from my aunt respecting the arrangements made for us by Miss Priss, she asked who were our neighbours?

Why ma'am," was the answer," on one side you have the Honourable Tweedles, Mr. Mrs. and the young ladies and gentlemen, a very noble, amiable, and quiet family, I assure you, and famous musicians."

15 There, Mr. Prance!" cried my ly aunt, what a treat for you!"

"Well ma'am, Miss Oakley occupies the second floor, on the other side, aud Captain Stormaway (a terrible cripple, poor gentleman he is, with the gout) the ground one; and in the other houses

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Thank you," said my uncle, that's all we want to know:"-for Mr. P. is extremely averse to talkative women, and albeit, was annoyed by his sposa's expedition, and forced endeavours to prove, in spite of reason, every thing so charming in his new quarters: perhaps he had reason to grumble, when Harry cracked further an already fractured window pane, and when I in drawing a chair from a snug corner, caused its off leg, to come off; weary, however, with his journey, he soon fell asleep. My aunt yawning seemed much inclined to follow his example, and my cousin and self, having nothing better to do, hung halfway out of the window, in the pleasant summer gloamin,' until the hour of repose at length arrived, listening to a variety of sounds which seemed rather strange to occur in quiet lodgings. On our right the Tweedle family were having a concert; on our left, Captain Stormaway was swearing, as we presumed, at every twinge.-in a manner to have shamed Auld Hormie: thump-thump-thump as from the crutch of some Diablo Cojuelo, with shrill and incoherent exclamations proceeded from Miss Oakley's apartment above him ;-and immediately below us, our own servants were loudly carousing with the landlady and fair"May-ry," after the fatigues and deprivations of their journey. These sounds met my ears as distinctly, as if they were taking place in the drawing-room, where we sat,— thanks to the lath-and-plaister houses which are now run up as easily as an Inn-keeper's bill, expressly it should seem for the delectation of every family, by the exposure of every family's affairs, and thanks also to the generous

communications caused, in hot weather, by open windows. A drum was beating, not far from Sea-point Terrace, and our landlady, who came to say farewell to my aunt, and to ** hope she would find every thing comfortable," informed us, that it was the drum belonging to a band, which the Hon. Mis. Tweedle was endeavouring to get up amongst the rustics of Dullbeach, and that the drummer, a very pains-taking poor man, was assiduous in his practise: or, to use her own phrase, 'twas always a-going."

Early next morning, I was aroused by a clamour, of which words can give but an inadequate idea. From the house of our musical neighbours proceeded sounds, which indicated the practise of all the youthful Tweedles, if the heads of the house were not at it also. Saugh! saugh! saugh! went the hoarse violincello; tootle, tootle, tootle, the flute; tweedle, tweedle, tweedle-thump, thump,-a couple of piano-fortes, ill in tune, and jangling to ether two compositions in different times and keys! Beautiful! The tinkling of a harp was added to these noises;--a female voice

was screaming forth a song at the top of the house; and a clarionet woke a clarion which must have alarmed all the crows in the neighbourhood. My uncle was ringing furiously for the servant, who, taking early advantage of a watering-place, was gone to bathe," and my aunt was scolding,who and what concerning, I know not. Harry and I, who had agreed to rise early for a stroll exploratory, sauntered forth towards the beach, and coming upon a house that displayed in large gold letters over the door, the attractive word "LIBRARY,"-beheld a young woman before it, whose appearance bespoke her, in station, above a mere servant, but below a gentlewoman: her hair was én papillotes, and worn without a cap, yet she had a broom in her hand, on which she leant in an interesting attitude, and ever and anon, like Billy Lackaday, put up her white handkerchief to her eyes; a young man genteely dressed, seemed to endeavour to console her, but ever as he peered into her very pretty face, and attempted to suatch a kiss, she, with much admirable coquetry, turned slowly round,

or twisted herself from him with the pliant sinuosity of the serpent kind the youth, with gentle force, wrested the broom from her not unwilling hands, and began to sweep the ground before the door;-Miss turned into the house, and her beau, observing the eyes of Harry and myself). intently fixed on him, drew himself up with a proud and scornful air, filongs down the broom, and pettishly turning upon his heel, followed her into the house. "Bah!" exclaimed Harry, giggling with delight at this little scena; and after an hour's saunter upon the beach, we returned to Sea-point Terrace, where we found aunt Prance, in what is politely termed "a great fuss," by reason of the applications, rivalries, and quarrels, of bakers, butchers, grocers, # laundresses, fish-wives, and bathers, all candidates for the custom of "the new family."

In the course of the day, the Tweedles called upon us, having heard that "Mr. Prance was distractedly fond of music, and a capital performer on the violin ;" which instru- ment, he never touched in his life, but, as my poor grandmother P. used to say-"good law, my dear! a story never loses by the telling!"-and this story, in its worst sense, our new friends had received from Mrs. Mudge, our veracious landlady! Music, we soon discovered, was, with Mrs. Tweedle, the summum bonum of human honor and felicity: it was, or had been made, the accomplishment of her numerous family, and she commented with extreme satisfaction upon the progress they had made in it, her plans for their improvement, who were, and had been, and were to be their masters ;-she told us also upon what instruments they performed,-and attempted an explanation, intended no doubt to be lucid of Chaldin's Theory of Acoustics, but which stultified my uncle, and dumb-foundered my aunt. In the midst of her oration, our gouty neighbour's voice assailed us in loud, hoarse accents-and profane terms: Tis only Captain Stormaway, poor man!" cried she, "under a twinge; you mustn't mind him, for he's always thus,"and she proceeded with her subject, quite reckless of the pangs of suffering humanity. Presently, the clarionet, from her own house, sent forth a shrill and discordant blast. "Tis only my son Edward practising," said Mrs. Tweedle, observing my aunt start,-"you are nervous, I fear, Mrs.

Prance? well don't mind him ; you'll often hear him, for o I make my young people practise every day, And so, as Isa was saying"&c. &c. Ere long we heard, from Miss Oakley's apartment, thump-thump-the fall, it seemed, ft of a heavy piece of furniture, and a piercing scream. Don't be alarmed Mrs Prance," cried the lady, your fair neigh ་ bour is only lame and insane so that you must often expecte to hear strange noises from her room; insane, but quite harmless, understand; and so to proceed, &c. &c. &c. Thus, dithis tiresome woman, wile away above are couple of hours, but upon taking leave, offered the amende honorable I presume, by asking us to spend the evening with her and to come early, as she meditated a walk, ere the music commenced.

Accordingly, at seven o'clock, we stepped in to Mrs. Tweedle's, and were courteously received by herself, husband, four daughters, and two sons: a third, Edward, she told us, was gone to the Library, in order to assemble the band before it, and hear them practise together a little ere we arrived. Towards the Library we now bent our steps, and had we not already known the way, a tremendous clang of many instruments, would have guided us thither; and upon reaching the spot, we discovered the young lady of our morning's adventure. to be the Librarian's fair daughter, and her officious lover, Mr. Edward Tweedle! The young man blushed at the apparition of Harry and myself, and at first fought shy of us, but afterwards deeming it better to put a good face upon the matter, came boldly up; and entered into conversation with us; possibly too, conceiving, that amongst young people reigns such an esprit de corps, such a fellow-feeling for sins of the heart, in affairs of the said heart, that though perfect strangers, he was as secure of honorable silence on our parts, respect ing his flirtation, as if he had requested it. Mr. Edward Tweedle was perfectly right, and though the silence of youth on these and other subjects may sometimes be perfectly wrong, yet who shall be cynic enough to condemn the tacit, but unhesitating mutual reliance of the beautiful age of kindness, confidence, and unsuspicion? Harry, however, had a mind to torment the enamoured youth a little, though in a sly, good-humoured manner-for he cannot be ill

humoured; so, after a few minutes conversation with Mr. Edward, he said-" and allow me to ask, are the airs of this band the only ones which attract you to the Library? Do you attend morning and evening? And do you find that all parties keep time pretty well, and harmonize tolerably? The confused Damon replied, by asking if we found Mrs. Mudge and the tradespeople civil? 1.

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Pretty well," said I. 191:62 1 '1 7d slem 5T:W "But," added Harry, with his usual astonishing assurance, and giving young Tweedle a particularly significant look, "much reliance cannot be placed on first professions and civilities, because you know what the old proverb says about brooms, new, brooms I meau."

"Come, come," cried Master Edward smiling, & don't quiz; your allusion I perfectly well understand, but-but" -he placed his finger on his lips, and glanced at his family. 3 zuna ezgiquL "Fear not," replied Harry; "I am not one to do as you did this morning, kick, or rather, brush up a DUST,"I

The young men laughed at this extraordinary piece of wit; and, at that moment, Miss Rosa Tweedle came as ambassadress from her mama, to request that her brother would make the band play the overture to Fidelio, and some diabolical arrangement from Robert le Diable, Bath compositions being quite new, and not fully mastered, what sort of performance ground our cultivated ears, I leave the reader to judge, after a half hour's vain endeavour to move the honorable band-mistress to select, for display, something old, and which they could play.

"Poor creatures!" quoth Mrs. Tweedle complacently, as we were returning, "I thought it only my duty, as I come here generally every summer, to institute, in order to keep these men from the ale-house after the conclusion of their day's labour, a little improving and agreeable pastime."

Pastime, madam!" exclaimed my uncle; "I should think the study of music, as you require it to be taught and learned, is anything but a pastime

"Hush! hush! hush! Mr. Prance, for heaven's sake, or you will have the young people hear you; and I have, as it is trouble enough to drive them to practice and study,