"Marry her as soon after my death as you can do so legally?" "Yes." "Forgive me." "Dear John, there is nothing to forgive; be sure that everything that is in my power shall be done to secure her happiness." He pressed my hand, and she coming in soon after, he left us to read for his last examination, which was to take place very soon; and I with great difficulty, I am so weak, was enabled to jot down these my concluding words: may they be happy! I feel that I shall not write much more-God in Heaven bless them! Postscript, in another hand writing :— On the morning after the above lines were written, I found on entering his room that my poor friend was asleep; he seemed to breathe more tranquilly than I had seen him do for some time, but his face was very pale, and on placing my hand on his forehead, I ascertained that it was very cold. Still I did not like to disturb him; he had been very quiet all night, the nurse said. Presently he sighed very gently, then the breathing seemed to cease. I placed my finger on his wrist, the pulse had ceased to beat; the mortal remains only of our friend reposed upon the bed, his noble spirit had departed; peace be with him; few men have led more self-sacrificing lives; surely his reward shall not be wanting. Two years have elapsed since that day. Twelve months she has been my darling wife; our babe is nearly two months old; she is more beautiful than ever, and I am happier than, once, I ever hoped to be. THE END. THE LOVED ONE. ONCE I knew a lovely maiden Ere earth's cares my heart had laden, And I loved her-yes, I loved her But, alas! my lovely maiden, With highest glory her I loved here Often would my spirit hasten Ere 'tis meet in heav'n t' awaken; JAS. QUICK. PERSONALITIES OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. XXIII. SIR W. HART-DYKE AND MR. WINN. "STRANGERS, withdraw. 'Ayes' to the right; 'noes' to the left. Tellers for the ayes,' Sir William Dyke and Mr. Winn; tellers for the 'noes,' Mr. and Mr. Has any Speaker of the House of Commons or Chairman of Committees ever made the curious calculation as to how many times during the course of one session he has had to repeat the above-quoted formula? It would undoubtedly be found that the brunt of this particular duty fell upon Mr. Cecil Raikes, for it is during the process of a bill passing through committee and being discussed clause by clause that division after division occurs, until often their name becomes legion. This has especially been the case since the inauguration of the era of obstruction.' We recollect (and we fancy poor Mr. Raikes must recollect it too) one evening when the Irish obstructionists divided the House no less than sixteen times on the one question of Reporting Progress. Sixteen times, therefore, with slender intervals between, must Mr. Raikes have been on his legs to exclaim, 'Strangers, withdraw," etc. Yet even this was thrown into the shade by a certain portentous sitting of the House which lasted nearly twenty-four hours, and which was found to be too much for even the uncapitulating energies of the most zealous of Chairmen of Committees. Still, so indelibly graven must be the formula on the tablets of Mr. Raikes' consciousness that even supposing he had been betrayed into a gentle slumber whilst occupying the Chair, we cannot imagine him doing otherwise than correctly murmuring through the temporary obscurity of a dream: "Tellers for the 'ayes,' Sir William Dyke and Mr. Winn." It must be obvious, from the number of times that the names of these two gentlemen would appear to be in request, that they must be of some consideration in the House. This is, in fact, the case. This is, in fact, the case. Sir William Dyke and Mr. Winn are, in strictly official language, styled, the Patronage Lords of the Treasury; in more popular language,-the Government Whips. To those who are acquainted with the peculiar functions which these titles imply it is unnecessary to point out that Sir William Dyke and Mr. Winn must, as a matter of course, be Important personalities of the Imperial Parliament. These gentle. a men are not expected to speak; and except under the prompting of some extraordinary circumstances, they never do so. Their function is action, and action of a constant, intense, and highlydelicate nature. The Whip must be, beyond all things, a thorough man of the world; he must have a competent knowledge of men, be possessed of much tact, and be endowed with a genial and persuasive style of address. His chief duty is to “whip up” members for important divisions, and this implies sleepless vigilance, unwearying patience and inexhaustible good humour. The Whip must be able to persuade and confirm the wavering member, to induce the pleasure-loving member to sacrifice, upon occasion, his pleasure for his duty and to come to the front in his country's crisis; and the Whip, too, must be ready at any moment, to jump into a hansom and scour clubs and lodging-houses for the indolent but greatly-needed member who has given him the slip. Then the Whip must always be up to the work of combating crotchets, of soothing susceptibilities, and of humouring idiscyncrasy. The Whip, indeed, must be a deft and intelligent manipulator of mankind. During a division the Whips have to see to the concentration of their forces in the lobbies, and when the voting has been completed they have to appear as the Government Tellers before the table, and (provided the Government have a majority) to read out the result of the division. Amongst other duties of the Whip is that of providing 'pairs’ for members who find it inconvenient to be present at particular divisions, or who wish to be off to the country before the session has closed. Considering to what uncertain hours the House may sit, to what innumerable divisious it may be subjected it is needless to say that the Whip must be a gentleman of sterling constitution and by no means addicted to somnolence. With regard to one and all of these duties it may be said that no better men for their performance could have been chosen than Sir William Dyke and Mr. Winn. They are in the prime of their years, are noted for energy and urbanity, and are highly popular with both sides of the House. In physical appearance they are somewhat contrasted; Sir William being a short, broad-shouldered man, and Mr. Winn a tall and rather spare individual; but they both are equally active. It was their fate to step into the shoes of two very popular and efficient Whips, -Colonel Taylor, now Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Mr. Gerard Noel, now First Commissioner of Works; but there can be no doubt that both gentlemen have proved themselves worthy of their predecessors. Between the hours of seven and nine Mr. Winn is generally to be seen standing on guard at the member's entrance, and waylaying Conservative entities on their way to dinner. He button-holes his man, speaks a few words to him, makes a note on a piece of paper, and allows the member to go on his way. Sometimes the interview will last for some minutes, the hungry member apparently entering a gentle protest against some inconvenient proposition of the Whip. But the protest is speedily overruled, and the protester is booked to return in time for the important division which will probably take place somewhere about midnight. Sir William Dyke at this time is probably enjoy. ing his own well-earned meal within the preciucts of the House, and by-and-bye will be able to assist or relieve his brother Whip in the duty of hunting down or driving in the scattered constitutional sheep. And when in due time the House glides into the “ small hours,” and Mr. Speaker at length gets on his legs to resume once more the unchangeable burden-Ayes' to the right; ‘noes' to the left. Tellers for the 'ayes,'Sir William Dyke and Mr. Winn," there, you may be sure, are the two indefatigable Whips, eagerly waiting to marshal to the division lobby the imposing forces collected with so much anxious perseverance. W YORY SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL. The ex-governor has generally been a favourite character equally with the dramatist and the actor. It formed one of the most amusing embodiments in the repertoire of the late Mr. Farren. This popularity of the ex-governor as a subject for dramatic representation must, we fancy, be accounted for by the fact that so many ex-governors bave exhibited much of that oddity and crotchettiness, and general angularity of character, which afford irresistible stimulants to the powers of a clever comedian. But then the question may naturally be asked, how does it happen that ex-governors especially should turn out such queer and laughtermoving individuals? Probably the best answer is to compare the ex-governor's condition while he is an actual governor, with what it afterwards becomes when he has to resign the seals of office. Take, for instance, the governor of an Indian province. So long as he occupies the post, he is in every respect a petty sovereign. He is surrounded by an oriental magnificence of state ; he goes everywhere attended by a gorgeous retinue; thousands of natives bow before him, and his word is omnipotent over an extent of country greater, perhaps, than Great Britain -in fact, at all moments, and under all circumstances, he feels himself to be a person of the greatest consequence. But when ill-health, or the expiration of his term of office obliges him to return home, what is he ? Merely an ex-governor, and something very like a deposed king He can obserye no more state than any other private |