"I'll be a duke," cried a little page, Who found in a place of no resort And he hurried off with his prize to court. And, loyally loving, they helped to bring Now, when she was come to the monarch's sight, "What the foul fiend have we here?" he cried. SONG OF THE COSSAQUE. BERANGER. COME on, best friend of the Cossaque! my noble steed, come on! Let carnage follow in thy course that scorns a laggard halt. Peace flies afar, and leaves to me no guidance but thy own: Princes, and priests, and nobles, as within some fortress wall, I saw a giant Phantom stand colossal in the sky, Then toss thy mane with scornful neigh, and fly, my gallant horse! All Europe's ancient glories spread from furthest shore to shore, Efface, efface, nor cease thy race, till Desolation draws A veil o'er manners, records, fanes, and palaces and laws. Then toss thy mane with scornful neigh, and fly, my gallant horse! To trample down the pride of kings and nations in thy course! ORIENTALE. VICTOR HUGO. One day the Sultaun Achmet said Then be a Christian, Star of Kings! All pleasures are beneath a ban, And held as interdicted things, When shared with a Mohammedan : I really cannot hazard crime; Sin is enough, my dear Sublime ! By all the pearls that brightly deck, The beauty of thy snowy neck, I'll do it, an thou'lt let me kneel, BEAUTY. LANARTINE. BEAUTY! celestial secret, ray divine, Bright emblem, say, what mystic source is thine? A first, or haply a fifth element, Whether, more vivid still, thou dost reveal In breathing nature, where thy presence lies On the proud steed's tempestuous mane, and flings A glory o'er the eagle's rushing wings, And smoothes the shade that undulating moves Or whether in the human aspect-this Perhaps of God himself some image thou, Wherever Beauty, graceful or superb, I often have reproached myself for these THE landlady paused for a moment at the door, laid her finger upon her brow, thought for a minute or two, and then having settled her whole plan to her own satisfaction, descended to the door at which Mr. Dry of Longsoaken was making sundry inquiries regarding the personage for whose address he had in the first place applied to herself, and whom he evidently had not found out in his perambulations of the town. A part of what he said was heard by the hostess as she descended, so that she had a full clue to what was going on, and advancing towards him with a low, smart courtesy, she said— "The dinner's quite ready, sir; and I have been thinking since you were gone, that I shall be able to-morrow morning to get you the address of the gentleman you wanted, for a man will be here with eggs who used to supply him, I know." Mr. Dry looked up with a well-satisfied air, saying, "That is providential, Mistress Green." "White, sir, White," said the landlady, dropping another courtesy, "my name is White, not Green-a different colour, sir, but it all comes to the same thing. Shall I call the young lady to dinner. It is in this room, sir." "I will go myself, Mistress White," said Dry; and he was advancing towards the stairs, when the landlady, in a low and confidential whisper, added "Poor thing, she is very wild indeed. I went up just now to see if she wanted any thing; and she is quite astray, thinking that she was here not long ago, and fancying that she knows all about the place. It's a sad thing to see a poor creature in such a state." "Alack, alack, and so it is," rejoined Mr. Dry, "but it's God's will, Mrs. White, and so we must submit." "Ah, sir, that's very true," answered the good hostess, "but yet one can't help pitying the poor girl. You are sure she is not dangerous, sir ?" "Quite sure," answered Mr. Dry: "it is only to herself. But if she were left alone to do what she wills, I would not answer for it, that you would not very soon find her in the Humber." "Oh, she must be looked to, sirshe must be looked to," replied the landlady. "Those are sad, dangerous cases. I remember right well when Jonathan Birkett, at Burton-he was my husband's second cousin, poor, dear man-went mad and hanged himself" But "I will hear that story after dinner," said Dry in return, pushing past her, and opening the door of the room in which Arrah Neil was seated. the good landlady had gained her point, having fully convinced Mr. Dry that she believed the poor girl whom he had brought thither to be perfectly insane; and her manner during the meal, which followed immediately after, served to confirm the worthy gentleman in that supposition, without at all inducing Arrah herself to imagine that her new friend had any doubt of her sanity. Though the days had gone by when as an universal custom the landlord and his guest sat down together at the same table, and if the traveller presented himself at any other hours than those of the host's own meals, he was likely to remain hungry till the master of the house chose to eat, yet in all cases he who supplied the fare and he who received it were still much more intimately mixed up at meal times than in the present day, when the duties of the hostly office are done by deputy ; and the landlord is intent upon any other cares but hospitable ones. In the present instance, good Mrs. White remained in the room with her maid, who acted the important part of waiter; and ever and anon she meddled busily with the dishes, commended the viands to the jaws of her guests, vaunted the excellence of the ale, strong waters, and wine, which her house afforded, and when not thus employed upon matters connected with her own immediate vocation, took part in the conversation of those who sat at table, with great freedom and satisfaction. Towards Arrah Neil her tone was of that tender and kindly character, which might well be attributed by Mr. Dry to compassion for the mental affliction under which he had declared her to be suffering, and by the poor girl herself to interest in her fate and situation. But the good landlady was watching eagerly the whole conduct of her male guest, and endeavouring with all the skill which is afforded by long dealings with many of our fellow-creatures, to extract some information from all she saw regarding his intentions and objects. She perceived that the worthy man of Longsoaken was as tender upon her whom he called his ward as was consistent with his sanctified exterior, that he often whispered a word to her with a smile which contorted his harsh and wizened features into any thing but a pleasant expression, and that he made a point of helping her himself to every thing which he thought dainty; and, from these and various other signs and indications, Mrs. White was led to ask herself, "Does the old hypocrite seek her for a wife or a paramour?" and she internally added, "I'll spoil the game for him, that I will." But notwithstanding her internal resolutions, the good landlady remained perfectly civil and attentive to Mr. Dry, and guided by tokens, which were not to be mistaken by one of her experience, as to his fondness for certain creature comforts of existence, she at length produced some clear and brilliant liquid, the produce of the Dutch still, in a large flat-sided black bottle, and persuaded him to drink what she called a small glass thereof, though, to say the truth, the measure was very capacious. When he had drank it, he set down the glass again; and looking up in Mrs. White's face, observed "It is very good indeed, madam, and may be permitted for the support of our poor, weak bodies after a long ride in such bleak and disconsolate weather." "Take another glass, sir," said the hostess, who stood at the end of the table with the bottle still in her hand. "On no account-on no account, Mistress White," replied her guest; "we may use such things discreetly, but by no means go into excess. I would not for the world-don't talk of it." There are two ways however of understanding that same injunction, "don't talk of it," which those who have been accustomed to read the book of human nature find no great difficulty in applying properly, and in this instance, as in many others, Mrs. White saw that it meant "don't talk of it, but do it without talking," and therefore replying, "Oh, sir, it's very weak: it's so old, 'tis scarcely stronger than water,” she poured the glass full as it stood at Mr. Dry's elbow, while he turned round to say something to Arrah Neil on his other side. The worthy gentleman took not the slightest notice of this proceeding; but looking up in Mrs. White's face, he said "And so you think, ma'am, that you will be able to get me Master Hugh O'Donnell's right address by to-morrow morning?" "I am certain of it," replied the landlady, who thought there was no great harm in a little confidence whatever might be the result. Arrah Neil looked down in silent thought, and then raised her large, bright eyes with an inquiring look in the landlady's face; while Mr. Dry, as if in a fit of absentness, took up the glass, and sipped nearly one half of the contents before he recollected what he was about. He then, however, set it down suddenly, and inquired "Pray can you tell me, if Mr. Twigg the drysalter is now in Hull? A Godfearing and saintly man, Mrs. White, who used to hold forth to the edification of a flock that used to assemble at the tabernacle in Backwater-alley." "Oh dear, yes, sir; he is in Hull," answered Mrs. White. "I saw the good gentleman only yesterday." "Then I will go and see him presently," answered Mr. Dry. "Humble-minded folks may always profit much of godly conversation; and to do him but justice, he is always ready to use his spiritual gifts for the benefit of others." Thus speaking, Mr. Dry, after contemplating the glass for a |