Estremadura, established itself, on the 24th of November, above the Tormes. The position was a convenient one, and the advanced season of the year rendered it desirable not to change it. But it was, nevertheless, necessary that a communication should be kept up with the other parts of the country; and for this purpose, a few corps were detached, from both flanks, considerably beyond the line, to serve as chains of connection, and to do the duty of piquets of observation. On this perilous and important service, Norman was employed. He took post at a place called Alanjuez, a village, or rather hamlet, about a couple of leagues from the right of the allied cantonments; and there, in a manner more delightful than often falls to the lot of soldiers upon active service, he passed the winter.

The hamlet of Alanjuez consists of about a dozen neat cottages, built at considerable intervals the one from the other, with a large casa, or chateau, in the rear; the latter being the residence of Don Fernando Navarette, whose ancestors, for many generations back, have owned considerable tracks of the surrounding country, and extended to the inmates of these cottages the protection of feudal chieftains. By some fortunate accident or another, Alanjuez had never, though lying but a short space out of the line of hostile operations, been visited, up to the period of Norman's arrival, by soldiers from either of the contending armies. The consequence was, that Norman found matters here in a condition widely different from that in which he was elsewhere accustomed to find them. The chateau stood at the base of a steep hill, concealed, in a great degree, from observation, amid groves of orange and olive trees: a long straight avenue of chesnuts led to it from the village, which had suffered no injury; the garden was not laid waste; its doors, windows, and roof, were in perfect preservation: the very lawn in front of it bore no traces of violence; and the very flower-beds exhibited symptoms of care lately bestowed upon them.

Nor had the habitations of the peasantry been subjected to other or worse treatment than that which befel the abode of their lord. They were, all of them, entire; and the little spots of ground about them—their orange-groves, vineyards, mulbery-plantations, and fields of Indian corn, all presented the same appearances, which, at a similar season of the year, they are likely to present now, or rather did present previous to the French invasion.

It will easily be imagined, that a scene such as has been just described-the sight of a solitary village enjoying, or appearing to enjoy, the blessings of peace, in the heart of a country overrun, in other quarters, by foreign troops, and subject to the varied miseries attendant upon a state of active warfare-affected Norman with sensations to which, for some time back, he had been a stranger. Nor was the influence of these sensations the less powerful, that the day on which he reached Alanjuez chanced to be a remarkably fine one: the sun shone bright and warm, and the air was soft and mild, as if spring had already set in, though November had not yet passed away. The woods, too, which overhung the village, and extended as far as the eye could reach, along the hills, being intermixed with a more than ordinary proportion of evergreens, presented to the gazer's view the lively tints of summer, to the full as prominently as the more sombre hues of winter. A rivulet of clear water pouring from the top of the rock, rushed and roared its unseen progress through the forest; and came out at length, in a bright pool, into the valley. Every thing, in short, animate and inanimate, breathed the same spirit of security and peace. No putrefying carcases of man or beast lay around, to attract the kites and vultures, or other birds of prey, from their nests amidst the cliffs: but a thousand little throats made the thickets ring with a melody peculiar to themselves, and which, more perhaps than any other sound, bespeaks the presence of tranquility and repose. Norman was too much struck with the entire scene not to experi

ence something like compunction for the necessity which compelled him, to a certain degree at least, to interrupt it. But he determined that no precaution should be wanting on his part, for the purpose of rendering the interruption as little injurious as possible; at all events, that no act of wanton outrage should be committed by his soldiers, either upon the inhabitants or their property. He accordingly halted his battalion at the outskirts of the hamlet, and riding forward by himself, proceeded to make such arrangements as appeared best calculated to secure the attainment of these objects.

The advance of Norman's battalion had not been unobserved by the people of Alanjuez; but they did not, on that account, abandon their houses. Whether it was, that, by means of some look-out parties, they had been made aware that the advancing troops were their allies; or whether, having no place of safety to retire to, they resolved to trust to the clemency even of their enemies, should such approach, I do not know; but Norman no sooner appeared in the hamlet, than he was surrounded by women and children, all intreating him to protect them from the violence of the soldiers. This Norman readily promised to do; and, the regiment being moved forward, a chain of outposts was planted; after which, such companies as were not immediately required for duty, took up their quarters in the different cottages.

Norman was still hesitating where to establish himself, when a venerable old man, whose upright figure and stiff deportment left no room to doubt as to the station which he held in society, rode up to him. The stranger introduced himself as Don Fernando Navarette; and requested Norman, as commandant of the detachment, to take up his abode in the castle. To this the young soldier offered no objection. Carrying with him a force of two hundred men, which he stationed in the barns and other out-buildings attached to the mansion, he himself readily consented to become the guest of Don Fernando; nor had many

hours elapsed, ere he found himself as perfectly at home as if he really formed one of the family.

I have said that Alanjuez exhibited hardly any symptoms of being situated in the midst of a field of battle, and in the neighbourhood of two hostile camps; and, as far as the appearance of inanimate substances go, I said truly. But there was one circumstance connected with it which certainly told no tale of peace-not a single young man could be seen. Even in the chateau, the few male domestics who showed themselves, were, like their master, grey-headed and feeble; whilst, in many instances, women performed offices not generally expected from the sex in European nations. The fact was, that all the youths of the village, including Don Fernando's two sons, were in arms: they had joined the patriotic forces on their first formation, and were now under the command of General Romano, in a distant part of Spain.

Don Fernando's family circle, accordingly, consisted of himself, three daughters, their duenna or governess, and a priest. The daughters were all of them strikingly handsome; but in the appearance of Theresa, the youngest, there was something which no young man, with a heart wholly disengaged, could look upon with indifference. Fairer, by many degrees, than the generality of Spanish maidens, Theresa Navarette retained just as much of her national complexion as may be seen every day among the loveliest of those English beauties whom we are in the habit of denominating brunettes. Her eyes were large, full, dark, and intelligent, fringed with long silken lashes, and surmounted by brows, arched indeed, but not so much arched as to give the slightest expression of weakness to her countenance: her hair, not exactly black, but of the darkest brown, was gathered up in part, after the fashion of her country, into a knot, and in part hung in the richest curls over her neck and shoulders. Her little, well-formed mouth gave evidence, not less than the glance of her sparkling eye, of strong passions, high en

thusiasm, and sensitive feeling; and her figure-Canova himself never formed a statue more perfect or more replete with elegance and symmetry. Add to all this, a liveliness of manner, occasionally tinctured with romance, and a tolerably accurate picture will be placed before the mind's eye of him who desires to look upon it.

There is, in the deportment of foreign families generally, and in those of Spain in particular, a degree of confiding frankness, such as we rarely meet with in English society. Of this Norman was speedily made sensible. The old man, by degrees, laid aside as much of his constitutional gravity as it was possible for him to lay aside; the priest became talkative and entertaining; the duenna, instead of casting a cloud upon the intimacy which soon began to be formed between the English soldier and her young charges, appeared to promote it; and the girls themselves were all life and animation. As the evening drew on, a huge pile of wood was made to blaze upon the hearth; lamps were lighted; and the guitars being produced, Norman was entertained with a concert more pleasing to his ears than all the laboured performances of hired musicians, however skilful and however celebrated. It has been said that Norman was something of a musician himself. His voice was clear and rich; and being, from his long residence in the country, well acquained with the favourite airs of Spain, he made himself more than ever agreeable to his fair friends by joining in their melody. In a word, when the little party separated for the night, they retired to their respective apartments mutually pleased with the accident which had brought them together, and determined, as far as their exertions could effect that end, that the days which were to come should not be less cheerful than that which had just expired.

Days, weeks, and even months, stole on, during which, Norman, unassailed by attempts on the part of the enemy, unharrassed by any extraordinary details of military duty, was permitted to enjoy, at his leisure, the society of this