again readily by your likeness to your have not seen my mother yet, and I sister."

"Me?" asked Edgar, looking sur- after him and went in search of his prised at the question. mother.

"Not of my own age, nor near it," said Edgar, rising, and going towards the interior of the house. "But you lor and took a chair beside Kate Midmust excuse me for a few moments; I dleton.

And slings its high flakes shivered into

sleet:

But floating still through surf and swell, drew nigh

The banks, like small birds through a lowering sky.

BYRON.

When, as she stood trembling on the vessel's side,

Was by a wave washed into the deep.

OTWAY.

no other superiority, looked more like men than their celebrated compeers or predecessors. A few busts of the ancient and modern orators and philosophers, were sustained from the walls by brackets, or peeped forth from the tops of the book-cases, looking down on the wisdom of the present day.

Several bundles of papers, tied together with pink tape, and surmounted by handsome paper-weights, together with an open portfolio, and some loose documents, served to adorn the table, and gave to the apartment an air professional. These were the principal In a very neat office, surrounded by articles, and, with a few other of the a number of books and papers, which | customary appurtenances, made up the appeared to be promiscuously strewn sum total of the furniture of Carrol's upon the table before him, sat Francis Carrol the next day, when Wharton and Betterton entered to remind him of his engagement.

As some of the readers may be curious to have a look at the temple from which our young friend distributed justice, or law, they are not always synonymous terms-we will gratify them with a short description.

office.

"Come, my Lycurgus of the moderns!" exclaimed Betterton to Carrol, as he entered, "put up your book for perusal on some other occasion; for now, time, tide, and the ladies, wait for no man. Sink the law, and prepare to play the lover."

“I am not suited to that character,” said Carrol, as he shook hands with

"It is my character," said Betterton; "and a very pretty pastime it is too, to play it, as long as one may indulge in generalities; but as soon as it comes to particulars, I say with Pope,

The office was of course neatly carpet- him. "You would be more appropriate ed, and furnished with at least two book-in it." cases, filled with those ominous-looking sheep-skin bound volumes, which are the receptacles of the wisdom of legal sages. These book-cases stood against the wall on each side of the apartment. Round the sides of the room, thereLove, free as air, at sight of human ties, hung, in handsome frames, the like- Spreads his light wings and in a moment flies;' nesses of a half-dozen English chan- and then I am what you lawyers term cellors, and fathers of the law, with non est inventus. No! I have a heart their huge wigs and phlegmatic faces; for the whole sex, and I could not think and an equal number of distinguished of doing so much wrong as to bestow American jurists, who, if they displayed it exclusively on one."

"And yet, Frank," said Wharton, { at school so long, when she might have "if you had heard him raving to me been much better employed in society."

Why, my dear fellow," said Betterton, my love for the sex as a unit, is at present, what philosophers would call latent affection; it is not palpable or perceptible, though, I have no doubt it exists. I am only conscious, however, that it is bestowed on this di

"You must remember, my dear fellow," said Betterton, " that I have only seen her twice; and a man may be allowed to fall most excruciatingly in love at first sight, without being irretrievably lost. They have been keep-vinity." ing her at boarding-school, at Emmets- "Poor fellow !" said Wharton, lookburg, or some other out-of-the-way | ing very solemn, "I can foresee your place, until within the last few weeks; melancholy fate."

and now she bursts upon the world "Let us hear," said Betterton, "what like Pallas from the head of Jove, your far-sighted wisdom can predict armed cap-a-pie for slaughter. Her about it." weapons, though, are her eyes, and they do merciless execution among the sighing Corydons who flutter around her. Have you seen her, Carrol ?"

"That pleasure is yet to come," replied Carrol; "I believe she is to be with us this afternoon."

"Why," said Wharton, "I expect to find the account of its consummation in the newspapers. Some fine morning, at no very distant period from the present, after I have breakfasted, and when I have taken up a daily journal, and perused to the second page, somewhere in the neighborhood of the Deaths,' the name of Charles Betterton will attract my eye to the following paragraph:

6

"Suddenly, on the evening of the blank instant, Mr. Charles Betterton, to Emily, only daughter of the late George H. Lawton, Esq.""

"Then," said Betterton, "let your heart be sheathed in triple steel, or we shall inevitably be rivals. I would give you a description of her if I could, but the thing's impossible. It will only give you a faint idea, if I tell you that she has the form of Juno, with the face of Venus; with beauty to captivate the heart, and make the very senses ache "Oh, hang it, no! not as bad as to look at her. By all the saints in the that!" exclaimed Betterton, laughing, calendar! it was a wrong done to and interrupting Wharton. "I don't mankind, and to herself, to keep this deny that I am most atrociously and paragon of feminine perfection immured villanously in love; but, for Cupid's

sake, don't noose me so soon, because of course, he has no judgment. But

we have no time to talk about him.Are you ready, Carrol?"

"I only wait on you," replied Carrol, and they all started out together.

The "Gossamer" was a beautiful little vessel that Wharton had built exclusively for a pleasure boat. It was quite large enough to accommodate a dozen persons, or even more, with perfect comfort. It had a very pretty little cabin, about six or seven feet long, the roof of which was elevated above the deck, which made the interior sufficiently high to stand in with ease, and at the same time formed a convenient seat above, to accommodate those who might be recumbently inclined.

“That," said Wharton, referring to his quotation, "was said by one who knew something of human nature; therefore, take heedful warning, and avoid Platonics, if you don't wish to get at something worse. But come! let us leave Plato and his fantasies, and think of starting, for it's time we should be off. I will wait on Jemima Burly; the Baron takes care of Caroline, (there was no inducing her to go without him, so he had to be invited ;) Carrol will take charge of Miss Lewison, and you, Betterton, will assist Major Lawton insisted on board by the gentlemen,

taking care of his sister!"

"The latter part of the arrange ment," replied Betterton, "suits me exactly."

"Who has seen Elkton to-day?" asked Wharton.

"I left him not half an hour ago," said Betterton," on his way to escort Miss Moleskin on board the Gossamer,

The party all assembled at the appointed time, and the ladies were as

without any accident happening during their embarkation; Miss Moleskin only screaming a little at the idea of trusting her pretty self in the frail bark to the mercy of the winds and waves, which circumstance gave Mr. Elkton an opportunity to play the agreeable, by soothing her excited terrors.

All being comfortably accommodated on board, the sails were quickly spread, and the light vessel started gayly down the stream before a fine breeze.

I believe that is the name of our craft. He took occasion to tell me that he had not sailed in a yacht since he went out with Lord Frederic Augustus Frizzleby, which was before he left England. He further said, that none of our noble rivers could be compared to the beautiful Thames.-ing the little vessel, as she dashed the What think you of his judgment?" spray from beneath her bows, and cut "He is not many degrees removed her way with rapidity through the from a fool," replied Wharton, "and, water.

"She walks the water like a thing of life, And seems to dare the elements to strife!" exclaimed Major Lawton, apostrophiz

sess'd

and concludes

'Tis he that offers, and I scorn them all. "Have you never heard him re cite it?"

"There goes the Major, with his Not though he proffered all himself pos stereotyped quotation," whispered Betterton to Wharton. "I have been on the water with him at least twenty times; and whether sailing, or pulling at the oars, the Major's bark is sure to 'walk the water like a thing of life.' I have been on a party with him when there was not a breath of air to stir the sails as they hung lazily against the mast; and yet, just before we had put out the oars, the Major would apply his favorite aquatic quotation."

Wharton replied that he had not. "Well," said Betterton, "if you ever happen to have a legal matter for him to transact, you may depend on hearing it, with gesture, emphasis, and pauses, as the son of Peleus himself would have delivered it." As he concluded, Betterton stepped over to the other side of the deck, to where Emily Lawton was standing beside her brother, who was conversing with a rather pretty, though a very tall young lady.

"I am come to take charge of you," said Betterton to her; "to relieve you from the insipidity of remaining under a brother's control."

"I suppose he admires the author," said Wharton, "as who does not? Besides, you know that Lawton is fond of a little display, though he is a fine, talented, noble-hearted, generous fellow. His follies are only skin deep, while his virtues emanate from the seat of life." "That is true," replied Betterton; "and in consequence of it being so, his little eccentricities, which would be ridiculed in another man, receive only an indulgent smile among his friends. However, if he were ten times as imperfect as he is, his sister has perfection enough, and to spare, to hide the imperfections of a whole army of bro-bribe you." thers. But tell me if you ever heard

"But suppose I prefer that control, and refuse to accept of your protection?" said she, smiling, and looking archly at him.

"Why, then," he replied, "I shall have to gain my point by attempting to

"Will you?" said she, taking his his office quotation. offered arm and walking with him to"Not that I remember," said Whar-wards where Miss Burly sat,

ton.

with what?"

"and

"Oh, I'll offer you my heart; or propose to sing you a song about love; or to compose an ode of fifty stanzas,

"He has two quotations," said Betterton, "one for pleasure and the other for business. The first, you have just heard; and the last he uses whenever or so, addressed to your eyebrows, of it is apposite, and some times oftener. a short sonnet descriptive of your It is from Pope's translation of the smile."

Iliad, and is Achilles' answer to the em

"No, don't; I entreat you not to

bassy from Atrides to propose a recon-attempt the last, if you please," said she,

ciliation; it commences with

laughing merrily: "the very idea of