings upon a benighted world of tumult and strife, but there was that within her bosom which owned his power, and rejoiced in his light.

Tripping by her side as she walked on, and wheeling in a restless circle around her when she paused, little Mary Green bore the three-legged stool that was to aid them in their operation on the two cows,

whose distant lowings were occasionally audible during the short pauses of the ocean's measured roar. It was not in Mary's nature to be silent long; and, after gazing up into Helen's face, to read in its happy expression the pleasure that her loving heart never failed to reciprocate, the little girl gave utterance to her companion's thought and her own, by remarking, Sunrise is very pretty, Helen.'

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Yes, it is,' replied the other, and a pity it would have been to lose the fine sight by letting some sleepy little girls take their own time to get up.'

Mary laughed: Why you know the mornings are not so warm now as they were a month ago; and there was hardly light enough to dress by. I am always glad afterwards; but somehow I don't like giving up my own way at the time.'

'Nor I,' said Helen: but you know, Mary, one's duty is the best rule to go by; and one never regrets in the long run having done so.'

'Talking of a long run,' rejoined Mary, whose taste by no means accorded with any thing savouring of a lecture, let us race now till we come to the gate, or the cows will be tired of waiting, and get cross and what will old Buckle say then?'

Helen assented; and with one parting glance over the bright sea, turned towards the shed where the cows were kept; and away they both ran till the intervening stile obliged them to pause ere they crossed it.

The full pail, nicely poised as it was on Helen's head, required a steadier pace in returning; and the two girls pursued the chat, which indeed rarely knew an interval during the many waking hours they passed together.

'The people in towns,' said Helen,

would think it a great hardship to be out a-milking at this time of day.'

They are better off than we:' replied Mary, to whom the idea of a long morning nap was by no means unpleasing.

'Better off in some things, Mary,' said her companion thoughtfully: 'but to see the sickly looks of the ladies who come down this way on their road to the bathings, I am not sure I would change wit them.'

'What! not to ride in your own coach?' inquired Mary with a stare of astonishment.

'I don't know: I havn't yet had more walking than agreed with me. Somehow too, the morning is so pleasant, and the fresh air does make one feel so hearty and alive, that if I was in a coach I think I'd be tempted to jump out and take a run.'

Mary laughed loudly at the idea of a lady racing against her own. coach and horses, but admitted that she should not like to be forced to ride at all timesonly when she felt sleepy or lazy. Thus merrily discoursing, the girls approached the gate of what might be called a farm-yard on a small scale; within the limits of which stood a cottage with a very steep pointed roof, well thatched, walls of snowy whiteness, long, narrow casements, and a porch recently added to its entrance; and there stood a stout elderly man, leaning his folded arms on the lower half of the door.

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'There's old Buckle,' whispered Mary, and looking as cross as two sticks.'

He certainly did not wear an aspect of much sweetness, when, flinging the little partition open,

he advanced, and reached the gate before the girls could lay a hand on its fastenings.

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You needn't come any farther,' growled Mr. Buckle, taking the pail from Helen, and swinging it over the gate in a pettish way. It's a wonder you'd take the trouble of fetching it at all, and only keep me waiting three quarters of an hour.'

Please, sir, I'm very sorry indeed,' said Helen, dropping a curtsey. I didn't think it was so late as that.'

'The sun must have overslept himself, sir,' added Mary, or else I'm sure we are in time to five minutes or so.'

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، Hold your tongue, sauce-box! Sad girls-lay in bed half the morning, play about t'other half; keep me fasting all the while, and then give me impertinence. All the work of the farm at a stand still. No, I'll not employ such idle baggages any longer. You may tell your granny that from me.'

'Off with you, Miss Pert: no two-pence to-day I'll promise you. Get ye gone; I'll not trouble you much longer to milk my cows. Off with ye!'

The girls, intimidated by the stamp that accompanied the words, turned to depart, Helen with a cartsey, Mary with something more resembling a shrug than an obeisance. Before they had proceeded many yards, the old gentleman's voice was heard again:

Stop, can't ye ? What a hurry the little toads are in to go and punish an honest old woman for their own bad doings ! Here, you Nelly, take that with you, not that you've earned it this time, but it doesn't become a respectable farmer like me to stop the