ing with him; the Baroness dreading the world, became "quite an original;" and Anthony-well, to be sure, who could resist, even though he were the son of an exciseman, day dreams rising in his youthful imagination? and Fink, the son of a New York merchant, a splendid fellow too, whose bosom glowed, however, with a genial sympathy of which Dudley was utterly devoid,-and who had been consigned to the care of Herr Schröter for the purpose, if possible, of transforming him into a "business man,"-who should be surprised that he was fascinated by the spell of the waywardness and originality of the sprightly Lenore?

But to business;" take the following quotation in illustration of the mercantile practices which soil at once the escutcheons of nobility and the reputations of merchant princes :

"One morning, while still troubled, Ehrenthal was announced. A painful sensation came over the baron at the trader's name. He had persuaded him to buy the assignats; but then he thought the next moment he had not advised him to come to town. Still his greeting was not friendly, but Ehrenthal was too keen a business man to notice it. He quietly settled the business in hand, and, just as he was leaving, said carelessly—

"You have the assignats, I suppose, baron?'

'Yes,' said the baron, shortly.

It seems a pity,' continued Ehrenthal, musing, to let forty-five thousand thalers lie dead and useless. To you, rich and noble, it is all one whether you gain a couple of thousand thalers or no, but to men like myself it seems a pity. For instance, I could at this moment make a capital bargain, and a one, if my money were not all tied up a clear gain of four thousand

safe o

thalers.'

"The baron listened attentively, but never spoke. All at once, Ehrenthal came back and seated himself opposite Rothsattel. 'I am a plain merchant, sir, of few words. You have known me for some years now as an honourable man.' The baron bowed. 'I am not without means, and I will make you a proposal. Lend me ten thousand thalers' worth of assignats for three months upon my note of hand; four thousand thalers may be made by this speculation, and, as interest for your money, I will hand you half.'

"Commonplace enough as Ehrenthal's words may appear to the reader, they sounded to the baron's ears stirring and full of promise. Two thousand thalers within his reach the very sum he wanted. He tried to conceal his emotion, but a wild joy worked within him. He could scarcely calm himself enough to say:

"But, before I lend my money thus, I must know the nature of the speculation you speak of.'

Ehrenthal told it in few words. He had the offer of a large quantity of timber upon a river far up the country, which the owner sought to dispose of immediately, and therefore at a loss. It puzzled the baron why he should place such profit in another's way.

"The merchant shrugged his shoulders. In business one can scarcely ask why another sells his goods cheap; he may want money; three or four months' delay may ruin, instead of merely injure him. As it is, the ice is still in the river, and the trader wants this money in three days' time.' And yet I scarcely like taking advantage of another's need thus.' Again the merchant shrugged his shoulders. How can you tell you may not be benefiting him? He may want ready money to realize still greater profits, for which he resigns the less important to us. He has offered

464

this timber to me for ten thousand thalers; whether he can make more of the thalers than I of the timber is no concern of mine.'

"Still the baron had his doubts; but they grew weaker every moment. One thing alone seemed clear-he had no doubt of Ehrenthal's credit being good, and his profit of two thousand thalers seemed safe; their possession would remove a great weight from his mind-would exorcise an evil spirit which had been tormenting him for weeks. And then it did not seem to him that he might be driving out one devil by the aid of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Anyhow, these considerations overcame his scruples, and Ehrenthal obtained the thalers.

Ehren

"But this business wounded the baron's pride terribly, and made him restless and uneasy. He doubted every one-himself most of all. thal kept away for some time. At last he came, bringing with him the assignats and notes to the amount of two thousand thalers. The baron's heart beat quick with joy; his debt no longer weighed his spirits down. Once more he felt happy, and the clouds of the last three months cleared

away.

"One morning, however, he was reading the paper in his wife's boudoir, when his eye fell upon an advertisement offering a reward for an absconding timber-merchant, who had fled from his creditors with a considerable sum of money in his possession. In sudden horror the baron pushed the paper from him, while a cold sweat broke out upon his forehead. Could this possibly be the man for whom Ehrenthal had obtained his money? The thought was madness. That he a nobleman, a gentleman-should have aided a rogue to cheat his creditors and flee with his ill-gotten gains! He walked about the room wringing his hands. He hurried to his desk to pack up and send away the winnings he had made, he knew not whither; with conster nation, he found but little remaining. At last he rung the bell wildly and sent for Ehrenthal.

"The merchant was not at home that day nor on the next, and meanwhile the baron was more composed. But when Ehrenthal did come, he was quite shocked at the eager anxiety on his principal's face, as he asked, 'What was the name of that man of whom you bought the timber?'

Ehrenthal understood what was passing in the baron's mind, and gave a name at random.

"And his place of business?' asked the baron, in a more subdued tone ; and again Ehrethal named a place at random.

"And you speak the truth, Ehrenthal?' said the baron, with a sigh of relief, as he leaned back in his chair.

"Ehrenthal smiled pityingly. You have allowed this little matter to trouble you, sir? Well! I believe the timber-merchant did well, or should have done so, if what I hear from those above stream is true. I believe he has to thank us. But, my lord, supposing this man to have been a rogue, why should that trouble you? I was your debtor, responsible to you. paid you-heavily, it is true; but I have earned much from you. I have a -a regard for your interests; and if I offered you an advantage, surely it need not trouble you. Why create such cares?'

"You scarcely understand, Ehrenthal,' said the baron kindly. 'It is well as it is; but if that man with whom you dealt had been the rogue named here, our connection must have ended. I could never have pardoned you, Ehrenthal, if you had made me unconsciously the instrument of a deceit.'

"There was a strange smile on Ehrenthal's lips as he slowly walked downstairs-a strange smile as he muttered, "He is good-the baron-he is very good.'"

I

The Baron's grand object in the speculations or which he entered under the guidance of Ehrenthal, was to secure the entail of his estate upon his son Eugene. Ehrenthal envies the property on behalf of his son Bernard: and Veitel, quondam shoeblack, and now old clothesman, jack-of-all-trades on his private account, and elevated to a seat at Ehrenthal's table,-yes, Veitel has determined both to dupe his deceitful employer, and win the prize for himself and Rosalie! We need scarcely state that Ehrenthal soon found an opportunity of inducing the Baron to mortgage his estate. Veitel steps forward-no, sneaks into the Baron's presence during the pressure of difficulties, secures a second mortgage in his own favour, and finally resorts to the desparate resource of employing Herr Hippus as his tool for the purpose of abstracting the prior deed out of Ehrenthal's possession, whom (Hippus) he finds necessary to drown, and then drowns himself with the cup of marriage at his very lips. The crash came. The Baron

shot himself and became a blind imbecile for life; but a Polish estate is saved from the wreck of his shattered fortunes, to which the "old family" betakes itself under the direction and management of Anthony, to the great dissatisfaction of Herr Schröter, his employer. The family can do nothing for themselves.

The following conversation deserves consideration on this as well as on the other side of the Channel:

"And how do you suppose,' asked the merchant, sitting down opposite to Anthony, that a man so involved can be extricated?'

Only by some experienced business-like man such as yourself analyzing the intrigues of the rogues who have entrapped him. There must be some loophole of escape, and this your penetration could discover.'

A quality which every lawyer possesses in a far higher degree than I do. If the baron's opponents have laid themselves open to the law, a lawyer's keen eye can best discover how and where.'

Unfortunately the baron's legal adviser holds out little hope.'

'Then,' said the merchant, rising with something like pleasure-it may have been pity-upon his face then, my dear Wohlfart, what help can I give? Show me a man who, amid difficulties, possesses strength to help himself out of them, with the aid of a proffered hand, and say let that hand be yours, and I should not hesitate as your friend and debtor. I think you will not doubt that.'

'No,' said Anthony, in a low tone.

'But from what you tell me, and from what I have heard elsewhere, there can be little doubt that the baron's difficulties arise from his wanting two of the things which are most indispensable to business life-discretion and industry.'

Anthony could not but assent.

"To help such a man,' continued the merchant, is a mistake. It is never too late to mend, but weakness of character is a fault rarely repaired. Our ability to aid others is confined, and before we sacrifice time and labour in a weakling's cause, we should ask whether we do not rob ourselves of the power to help a better man.'

"Still,' exclaimed Anthony, unconvinced, we must make some allowances. Bred up with a high notion of his importance, he has never learned to rely upon his own exertions.'

"The merchant laid his hand upon the young man's shoulder with the

same doubtful expression upon his face. 'From that very reason, believe me, are a large number of these gentry beyond help. Where they possess talent, their sheltered position fosters it; but for the generality of mankind this advantage is unfavourable. He who claims to enjoy life by virtue of his rank and birth rarely retains the strength of character which merits the position he enjoys; and when the day of trial comes he fails. So have very many of our old nobility fallen, without'-and the look on the merchant's face lost much of its pity-' much, if any, misfortune to the state.'

"True,' replied Anthony, and yet it should not prevent our aiding them as fellow-creatures, where our sympathy is aroused.'

6

“No,' said the merchant, where it is aroused; but it does not brighten up so quickly in age as in youth. This baron is said to have speculated in order to be enabled to isolate his property from the great flood of capital and entail it upon his son. Now, I do not admire these noble traders, nor their ambition. Where ability and industry no longer exist in a family or individuals, let the fortune cease to exist also; let the money roll into other channels, and the ploughshare pass into other that can better guide it; room is thereby made for rising ability. Every one who seeks for his descendents a privilege gained at the cost of the free unfettered movements of others, I consider an enemy to the healthy development of our society; and when such a man falls, I regard him with no malignant joy'-and all the pity faded from the merchant's expression; but as an enemy against a great and important principle of life, I rejoice at his defeat.'

It is in these circumstances that Fink returns from New York,searches out his old friend Anthony,-bravely assists in defending the castle during a seige from Polish insurgents,-relieves his friend of his charge, and contrary, we are persuaded, to every reader's expectation at the commencement of the story-by a fair exchange which is no robbery-wins Lenore for his beauteous and dutiful bride, while Anthony weds Sabine, Herr Schröter's neice (who had formerly rejected Fink), and enters into partnership with the persevering, honest, industrious, and successful merchant.

Had our limits permitted, we would gladly have presented additional quotations illustrative of the development of the various characters introduced into both of these tales of modern life. Both of them display no ordinary closeness and keenness of observation. The idiosyncracies of individual character are portrayed with bold and masterly touches. One feels that they are not so much portraits as realities of flesh and blood with whom we have been associating for years in terms of closest intimacy. For example, so familiar did we deem ourselves with widow Rose, her little sufferer, and shop window-pins, pirns, and parrots,that in going out into the street we found ourselves peering into every window in search of the family! We saw "brother Jack" in every ragged Ishmaelite running on the pavement; and "brother Harry" in certain "fast young men" who may be found driving tandem and posting to : yes; and in those beautiful sisters, those who might --perhaps they do-reform them by the influence of a little Rose's or Mabel's self-sacrificing, triumphant love. Madame Perceval was transformed into such an one as Mrs Fry, and Father Noah into Dr Noah Worcester, upon whose philanthropic efforts Dr Channing pronounced so noble an eulogium. Pardon us, Herr Freytag, if, in our ignorance

of German types, we transmuted Herr Schröter or Anthony Wohlfart into a Jowell Buxton the Successful Merchant. Veitel Itzig! Avant! sneaking, cringing, fawning, fradulent son of a Jew,-usurer, thief, murderer, and suicide! Shylock, forgive us the imputation of tracing your descent from those Hebrew slaves who crossed the waters of the Red Sea, dry shod !-But we must conclude; and we do so with the hope that "Speculation" may produce the conviction in the mind of every Debtor and Creditor that "honesty is the best policy;" and by repeating in the ears of those who, like Mabel Vaughan, have been left truly alone,-" alone with an aching sorrow" amidst the agitations of the monetary panic, or the desolations of war,

Keep up a good heart, little pilgrim."

DR ROBERT LEE'S SERMON BEFORE THE QUEEN.*

THIS is, on the whole, a most remarkable sermon-remarkable for three things-viz., as having been published by Her Majesty's command, as being the production of an eminent man, and as being utterly unworthy of that same eminent man's pen. The first two of these are matters of fact, and cannot be called in question; the third will be stoutly denied by the Reverend Doctor-perhaps by the reader too-and therefore, we must put it to the issue.

Of Doctor R. Lee, we are predisposed, both from inclination and habit, to speak in terms of the highest praise. We have done so before, and we are prepared to do so again, whenever the interests of truth shall require it. His merits, we know right well; but we are also alive to his defects, both as a thinker and as a writer, and it is the duty of a friend, while commending one, not to spare the other. We are sorry that we must criticise this sermon unfavourably and somewhat severely; but truth, as we think, demands it, and we submit. All we ask is credit for candour; and we shall do our endeavour to treat the subject in the spirit of fairness, and as far as our combative faculties will allow us, in the spirit of mildness and gentle

ness too.

The general reader is not aware-and how should he, unless he be one of the initiated that there are two methods of writing a sermon. We cannot exactly characterize these as the inductive and the deductive methods respectively; but the thing itself will be easily understood, when we say, that in the one case the minister thinks-or writes as the case may be-up to his text, and in the other down from it. In the one case, the sermon is first written, and then the text is chosen as a mere motto; in the other, the text is chosen first, and all that is said arises out of the subject, and tends to its elucidation. Of

*What Christianity Teaches respecting the Body. A Sermon preached in Crathie Church, 11th October 1857. By Robert Lee, D.D.