peeped out a little foot as dainty as any the window, letting in a broad stream of that ever traversed Regent-street,-and sunlight, gilding everything in the room Grace, lighted-hearted Grace, with the with its golden effulgence. There was sunny curls, blue eyes, and like graceful nothing in the apartment that was not figure, she surely never could settle to pretty and graceful, like its occupant. writing; you might as well try to chain a It was not large, and yet it seemed to sunbeam, or force a butterfly to do a bee's contain all that could make it comfortwork. Mr. Selford's wisdom was at fault. able. The walls were papered with very Which was the blue-stocking? Who had pale green, with medallions of white and written "Minna Herrylon?" He could gold; a table of walnut-wood stood in not tell. the middle of the room, covered with books and writing materials, with an easy chair placed invitingly near; several other chairs, that matched the table; a small carved stand, supporting a crystal dish full of flowers; a basket of Indian

We will pass over the warm welcome given and received, the pleasant party assembled round the plentifully spread tea-table; tempting as they are, those descriptions have nothing to do with our tale. The whole company had started | wicker-work, for waste paper; an alabasout after tea on the lawn; the elders 'ter vase on the mantel-piece, containing seated themselves on a garden-seat, and jasmine and scarlet fuchsias; an almost Grace, throwing herself on the grass at white carpet, sprinkled here and there their feet, insisted upon hearing her un- with bunches of roses; and lace curtains cle's opinion of "Minna Herrylon." Mr.-were all the room contained, either Selford confessed he had not read it, and for use or ornament. Millie stood at the explained the reason; but, however, was window, drinking in deep draughts of too mystified between the difference of the fresh morning air. At length she his expectations and the reality to favour turned to the table, and taking a roll of her with the tirade against "authors and MS., began revising it. Her task was authorcraft" he had come prepared to scarcely finished, when a large Newfounddeliver. land dog bounded in from the garden.

'Well, Oscar, dear old doggie!" said Millie, caressing the noble animal. "Come, come! your morning greeting is overpowering!" she added, as he became too demonstrative in his joy.

"It was very kind of you, Austin, to come so soon, then; but you do not know which of these three lasses is 'Our Authoress.' I did not say in my letter, for I wanted you to guess." Mr. Selford looked from one to the!" Lay down a little while, and we will other, in helpless bewilderment, till Dora came to his assistance by saying

"I know how uncle used to hate the idea of any one writing a novel; and I can see, too, he is on the watch for the appearance of any of the evils of such a folly. Do not tell him which is the culprit, but give him a fortnight to guess

it in."

have a scamper over the meadow together." Then taking some sheets of note paper, her nimble fingers made the pen fly over them. She looked so pretty, as she sat there, the soft morning breeze slightly moving the folds of her light muslin wrapper, and the loving, humble look in those wonderful eyes-that we may be pardoned if, in our invisible capacity, we look over her shoulder as she writes:

"MY DEAR EFFIE,

"I must thank you very warmly for your kind congratulatory letter. It contained just the sort of praise I most highly prize-generous and earnest in its appreciation of my motives, without being flattering. You do not tell me my work is faultless-I know it is not; but

you can understand all the hopes and aspirations connected with it, and feel pleased with my success, which is as great as it is undeserved.

"And now I will try and answer your question. You ask me what put it into that imaginative little head to become an authoress? Now, listen; you know I never had a voice for singing like yours, a talent like Dora, nor the almost genius in drawing and painting that Grace possesses! you know this, ma mignonne, and you know too, though not as much as I do, how bitterly I used to regret not being talented. Well, one day I had been reading aloud. The tale met with some very adverse criticism. I said they were too severe, when Grace replied, "I like some of the stories you tell us a great deal better than that,' and then she added, in exactly the same tone she would have used if wondering why I had not put more sugar in a cake, or not worn a particular dress, 'Do you know, Millie, I often wonder why you do not write some, and have them printed; they are much more interesting than most of those I read.' This idea was perfectly new to me, and at first it seemed presumptuous; but I thought of it again and again, till it obtained a strange fascinating power over me. I doubted my own abilities, but determined to test them. I wrote a sketch, sent it to the editor of a journal, was praised, it was accepted, I became a constant contributor, then 'Minna Herrylon' was written, and you know the rest."

"Thus, Effie, I have at length found my talent. I prize it very, very highly, and, with God's help, it shall do some good for myself and others. At first I found I was in danger of making it an idol, neglecting everything else for it, and thus rendering my good evil. Now I have learnt better, it is my earnest endeavour not to let it prevent the fulfilment of any other duty; and it was with a feeling deeper than mere pleasure that I listened to papa's praise the other day, as, laying his hand on my head, he told mamma that Millie is just the same blithe, home-loving birdie, as she was before she knew she was clever.'

"Oscar is gnawing one end of my girdle:

he evidently thinks that it is time I laid
down my pen and went with him for my
usual morning stroll. He prefers the open
air even to what Dora calls Millie's
sanctum-sanctorum, and which Gracie,
with her usual aptitude for bad puns,
styles the littery (literary) room'-worse
even than usual, is it not?-at least such
is the opinion of one who is, dear Effie,
"Ever your loving
"MILLIE."

hat put on, Oscar leaped wildly through
The pen was laid down, the garden
the window, and both raced merrily across
the lawn, scattering the glistening dew
in all directions. Leaving the garden,
they crossed the shrubbery, passed the
narrow plank that spanned the sparkling
brook, and on through the fields for some
distance. "Now, Oscar, it is past seven;
come, turn back.' And Millie gaily led the
way homewards, her cheeks glowing with
exercise; and as she entered the grounds
belonging to her home, she carolled forth
in low sweet tones that proved, although
least she had not an unmusical one :
she might not have a powerful voice, at

"Awake! awake! ere the morning break,
And the dew-drops vanished be;
Let those who may, love the full light of day
The morning, bright morning, for me."
"Encore!" shouted some one on the
other side of the hedge, and turning the
corner of the winding walk, Millie dis-
covered her uncle. She was not sur-
prised; for he was an early riser, and
though often doctoring himself for some
imaginary ailment, was naturally a healthy
man, his temperate and singular habits
making him still more so.

"Where are Dora and Grace?" he asked, as they walked onwards together. "I do not think they have left their rooms yet."

"Bad, very bad! they should have been down an hour ago. It is a good thing you make amends for them. Let me look at your feet," he added abruptly.

Millie laughed at this strange demand, but showed him one encased in a boot that would enable its wearer to cross grass wet with dew without running the risk of colds and consumption.

"That's right, Millie, my dear; always rise early, and wear such boots as that,

26

like a sensible girl. Can you make pud-required care, or the exercise of taste dings ?"

Yes, uncle."

"Ah, well, I don't think there's much fear of you being the authoress. Did you ever write a sonnet to the moon ?"

"No, uncle."

"Then you cannot be; they all do that. It's one of the symptoms of the fever. Don't you be too fond of a pen, Millie; they may infect you."

The large brown eyes twinkled with Inischief, as the others came out to meet them, and the owner of the eyes saw her uncle look from one to the other, in search of any mark of untidiness. The scrutiny lasted all day, but lasted in vain.

PART III.

PREJUDICE CONQUERED.

no one but herself would have ventured
to dust all the delicate ornaments in the
drawing-room-her skilful hands arranged
curtains, and filled flower-vases, whilst
the daily record of expenses and require-
No
ments was in her clear bold writing.
one could have told what Grace did,
although she was always busy-she had
no recognised place; as she laughingly de-
clared, "she only did as the others told
her."

The days passed on, the fortnight drew to a close, and Mr. Selford was no nearer the solution of the mystery than at first. Several times he had seen Dora writing as if her very life depended on the celerity with which the sheets of paper were filled; but then every one knew that twice a week she had letters that always required several stamps on the envelope, such MR. SELFORD Would have been highly weighty matters had the writer to settle indignant had any one told him his old (Grace asserted she was lame for a week, prejudices against "blue-stockings" were after one of these "budgets" fell on her gradually dying out, but it would have foot). Dora's colour was always brighter been the truth; from the time he saw after the receipt of one of these epistles, those three fair girls, and knew that one which probably were very difficult to unwas actually the writer of a novel, he had derstand, as one was read and re-read at had some faint glimmerings of the truth all available seasons, until another, directed His in characters such as a lady's pen never that an authoress can be a lady. female dragon went farther in the back-penned, arrived. Grace had once or twice in less vivid been detected gazing at the lovely moonground, and was colours; insensibly his opinions on the lit view from the balcony. That was sussubject were softened down, as he watched picious, for her uncle did not know it was the daily, hourly lives of the sisters. He her earnest, artist appreciation of the could find no fault in them, wish for no beauties of the scene, with its glorious alimprovement; they were amiable, accom- ternation of light and shade, that caused plished, and yet thoroughly domesticated, the cloud of golden curls to be pushed whilst their home and everything belong- impatiently back from the brow, and gave ing to it were all the most fastidious taste the blue eyes a sweet, wistful look, instead of their usual sparkling, joyous excould desire. pression.

name.

seen

Mrs. Selford often smiled as she watched him furtively gazing at one or the other of her daughters. She had all a mother's fond pride in her "three graces," though the youngest of the two strongly objected to this general use of her own particular As their mother had very delicate health, most of the household duties devolved upon the girls-Dora, as eldest, taking the lead, the others trusting in any emergency to her clear judgment. It was she who directed the servants, and decided the daily bill of fare; to Millie's share of duties came everything that

As for Millie, Mr. Selford never once thought of suspecting her to be "the book-maker." He looked upon her as very much like some blithe household fairy, not very clever, but utterly indispensable. Her quick repartee, her quaint, witty sayings, so often suggesting some new ideas, or casting, in a few words, fresh, clear light upon some difficult subject, always appeared to him the result of chance-spoken words-simply because she could not help it-not requiring any previous thought on her part. Superficial observer! That little

room with the flowers and MSS. could my blithe bonny fairy write a novel? have told a very different tale-a tale of Blame you, my dear? Not I. But I hours of patient research after knowledge blame myself, though. What an old and truth. How many of us there are wooden head I must have possessed! who keep a little room in our hearts, Dear me ! shouldn't wonder if my ears where, locked from all but ourselves and are not growing something like a donkey's! God, dwell hopes and aspirations, and But, bless the child, when do you find wild longings for the good or great! The time for writing, for you always seem to world sees them not, and they go down be doing something for some one?" to the grave with us, unknown, unsuspected.

HOMES OF THE ENGLISH OVER THE SEA.

BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND.

HOW TO GET THERE.

ACCORDING to "Arrowsmith's Atlas" | Each man should be provided with a there would appear to be two available pair of blankets, a buffalo robe, several routes by which emigrants from Europe pairs of waterproof boots reaching above may reach New Caledonia; one by way the knees, besides one change of outward of Canada, and thence overland, crossing raiment and two of linen. Arms are inthe Rocky Mountains; the other either dispensable as a safeguard against the round Cape Horn or via the Isthmus of treachery of the Indians, as well as for Panama. At present the latter route is the purposes of the chase. These should the most expeditious and convenient, consist of a good rifle and bowie knife, being only thirty-five days' sail from and a Colt's revolver, together with an Liverpool; it also involves less risk, ample supply of powder and lead. The although the outlay of capital may be "Times" gives a résumé of the facts resomewhat heavier. The tide of human lating to the progress of the colonies, so traffic which will inevitably set in far as they are ascertained, and indicates towards the vast prairies of Central the several routes available for emigrants. America will doubtless tend to remove It would be interesting to give a commany existing difficulties; but much plete history of the progress of the Gold time and money must be expended and Regions; but, failing that, we give the lives sacrificed before any appreciable following brief summary, which is put modification can be expected, at least of forth with all the authority of "The such a character as to render the over- Times," and which, we think, will be land journey safe or desirable. To lovers found sufficient :of the picturesque, and such travellers as may be influenced by a passion for when so many persons of all classes are "At the present time (August 12th, 1862) adventure, this route will necessarily pos- leaving these shores for British Columbia sess irresistible charms. To the ima- and Vancouver's Island, perhaps a hint or gination of youth and energy, we can two may not be unwelcome. British Coreadily understand that severe privations lumbia, previously known as New Caledonia, amidst savage and hostile tribes of Indians contains about 200,000 square miles; the are as nothing when compared with the average breadth of the territory is about 250 absorbing excitement of perilous incidents miles; the length of its coast line about 450 by "flood and field," or the pleasure of miles. The population of the country is gazing on the trackless wastes, stupen- chiefly migratory, consisting of mining addous mountains, and majestic lakes and of the world, and including considerable venturers from California and other parts rivers of the New World. We have no numbers of Chinese; the settled white popudesire to exaggerate the danger of tra- lation may be estimated at under 10,000. versing this vast district; but should any In addition to its gold mines, which are as of our readers be contemplating this yet the principal source of wealth to the route, we would simply remind them of colony, the natural resources of the country the thousands who perished in these de- have thus been summed up in evidence given solate wildernesses during the gold fever before the House of Commons:-Its mineof 1849, the very path they pursued being in the world for marine purposes; it abounds rals are most valuable; its timber the finest now indicated by human bones and human with bituminous coal well fitted for the graves. Emigrants crossing the plains generation of steam; from Thomson's River usually combine into large parties for security, their luggage and tents being conveyed in waggons drawn by mules.

and Colville districts to the Rocky Mountains, and from the 49th parallel to some 350 miles north, a more beautiful country does