Ave Maria! thou whose name COMPOSITION. Give the following in two ways: "Mother! whose virgin bosom was uncross'd The first four lines of second selection. The first two lines of the third selection. tainted vane terrene THE WIND AND THE LEAVES. Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the most popular novelist in the English language. His chief power lies in his wonderful humor and pathos, in a genius for description which invests the commonest scenes and incidents with peculiarly romantic interest, and in a grotesque, almost caricature-like delineation of the oddities of humanity. In the artistic development of character he is decidedly inferior to Thackeray; all his characters that are not portraits from originals lacking individuality. As regards the spirit and matter of his novels, their general tendency is towards goodness, charity, and morality. But the morality is too often vapid and emotional, and his love episodes are so often strained to mawkishness, that the reading of his works should be deferred till the mind is mature enough to distinguish between silly sentimentality and practical sentiment. IT T was pretty late in the autumn of the year, when the declining sun, struggling through the mist which had obscured it all day, looked brightly down upon a little Wiltshire village, within an easy journey of the fair old town of Salisbury. Like a sudden flash of memory or spirit kindling up the sp ld man, it shed a glory upon the scene, theirs Lad them all parted youth and freshness seemed toh they had been barnt: wet grass sparkled in the light; the f verdure in the hedges-where a few ne that year; while others Early stood together bravely, resisting to the showed somewhat stern az i of nipping winds and early frosts -- took as charged by nature with the al ened up; the stream which had been her more sensitive and pena! all day long, broke out into a cheerful longest term of life. Still athy began to chirp and twitter on the naked is the sunbeams struck out path. gh the hopeful creatures half believed the red light, mantling in among th... gone by, and spring had come already. them as foils to set its bri the tapering spire of the old church its lofty station in sympathy with the at to lastre of the dying day. ent, and its glory was no more. T S; and from the ivy-shaded windows ath the long, dark lines of hill ani ight shone back upon the glowing sky, the West an airy city, wall h if the quiet buildings were the hoarding tement on battlement: the light v summers, and all their ruddiness and the shining church turned cold a ored within. got to smile; the birds were kens of the season which emphatically winter dwelt on everything. e coming winter, graced the landscape, ment, tinged its livelier features with no sadness. The fallen leaves, with which strewn, gave forth a pleasant fragrance, all harsh sounds of distant feet and a repose in gentle unison with the light ed hither and thither by the distant nd with the noiseless passage of the ed up the rich brown earth, and wrought n in the stubbled fields. On the motionsome trees autumn berries hung like al beads, as in those fabled orchards s were jewels; others, stripped of all stood, each the centre of its little heap aves, watching their slow decay; others rening wind uprose too, and thed and rattled as they moved, in moaning music. The withering hurried to and fro in search o pursuit; the laborer unyoked 13 bent down, trudged briskly 1 from the cottage windows lig wink upon the darkening field Then the village forge came Sportance. The lusty bellows er fire, which roared in turn, parks dance gaily to the merry the anvil. The gleaming Sparkled too, and shed its The strong had them all crunched and y had been burnt; about the in ruddy mounds, the apples ; while others (hardy eversomewhat stern and gloomy by nature with the admonition sensitive and joyous favorites m of life. Still athwart their ams struck out paths of deeper hantling in among their swarthy foils to set its brightness off, dying day. ory was no more. The sun went lark lines of hill and cloud which hairy city, wall heaped on wall, lement: the light was all withurch turned cold and dark; the ; the birds were silent; and the on everything. rose too, and the slighter branches s they moved, in skeleton dances, -The withering leaves, no longer fro in search of shelter from its porer unyoked his horses, and with udged briskly home beside them; ge windows lights began to glance darkening fields. eforge came out in all its bright lusty bellows roared Ha! ha! to the pared in turn, and bade the shining to the merry clinking of the hammers he gleaming iron, in its emulation, hed its red-hot gems around profusely. and his men dealt such strokes upon the mind of an old man, it shed a glory upon the scene, in which its departed youth and freshness seemed to live again. The wet grass sparkled in the light; the scanty patches of verdure in the hedges - where a few green twigs yet stood together bravely, resisting to the last the tyranny of nipping winds and early frosts - took heart and brightened up; the stream which had been dull and sullen all day long, broke out into a cheerful smile; the birds began to chirp and twitter on the naked boughs, as though the hopeful creatures half believed the winter had gone by, and spring had come already. The vane upon the tapering spire of the old church glistened from its lofty station in sympathy with the general gladness; and from the ivy-shaded windows such gleams of light shone back upon the glowing sky, that it seemed as if the quiet buildings were the hoardingplace of twenty summers, and all their ruddiness and warmth were stored within. Even those tokens of the season which emphatically whispered of the coming winter, graced the landscape, and, for the moment, tinged its livelier features with no oppressive air of sadness. The fallen leaves, with which the ground was strewn, gave forth a pleasant fragrance, and subduing all harsh sounds of distant feet and wheels, created a repose in gentle unison with the light scattering of seed hither and thither by the distant husbandman, and with the noiseless passage of the plough as it turned up the rich brown earth, and wrought a graceful pattern in the stubbled fields. On the motionless branches of some trees autumn berries hung like clusters of coral beads, as in those fabled orchards where the fruits were jewels; others, stripped of all their garniture, stood, each the centre of its little heap of bright red leaves, watching their slow decay; others again, still wearing theirs, had them all crunched and crackled up, as though they had been burnt; about the stems of some were piled, in ruddy mounds, the apples they had borne that year; while others (hardy evergreens this class) showed somewhat stern and gloomy in their vigor, as charged by nature with the admonition that it is not to her more sensitive and joyous favorites she grants the longest term of life. Still athwart their darker boughs the sunbeams struck out paths of deeper gold; and the red light, mantling in among their swarthy branches, used them as foils to set its brightness off, and aid the lustre of the dying day. A moment, and its glory was no more. The sun went down beneath the long, dark lines of hill and cloud which piled up in the West an airy city, wall heaped on wall, and battlement on battlement: the light was all withdrawn; the shining church turned cold and dark; the stream forgot to smile; the birds were silent; and the gloom of winter dwelt on everything. An evening wind uprose too, and the slighter branches cracked and rattled as they moved, in skeleton dances, to its moaning music. The withering leaves, no longer quiet, hurried to and fro in search of shelter from its chill pursuit; the laborer unyoked his horses, and with head bent down, trudged briskly home beside them; and from the cottage windows lights began to glance and wink upon the darkening fields. Then the village forge came out in all its bright importance. The lusty bellows roared Ha! ha! to the clear fire, which roared in turn, and bade the shining sparks dance gaily to the merry clinking of the hammers on the anvil. The gleaming iron, in its emulation, sparkled too, and shed its red-hot gems around profusely. The strong smith and his men dealt such strokes upon |