"I have one, a mere lad, not long come being unable to reconcile himself to the up from Suffolk, to learn his trade." constant succession of new faces. Ac"He did not appear to me to be such cordingly, one morning, he took a place a mere lad," murmured forth Mrs. Clever. in the Southampton coach, on his way "You were engaged to me as having no to Havre, and, in taking leave of his wife, 'followers. I have no objection to your said: seeing him sometimes; but he must come very seldom." A few days after, the Suffolk lass was surprised in the kitchen with a brisk little footman. As this person disappeared up the areasteps, "He is another of my cousins," said Betsy. At last a very serious fault was found with this "treasure" of a servant, and she was turned out of doors. To these four servants succeeded a dozen others in the short space of four months. Lancashire witches and Leicestershire lasses, Irish, Welsh, and Yorkshire women were passed in review. Almost every English county was tried. At the end of four months, Clever had taken an absolute disgust to his house, There is nothing I abhor more than change of place; but, as you have made an hotel of my house, I must set out on my travels." What, Clever! surely you are not going to leave us?" 66 Yes, but I am." "Of that I am wholly ignorant. When you shall have kept the same servant for more than three months, write me word, and I shall then return." And Clever set out for the coach-office. Two years elapsed, but he was still on his travels. Yet Mrs. Managem Clever had, during that time, fallen in with no fewer than seven and twenty "treasures." But she "fell out" with them immediately after. SONNET TO SPRING. IAGO. The swallow too was eager To gain from them a meal; I took in hand a pencil, To write my "free thoughts" down; She wore a golden crown. "O doubt not," said the angel, I musing, watch'd the angel Then there came another angel, I saw in her bright features IVANHOE HOW I SAW THE ILLUMINATIONS. "You will go and see the illuminations such easy matter. Of course you make to-night, will you not ?" inquired a friend an effort; and, just at the moment your with whom I had gone to spend the umbrella is being opened, there comes a memorable day; "I understand our old sudden rush of the crowd. The upraised, city of York looks really well.' unopened umbrella is brought into painful proximity to your face, thereby knocking "Certainly," I replied, with as much determination as I could muster. One your bonnet off. At last, however, after moment I listened to the ceaseless beating many fruitless endeavours, you find yourof the rain against the windows, then, self under the friendly shelter, but not indignantly forcing back a little sigh that before you have had the pleasure (?) of rose involuntarily to my lips, repeated, listening to the warm expressions of-of with increased determination, " Certainly, spite those endeavours have called forth; I shall" not before you have poked into that good "Then you had better go and get woman's patient face, and destroyed the ready," responded my friend; "it's equilibrium of that dear old man's hat. nearly seven; and mind and wrap up These, ma'am, are a few of the trials conwell, for I promise you it is not very sequent on the trifling act of getting up warm outside to-night." I ran upstairs, and soon descended, cloaked and bonnetted, to the drawingroom, where my friend awaited my return. I confess, as we left the apartment, I cast an unloyal glance behind me at the blazing fire, the glittering chandelier, the open piano, and table strewn with books, and, for an instant, I heartily wished to remain. But, alas! this could not be. "I have come to Kroy," thought I, "the venerable, time honoured city of Kroy, to see the sights-and shall a little rain prevent me?" I felt thoroughly ashamed of my weakness, and resolutely turned away. an umbrella in a crowd on a stormy night. Are you satisfied? I hope your are, for I must leave you and pass on. " Well, the umbrella being at last safely up and ourselves under it, we moved along with the mass, which soon brought us into Parliament-street. Here I took my first peep from under the umbrella. Some of the shops were most brilliantly illuminated; and "A. A.,” or “A. E. A.,' gleamed upon you from all sides. A large well-lighted crown in the centre of the Market-place had a remarkably fine effect. The Mansion House and other public buildings also displayed much taste and ingenuity in their adornments. But notwithstanding my really sincere desire Of course, our umbrella had to be put to feel pleased and happy, I could not be up as soon as we emerged from the house. insensible to the dripping, drenching 46 A very trifling inconvenience," I hear rain, as it patted on the umbrella, and some quiet country-dweller remark. True, then off, on my neat and hitherto caremy friend, in your village extremely fully-used mantel. I could not complain, trifling. where you go the door, and un- however, for my friend was even in worse interruptedly glide under the sheltering plight than myself. To her, being the expanse, and then jog along peaceably taller of the two, was deputed the honour on the arm of the friendly holder. Very (?) of holding the umbrella. Poor Eleanor! trifling, indeed; remarkably, touchingly, As we trudged along through the sloppy infinitesimally so! But attempting this streets, some one near us exclaimed, just ouside the door of your house on a "We must see the bars!" Eleanor looked dripping night like the tenth of March, at me, and a corresponding desire, I saw, with a dense mass of humanity surging was trembling on her lips. past you, and which threatens every "O let us go by all means," I replied, moment to drive you off the step into a to her mute interrogation, and off we state of uncomfortable humiliation, is no went. red, unpleasantly suggestive of a too close intimacy with claret and champagne; while, the Princess by his side, looked the personification of an over-dressed country-lassie, whose very wide-open eyes testified her amazement at the ova tion she was receiving. Walm-gate Bar was the nearest, so we attained the mature age of forty years, bent our steps in that direction, bravely and looked as sober and steady as those forcing a path through the forest of um- years demand. In others the Prince brellas. My memory is somewhat con-owned a complexion of deep unchanging fused respecting the ornamentation of the Bar. I only know that some blazing words ran round the archway, but what they were my faulty memory will not supply. One thing, however, I remember very well. As we stood gazing up at the bright character, a woman near us pushed one of the points of her umbrella through my veil. We were close beside her, and the sharp point moved about on my face rather too roughly to be pleasant. Just at the moment I was endeavouring to free myself, the woman moved on; and not being desirous of the delicate task of repairing my veil, I was compelled to follow her. 'Ma'am," said I, quite pleadingly. But ma'am was too deeply engaged with her neighbour in discussing the wonders of the night to hear unfortunate me. Ma'am," said I rather louder than before, my veil is fast to your um brella!" Here, the woman stopped, and partly turned round, while I freed myself as speedily as possible, she, meanwhile, bestowing very suspicious glances upon me out of her eye-corners as I pro ceeded. Would you like to see Mickle-gate Bar the next, or the electric light on Clifford's Tower" inquired Eleanor, as I once more drew up under the umbrella. "Which ever you please," I replied; then half unconsciously added, "which is the nearer?" "Clifford's Tower, I believe," said she, which decided the question. As we passed through the streets on our way thither, I could not help observing in my casual peeps from under the umbrella, a number of ludicrous-looking, blinds, as I ignorantly called them, in some windows (I afterwards learned they were more generally known by the elegant term, transparencies). They professed to be portraits of our noble Prince and his beautiful young bride; but, I dare say, could those august personages have beheld them, they would have started back in undisguised horror. In some, the Prince and Princess appeared to have I could not help contrasting this ridiculous representation of Alexandra with her own fair, sweet self, and, as I gazed upon it I felt, could she have seen it, her kind and gentle disposition would have forgiven this defective tribute of a loyal subject's love. Clifford's Tower, which we eventually reached, is situate within the precincts of the Castle; and the electric light shed its beams over the gloomy, massy walls. But, dear reader, the rain-the persistent rain-kept pouring, pouring; and while I was walking, or rather splashing, about in St. George's Field, basking in the rays of the electric light, a slight but steadily. continued noise near me attracted my attention. Such a soft, little pattering it was; but, oh! so alarmingly suggestive,especially when I ascertained it to be in the neighbourhood of my bonnet. A vague fear crept into my mind, which, a moment after, settled into certainty. My friend had unconsciously allowed the umbrella to fall from its perpendicular position; and I found it had been very quietly divesting itself of superfluous drops on my nice, new, velvet bonnet! 64 Well, shall we walk on or go home?" inquired Eleanor, after the umbrella had been restored to its primal position. "Oh, home! if you please," burst from my lips spontaneously. So home we went. Our spirits were quite restored when we had changed our drenched garments for some warm dry ones, and after wishing our noble Prince, and his lovely bride, all the happiness that can be enjoyed by sublunary beings, we closed the evening by singing, with a fervent and heartfelt devotion, "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN !" [My pretty drab bonnet, with its brown velvet flowers, had received too thorough a saturation ever to regain its pristine elegance. I smoothed and stroked it with the gentiest of fingers, but to little purpose. So I intend keeping it as a memento of the hour I spent in the streets of Kroy on the night of March the tenth, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three!] LUCINDA B. COUSIN AM Y. BY THE EDITOR. COUSIN AMY, Cousin Amy, O those laughing eyes of thine, How often, lit with merriment, have answered unto mine; How often has that little hand within mine own been pressed, And a word has risen to my lips that could not be confessed; How often, in the merry dance, have I gazed upon thy face, And held thy beating heart to mine in cousinly embrace. How often, O how often, have I walked alone with thee, In city streets, beside the wave, or "neath the shady tree": Yet never, Cousin Amy, in our warm and ardent youth, Did I dare to whisper word to wrong thy innocence and truth; For thou wert rich and noble, whilst I was proud and poor, But my heart was almost broken when he bore thee from the door! Years have passed, and thou art happy- from care and trouble free So farewell, sweet Cousin Amy, thou art nothing! now to me! THE FIRST PRIMROSE. 1 SPIED it in my wand'rings No other flow'r had ventur'd For April's changeful sun had fail'd No morning salutation, By radiant sunbeam borne, Had waked the lonely little flow'rFor early was the morn; And far within the shadow The timid primrose grew, Unnoticed, save by zephyr's breath, Or evening's drops of dew. No sister flow'r grew near it, And yet it liv'd and bloom d Serenely, 'mid the solitude Its fragrant breath perfum'd: Closing its eye when darkness Crept o'er the field and plain, And nestling down amid the leaves Tili morning dawn'd again. I watched it long and fondly- Of that meek patience and content I glanc'd up to the skies, And breath'd the yearnings of my heart In answer to my pray'r, And sweeter fell the warblings Of the songsters in the trees- I turn'd to bid my primrose For duty bade me leave the spot A sunbeam struggled through the hedge, O surely, have I never Beheld a lovelier sight, Than when the little primrose-flower Its golden, glistening eye- And other flow'is will spring, Oh, no! I inly murmur'd Better that it should rest, I slid my fingers through the leaves, Dear little flower! I envied For all that day its golden eye A still small voice spoke to my heart LUCINDA B. THE HARBINGER OF SUMMER. BY GEORGE FREDERICK PARDON. THE various natural phenomena, customs, called Palm Sunday in memory of our associations, memorable days, and chief Saviour's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, features of the months, are worthy of every when the people took leaves and branches one's attention. And, besides these, there are the games peculiar to each season; the flowers that bloom, the birds that chirp and sing in our fields, and the fish that visit our shores. of the Palm tree and spread them on the ground, crying, "Hosannah, blessed be the name of the Lord!" In our own country, and in continental towns, the people still gather branches of the willow, with its velvety buds, in commemoration of the event; and, in the Church, there are special services performed. April and May are the real spring months -the genial opening of the year. With the Romans the year began with March; and it is not much more than a hundred The week following is called Passion years since that our own legal New Year's Week, from the passion or suffering of our Day was removed from the 25th of March Great Master in the garden of Gethsemane. to the 1st of January. And it really does It is held a holy week by all Christians. seem more appropriate that the year should The fourth of this week is Maundy Thurscommence with buds, young leaves, and day-dies Mandate, the day of command. sunshine, than with ice-bound rivers, bare On this day it is recorded that Our Lord trees, and snow-mantled fields. We all washed the feet of His disciples, and comknow the natural signs of the month. For manded them to wash the feet of each January, frost; for February, rain and sleet; for March, wind; for April, rain; and for May, flowers. As the old nursery rhyme has it "March winds and April showers other. It was formerly the custom for persons of high estate to give money, food, and clothing to their poor neighbours on this day. A relic of this custom still reImains in the gifts made by our beloved Queen to certain poor persons in the neighWith April comes the first fine days of bourhood of the Court, of money, food, and the year. Its very name is expressive of clothing. The Maunday money consists of its qualities. Romulus, the founder of a single piece of each silver and copper coin Rome, is said to have named the months. of the time. He called this April from the Latin word The day following is Good Friday, which Aperio, to open, germinate, or blossom. is kept holy in commemoration of the death The Romans, with poetic fancy, united of Christ. In the Church there is a special April to March, the war-month; and thus service; and all unnecessary business is on joined power and ferocity with love, beauty, that day interdicted. All Government and and gentleness. The Saxons called it the public offices are closed, the theatres and Oster Monath, or Easter Month, because places of amusement are shut, and a solemn the festival of Easter usually falls in April. observance of decorum is adhered to. In The first day of April is the well-known both Protestant and Catholic countries All-Fools' Day. The word all is perhaps Good Friday is celebrated with prayer and a corruption of auld or old. It is said that praise. The hot-cross buns, that smoke the Romans were themselves in the habit upon our breakfast tables, are, probably, of playing jokes upon their friends on this day; so that our custom of making April Fools, by sending Tom to the cobbler's for a pennyworth of strap oil, or Jane to the dairy for a pint of pigeon's milk, or Anne to the chemist's for the essense of two-lips, has, at any rate, the warrant of antiquity. The French, the Germans, and other peo.. ples, celebrate All Fools' Day. The astronomical sign of the month is Taurus, the Bull; on the 20th the sun enters the sign of the Zodiac. The 29th day of March, in this year of grace, 1863, is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. It is the modern form of the sacred cakes formerly eaten in the Arkite temples, or a remnant of the early Christian custom of meeting together and breaking bread, significant of the Passover and the Lord's Supper. Easter Eve was anciently celebrated with great pomp, the Churches being lighted with multitudes of torches, and the people watching and waiting with solemnity for the dawn of Easter Sunday. This is the festival of the commemoration of our Saviour's resurrection, and is celebrated in all Christian countries with great pomp. It, and the nine |