her cheek,-in these outbursts of emotion there was rapture and there was forgiveness. She had come back. That was enough. She was in her father's arms, looking up into her lover's face. What more was needed? Nothing save the few words which told reluctantly of her resolve to flee and hide herself in some far-off land for Isabel's sake, and for the possible love Darton might bear for her, of her making by devious paths toward a near seaport town, whence it might be possible for her to sail somewhere, she did not know or care where, and of the way in which that resolve broke down under the thought of her father's life-long agony of mind, and the fear awakened by a fying rumour that her sister might be deemed guilty of some dark act of treachery toward her. Acted upon by such reflections her brave resolve gave way; she could but return, and that speedily, to ask forgiveness for her rash act, and to pray for reinstatement in the old home. In that home she remained, cheered even by the remorseful kindness of Isabel, whose sense of a danger escaped softened her heart even under her heavy trial: there she remained, but not for long, and happiness was her portion with him on whose arm she leaned as she went forth to a new world of duties beyond the Grange. THE BELLS. Hear the sledges with the bells- What a world of merriment their melody foretells! In the icy air of night! With a crystalline delight; In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinabulation that so musically wells Bells, bells, bells From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells. Hear the mellow wedding bells, What a world of happiness their harmony foretells! What a liquid ditty floats In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, How they clang, and clash, and roar! On the bosom of the palpitating air! And the people-ah, the people- And who, tolling, tolling, tolling, On the human heart a stone- And their king it is who tolls; To the paan of the bells - Keeping time, time, time, To the throbbing of the bells Of the bells, bells, bells, To the sobbing of the bells; As he knells, knells, knells, To the rolling of the bells- To the tolling of the bells, To the moaning and the groaning of the bells. EDGAR A. POE. THE JEWEL-HUNTER.1 BY H. D. INGLIS. I was about fourteen years old when my father carried me to the great fair of Cracow, whither he went to purchase tools for his business, which was that of a lapidary, and which he carried on at Michlinitz. The size of the town, the magnificence of the buildings, the crowds that thronged the streets, and the novelty and beauty of the wares, surprised and delighted me; but nothing enchanted me so much as the model of the citadel in salt, which, according to the usual custom, was placed in the great square upon a pedestal of marble. From Solitary Walks through Many Lands. By Derwent Conway (pseudonym), author of Tales of Ardennes. As we walked along one side of the square, looking for the shop of a merchant from whom my father wished to purchase some stones, we saw a great crowd collected before a door at some little distance, and as we came nearer, it proved to be the shop of the identical merchant whom my father sought. So great wa the crowd, that we were unable to approach nearer than within twenty yards of the door: and as my father pushed forward, anxious to despatch his business, "What now?" said a fellow in the throng. "softly, if you please; do you think nobody wants to see the opal but yourself?" "What opal is it," said my father, addressing a man who stood beside him, "that excites so much curiosity?" "Have you not heard," replied the man. "of that wonderful opal that Schmidt the jewel-hunter found in the mountains, and which has just been bought for the king at the price of 100,000 florins?" My father was now as anxious to see the opal as anybody else; and when he had suc ceeded in reaching the shop, the merchant took my father and myself into a back-room, carrying the opal along with him, that the business upon which we came might be transacted more quietly; telling the crowd that besieged the door that the opal was not to be seen any more that day. My father and the merchant immediately began to make their bargains, leaving the examination of the opal until their business should be concluded, while I all the while kept the precious stone in my hand, looking at it, and admiring it, and thinking of its ex traordinary value. I was entirely ignorant of the worth of jewels, and, although my father was a lapidary, scarcely could distinguish between one stone and another; for my mother having resolved that I should follow the profession of the law, I had been put to school st an early age, and was therefore more an adept at my books than a judge of precious stones. I knew, however, that the stone I held in my hand had been purchased by the king for 100,000 florins, and as one florin even seemed to me an inexhaustible sum, 100,000 florins might well baffle my utmost powers of concep tion. At length the merchant and my father, having finished their business, turned their attention to the opal, and discoursed in the most extravagant terms of its extraordinary beauty and value, and of the wonderful good fortune of the finder, all of which made a deep impression upon me. As we passed from the mer chant's house through the square, I importuned my father to show me the exhibition of an Armenian juggler; but he refused me, saying it would cost half a florin. Half a florin, thought I-only half a florin; and this jewel-hunter has found a gem worth 100,000! All the way from Cracow to Michlinitz I was occupied with these thoughts, and every minute was turning my head to look at the mountains, almost expecting to see the colours of the opal reflected from some sun-gilt cliff. tools as I thought might be useful. My uncle received me with great kindness, as did also my aunt and cousins; and when I told them I had been apprenticed three years to a lapidary, and had already acquired considerable skill in stones, and that my master had sent me for a few days to practise my knowledge among the mountains (which falsehoods, God, I trust, will forgive me), I was liberally supplied with everything requisite; a sack was filled with eatables, and I was furnished with tinder, and a knife to cut krumholz, and many other little necessaries and comforts: and with the good wishes of all the family, and injunctions to return in four days, I slung my sack over my shoulder, and marched away, to begin my career as a jewel-hunter. Nothing could be more buoyant than my A few days after my father returned home he fell sick; and, notwithstanding the advantage of an excellent constitution, and all the care of my mother, and the medicines of the physician, he sunk under the disease, and died at the end of eight days, leaving his family but slenderly provided, and me, his only son, with his wits for patrimony, and the world the sphere in which they were to be ex-spirits were as I began to ascend the inclined ercised. plane that led to the foot of the mountains. I felt as if all the riches they contained were one day or other to be my own. This was the very peak I had seen so often from my garret window; this was the very chain among which Schmidt had found the opal; and who could tell, if he had found a jewel worth 100,000 florins, that there might not be other jewels in the mountains, worth ten times as much. With these pleasant fancies, I at length reached the mouth of a narrow valley, that seemed to me the entrance to the abodes of Plutus. I soon fell to work, making the valley re-echo with the blows with which I belaboured the rocks, and continued my exertions without finding anything that in the least resembled a jewel, until I was obliged to stop from sheer exhaustion. This was rather disheartening; but I consoled myself by coming to the conclusion that I had not yet penetrated far enough into the mountain. It was not so pleasant to sleep upon the mountain-side as even in my garret; but this was an inconvenience that I knew must be submitted to, and I felt persuaded that next day my labours would turn to more account. It was now out of the question to think of breeding me for the law; I must be apprenticed to some trade, and, my head being still full of the opal, I petitioned to be placed under the care of a lapidary. My mother consented, and I accordingly took up my abode in a garret, in which there were abundance of precious stones to feast my eyes upon, and preserve the recollection of the opal and the 100,000 florins. I was anxious to learn my trade, and yet I worked but little at it. An indistinct dream of kingly wealth, and embryo projects of acquiring it, floated in my brain. The window of my garret looked into the country, the long chain of the Carpathian Mountains bounding the prospect; and in place of polishing stones and learning my business, I used to spend at least every alternate half-hour standing at my window, thinking of Schmidt and his opal, and his 100,000 florins; and, as I took my seat again, saying to myself aloud, "I see no reason why I, as well as Schmidt, may not find an opal." During all this time I never communicated my thoughts to my mother; I told her, indeed, at times, that one day or other I should make the fortune of the family,-by which she understood that I intended to become an expert lapidary, and so acquire independence. About three years passed away thus; and at the end of that time I requested leave from my master to go and see an uncle, who lived at Dunavitz, and who was a breeder of cattle. My uncle, however, was but a secondary consideration in my mind; I determined to make this journey subservient to my first trial of fortune; and, accordingly, provided myself secretly with a hammer and with such other I awoke at least two hours before daybreak, and longed for the light with as much impatience as if I needed light only to show me the path to exhaustless treasures. Long before the highest mountain peaks were tipped with the sunbeams I was making my way over rocks and torrents, hastening to a more distant ravine, not a bit daunted by the unsuccessful labours of the day before, but on the contrary, with the fullest expectations, if not of an opal as good as Schmidt's, of at least something sufficient to verify my predictions of good fortune. This day I half filled my sack; not, indeed, with opals, but with stones and ores which I promised myself were a handsome reward for my labour. Schmidt, thought I, did not find his opal the first time he went among the mountains; I must not be too hasty in my ambition. The next morning I began to retrace my steps, filling my sack as I went along, and arrived, at the close of the third in place of the fourth day, at my uncle's house. Great congratulations followed the display of my riches. "This," said I, "is garnet, this is lapis lazuli, this is gold ore; but I have found no opal yet." bedtime were the most unhappy hours of my life. As I lay in bed sleepless, ruminating upon the failure of all my brilliant expectations, it suddenly occurred to me that possibly my master might be mistaken, and that the jewel which I had marked might be judged differently of by some other lapidary; and getting up, I crept softly down-stairs into my master's workshop, and lighted a small lamp at the expiring embers of a fire, which he had been using in some of his operations. I then began to search among the rubbish for the stone "All in good time," said my uncle; "and which was marked, but I could nowhere find how much is all this worth?" it; one after another I held them to the lamp, "Certainly not less," said I, "than three and repeated over and over again the same hundred florins." My uncle looked somewhat incredulous; my aunt said something about the small profits of cattle-breeding, when money was to be picked up in this way by children; and my cousins, who were all females, and some years younger than myself, looked upon me as the most wonderful youth in Galicia. Next day I took my leave, carrying my treasures, of course, along with me; but knowing very well that more than one-half of them were worthless, and that I had exaggerated their value to my uncle, I stopped on the bank of a little stream, and, after a rigid examination of the contents of my sack, threw more than half into the water, making myself sure that what I had reserved was worth a hundred and fifty florins, at least. I went to my master's house before presenting myself at home, and found him at work. toilsome examination, till at length, weary of my unsuccessful labour, I sat down upon the chair before my master's table, which wa strewed with the instruments he had used in polishing a beautiful jacinth, that lay with the polished side towards me. I took it up: it was the very stone I had been seeking for. My plan was speedily arranged; I seized upon the stone, stole back to my chamber, dressed myself as quickly as I could, and, although it was not much after midnight, took the road to Cracow; leaving a line for my master, informing him that, having discovered him to be a thief, I had left his service, and had taken with me my own jewel, which my uncle could prove to be mine, by a mark which I had made upon it. I found no difficulty in disposing of my jewel; the same merchant whom I had visited along with my father gave me a hun dred florins for it, and congratulated me upon having begun my career so favourably; and next day I returned home with a present for each member of the family, and with more than eighty florins in my pocket. There was now no question as to my future trade; my first attempt had met with more success than any one, excepting myself, anticipated; and although I had not yet found an opal, I had no great cause to be dissatisfied, and looked upon the acquisition of riches as the easiest thing imaginable. "I have brought something with me," said I, emptying the sack upon the ground, and laying a handful upon the table at which he was working; he took up one and then another, without saying anything, for he was a man of few words, and slightly glancing at them, threw them into a corner, which he made the receptacle for rubbish. One handful after another I laid upon the table, and each specimen was in its turn consigned to the corner; the last handful was produced, and in it there was one specimen, upon which my hopes were chiefly The money that my jacinth fetched served grounded, and upon which I had made some to equip me for my next expedition. I left marks when I displayed my riches to my forty florins at home, and set out for Kostalesko, uncle. He looked more narrowly at this speci- on my nineteenth birth-day, with the blessings men than he had at the others, but ended by of a mother and the good wishes of three sisters: throwing it where he had thrown the rest, and all of whom I promised to portion handsomely saying, as soon as I had found an opal worth but "All rubbish, my boy, so get to your busi-20,000 florins. All three looked upon their ness. My hopes, then, were at an end; and the three hours that intervened between this and portions as already secured, and as I walked out of Michlinitz, I did not forget to cast my eye upon the fields on either side, in the view of making up my mind as to the most eligible | from its hiding-place with exulting looks, and site for building a house upon with the produce of my labours. The first day on which I set out upon my travels, and when just entering the mountains, I overtook two men, well advanced in years, whose tattered garments and squalid faces denoted the extremest poverty and wretchedness. I fell into conversation with them, and learned that they were gold-hunters. "Why," said I, "do you not rather follow the trade of jewel-hunting?" secretly pleased, however, that I had not found rivals in my own occupation. They only smiled at me, and I, in my turn, pitied the delusion that had kept them poor all their lives, instead of buying a castle and rearing horses, as Schmidt had done. Almost every day during a year I spent less or more of it among the mountains; sometimes my labours were rewarded, but oftener I found nothing worth so much as a few groschen; yet never during all this time did my hopes diminish, nor did my continued toil become in the smallest degree irksome. Every morning I sprang from my bed full of eager anticipation, and every night longed for the morning, that I might recommence my search; days of unrewarded toil I looked upon only as procrastinations of my good fortune; each rising sun brought new expectation along with it, and if one blow of the hammer did not loose an opal from the rock, I thought a second might. At length, one day, at the expiration of nearly a year from the day I left home, a stone dropped into my hand, that had all the distinguishing marks of a valuable opal. I eagerly proceeded to polish a part, and the varied hues of the opal flashed upon my delighted eye. Now then, said I to myself, the day of my reward has arrived. The stone I had found was little inferior in size to that which I had held in my hand in the merchant's back-shop at Cracow, the look of which I yet remembered so distinctly; and I felt assured it could not be worth less than 50,000 florins. As I bent my steps homewards I employed myself in that most agreeable of all occupations, planning the distribution and assortment of riches which I felt assured were on the eve of being mine. The close of the third day brought me to the threshold of my own door; and I was welcomed with those true greetings which a son, after long absence, may expect to find from a mother's love. My countenance soon told the extent and importance of my secret; and the opal was drawn presented to the wondering eyes of the family circle. I determined to lose little time in realizing my expectations. The next week the great Cracow fair would take place, and thither I of course determined to go. It was soon settled what was to be done with the 50,000 florins. I had promised to portion my sisters; each of them, accordingly, should have two thousand, which would make them the richest heiresses in Michlinitz; I would give four thousand to my mother; and "as for the remaining 40,000," said I, "my little cousin Ronza, at Dunavitz, will make me a good wife, and I will purchase a barony somewhere in the Palatinate. These things being all determined upon, I left home for the capital,1 early on the morn ing of the day of the great fair, with my opal in a leathern bag, which was suspended round my neck by a copper chain. I overtook and passed a great many persons on the road; for I was mounted upon a good horse, which I had bought with the remnant of the hundred florins I had made by my jacinth; "but which among them all," said I to myself, "carries to the fair an opal worth 50,000 florins!" Before mid-day I arrived at the capital, and having put up my horse at an inn in the outskirts, walked towards the great square, by the same streets I had traversed with my father five years ago. What changes had taken place since then; and to what extraordinary results had the impressions which were made upon my mind at that time led! Happy fortune, thought I, that carried my father to Cracow; had he never gone thither, I should never have seen the wonderful opal, or even so much as heard of a jewel-hunter, and never should have been walking, as now, to the great fair, with a jewel in my possession worth 50,000 florins. I had no reason to doubt the integrity of the merchant with whom I had formerly dealt; but before finally disposing of my treasure, I wished to enjoy the triumph of possessing it: I was anxious, in short, that as great a noise should be made about my opal as about that which Schmidt sold to the king. I walked accordingly through the great square, seeking an opportunity of making my good fortune known, and of buzzing about the rarity and value of my possession. As I went onward, looking to the right hand and to the left, my attention was fixed by the extraordinary richness and variety of a display This was in the year 1750, when Poland was a kingdom, and Cracow its capital. |