of the earth, he threw it on his shoulder and proceeded home.

The confirmation he had received of Munro's unhappiness, as also the cause of that unhappiness, deeply affected him; for he was a father, a tender father himself, and judged of the anguish he must experience, at the idea of not being able to give his children the advantages he desired for them, by that which his own feelings as a parent convinced him he should have felt, if unable to have sent his family into the world properly qualified for their stations in it...." But the worst of all," muttered he to himself between his closed teeth, as, but not as cheerily as usual, he pursued his way homewards," is the thought of such a mean fellow as that Watkins, yet perhaps being able to hold his head above such a real gentleman, such a kind and worthy-hearted man as Captain Munro is. Dang me!" and he suddenly clenched his hand, "if any evil happens to the poor gentleman, and that scoundrel attempts to crow over him.... But evil will not happen unto him; the Lord hath promised he will not forsake those that put their trust in him, and I am sure Captain Munro does. He may seem to forsake them for a season, in order to try them; for trials are, 'tis said for the heart, like what the furnace is for gold, necessary to purify it; but he will turn his face again towards them, if they still continue to call upon him."

About this time there arrived in the neighbourhood a nobleman of the title of O'Sinister, who had an old, but magnificent seat in it, to which he came but seldom....so seldom, that this was his first visit to it since Munro had settled at Heathwood.

A few evenings after the conversation just recounted, Farmer Stubbs called on Munro, just as he was sitting down to tea with the ladies; he was invited to take a cup, or some other refreshment, but declined either, saying he had only made bold to call on the Captain for a few brocoli plants, which he had promised to give him the day before. Munro recollected the promise, and took him into the garden the moment tea was over. They had not got many paces from the house when the farmer, suddenly stopping, seized Munro by a button of his coat, and, after looking earnestly in his face for an instant...

"Captain," said he," the brocoli plants were but a fetch to get you from the ladies...I have something for your private ear."

"Well, my friend," returned Munro," recovering from the surprise his so suddenly stopping and taking hold of him had caused, "I am all attention."

"You must know then," resumed the farmer," that.... od's rabbit it!" cried he, rubbing his hands, and looking with a discontented air, after pausing a few minutes; "od's rabbit it! I find, a'ter all, I must tell you a story I hate to think of."

"Then the sooner you get over it the better, my friend," said Munro...." so proceed,"

The farmer testified, by a nod, being of his opinion, and then proceeded to give the purport of his recent conversation with Watkins; which Munro did not bear without much emotion, though without making any com ments on it...." For the life of me," proceeded Stubbs, "I could not drive from my mind the pain I felt at the thoughts of your being obliged, for I knew how unhappy it must make you, to take that fine youth, Mr. Osmond, from the University before his education was finished. I won't say what I wished and wished; because, in my mind, when a man can only wish, speaking of his goodnature is but like a vain boast. This morning as I was still brooding over what Farmer Watkins told me, I got a summons to attend my Lord O'Sinister, who, you know, is lately arrived in these parts....It was all along of his Lordship that father and I settled on this side the Tweed; but his Lordship being desirous of having his land cultivated here after our English fashion, never rested till he had got father and I (seeing as how we were reckoned as good agriculturists as any in the kingdom) to give up a farm we rented from him in Derbyshire for one here.... But, as I was saying, I was summoned to him; and, after he had asked me a power of questions about this part and that part of his land, and so on, and made much of me, for though a lord, and a marvellous proud man, he can be very courteous; and the prouder a rich man is to his equals, why the more pleased. a poor man is with his affibility to himself........"

"No doubt, no doubt," cried Munro, finding the farmer paused, and looked as if he expected him to say something.

"Well, after my Lord, as I said, had made much of me," resumed the Farmer, "he began to question me about this here farm of yours, which you must know, perhaps you do already, once belonged to him, but was sold to a friend who wanted to be qualified for a company in the country militia, from whose hands, he being a sad spendthrift, it soon passed into others, and so on, till at length, all tattered and torn, as one may say, it came into your's. "Farmer, says he," "who owns Heathwood Farm? has it got into any thing of better hands than it was in when I was last here?"

"Has it! repeated I; so then I tells him how that it had, and all about what you did for it. "And who is this Captain or Mr. Munro, that you tell me is so clever in the management of land?" said he ; so I also told him that, and, from thence, he began to ask me question after question concerning you. At first I was a little shyish or so of answering him, for I don't much like, nor never did, talking of other people's affairs; till, at length, pop it came into my head, all of a sudden, that, perhaps, as I had told him what a worthy gentleman, and what a good subject, and a good man altogether you were, he might, if I also told him how you were straightened a little bit or so in your circumstances, lend a hand to help you; and so, the thought had no sooner entered my brain, than out came every thing I knew, aye, and moreover, every thing I thought of you."

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Every thing!" involuntarily echoed Munro, scarcely knowing whether to be pleased or displeased. "Aye, by goles !" cried the farmer; "when once I began to tell him how your father had used you, and what a different one you were yourself, I couldn't have stopped myself for the life of me. But, Captain, suddenly changing his tone of exultation into one of submission, "I hope you don't take amiss what I did; it was not for the sake of tattling; I have already said I spoke of your affairs, but merely in hopes of getting you a friend, be

cause I had not the power of being such a one to you myself as I knew you wanted and deserved."

These words determined the feelings of Munro; he eagerly grasped the hand of the farmer...." My friend, my friend," he said, perhaps not as articulately as he had just before spoken, "I believe you; and you are, therefore, entitled to my gratitude, be the result of your communication respecting me what it may. But I trust Lord O'Sinister could not imagine you were set on to speak of me...I confess it would hurt me if I thought he did, as at any time I would rather make a direct than an indirect application for a kindness."

"Bless you, he think a thing of the kind; not he indeed; it must have been clear enough to him, even if he had less sense than he has, that what I told him of you was all of a sudden thought."

"Well, did he make any observation upon it ?"

“You shall hear...." Farmer," says he, laying down a cup of coffee he was raising to his mouth, you have affected me much, by what you have told me of your worthy friend, Captain Munro; and I promise you," says he," it shan't be my fault if he and I are not better acquainted; for," says he, (and he laid his hand, which I do verily think to be as white as Mrs. Munro's, or Miss Elizabeth's, but which, to be sure is no marvel, seeing as how, in the course of his whole life, I do'nt suppose he ever did as much as brush a hat for himself;)" for," says he, my heart warms to a character of his kind....but how should it not, seeing as how it is so like my own ; yes, there is too great an analogy," yes, that was the word, "between his and mine, not to make me feel an interest for him"....a sympathy too I think he said, but indeed I won't be positive, for I did not entirely comprehend the meaning of all his words; for though, as I have already said, I got a good education, I didn't go as far as the words that are of Roman and Grecian extraction, I think they call it, as they say all the hard ones are. "So," continued the farmer, " after thinking a little on the subject, I thought it would only be right and proper to come and let you know what passed between my Lord and me

concerning you, lest, if I did not, you might be taken at a nonplus by him."

"Certainly, my friend, it was right I should be acquainted with it; and I thank you for the consideration that induced you to make the disclosure, as also for the kind interest you take in my concerns.'

"And you are not in the least angry with me?" asked Stubbs, with an anxious look and in a corresponding tone. "Angry! how could you suppose it possible I could be angry with a person I look upon as a sincere friend? No, the motive with me is every thing....he of whose wishing to serve me I was assured, would be entitled to my gratitude, even though he mistook the way."

"Ah, yours is an honest, honest heart, Captain !" cried the farmer; "and I trust it will soon be a joyful one; however, I say nothing positive about my Lord; he may think, and he mayn't think more about what he said....he....in short what I would say is, that it is a bad thing to reckon one's chickens before they are hatched."

"I understand you, my friend; but don't fear that I shall draw disappointment upon myself, by being too sanguine in my hopes....the season for castle building is past."

"No, I don't fear your doing any thing that is foolish," replied the farmer," which to be sure it is to place too great a dependance on the promise of any man, that is, of any great man I mean, as how they are all bits of courtiers in their hearts, I believe: but good night, Captain; if nothing comes of what is past, why you are only still as you were, and, if there does, why then we'll sing, Oh, be joyful, and drive old Care away.'

The reflections to which his conference with the farmer gave rise prevented Munro from returning to the parlour on his leaving him. Wrapt in thought, musing on the consequences which might result from the farmer's cominunication respecting him to Lord O'Sinister, he continued, till roused from it by his wife and daughter joining him. A fear of awaking hopes there was no certainty of having realized, forbade his touching on the subject on which he and the farmer had been conversing. The garden in which they had joined him was the favo