bowed upon them. Thinking him too much agitated to speak, and uncertain of his duty, the divine lifted his voice and demanded if any one present had aught to say against a marriage between the two persons standing before him.

Every face in that church was turned on the deacon, but he remained silent and motionless, so the challenge was unanswered, and the minister felt compelled to proceed with the ceremony, for he remembered what was, at first, forgotten, that the pair had been published according to law, months before, when Lee had, without given reason, refused to fulfil his contract.

The brief but impressive ceremony was soon over, and with an expression of more true happiness than had ever been witnessed on his fine features before, Lee conducted his wife to her mother, and placed himself respectfully by her side. The poor bride was scarcely seated, when she buried her face in her handkerchief, and burst into a passion of tears, which seemed as if it never would be checked. The congregation went out. The young people gathered about the doors, talking over the late strange scene, while a few members lingered behind, to speak with the deacon's wife before they left the church. Lee and his companions stood in their pew, looking anxiously toward the old man. There was something unnatural in his motionless position, which sent a thrill through the matron's heart, and chained her to the floor, as if she had suddently turned to marble. The minister came down the pulpit stairs, and advancing to the old man, laid his hand kindly upon the withered fingers clasped over the railing; he turned very pale, for the hand which he touched was cold and stiffened in death. The old man was feeble with grief, and when young Lee appeared before.him his heart broke amid the rush of its strong feelings."

This example is sufficient to show that Mrs. Stephens is no ordinary writer. Her subject itself, is always interesting and well chosen; the language in which her thoughts are embodied, is frequently graceful and elegant. Her style, somewhat florid, is conspicuous and vivid. Her descriptions of nature are, many of them, so fascinating, and withal so natural, that a painter might easily transfer them to his canvas.

She delineates character also, with a masterly hand, bringing out, in a proper manner, the light and shade of human nature, man in his best state, as well as in his wretchedness, into which sin has plunged him. We rise from the perusal of her writings with new aspirations to do good, with enlarged sympathies, and with a feeling of greater obligations for what we have and are. Pleasure and profit, the essentia! characteristics of all good writ ings, whether of truth or of fiction, will be experienced by most readers of Mrs. Stephens.

Aside from all literary merit, Mrs. Stephens is a lady of estimable worth. Far from being proud or egotistical, she is quite

unassuming, and most agreeably social. She possesses a benevolent spirit and lively sensibilities. Her heart softens at the recital of suffering, and yearns to reclaim the guilty. Orphan asylums and penitentiaries, she often visits to console those who need consolation. In more than one instance she has averted impending doom from the head of the guiltless, by exerting herself in a most disinterested manner, in behalf of the prisoner.

From what we have written of her, it will be readily inferred, that her domestic as well as her social qualities are worthy of imitation. It by no means detracts from, but rather adds a charm to her literary character to know that she not only superintends all her household concerns, but hesitates not to engage in them personally. Needle-work with her is not confined to rich embroideries, but it includes the more substantial duties of the scam. stress. Such qualities combined with high literary attainments, are indeed rare and most commendable. It is consistent with the true dignity of learning, with the true dignity of educated woman. The opinion is too prevalent that literary pursuits so encroach upon the domestic virtues of American ladies, as to render them unfit to direct household affairs. It is indeed not unusual to hear gentlemen decry literary wives, for this very reason. Hence some females shrink even from the thought of having their names appear before the public as authors. Ladies themselves can do much to remove such erroneous impressions, by taking the subject of this sketch as their model, and by adding to the charms of a cultivated mind, the healthful and becoming duties of domestic life.

MARSCHALK MANOR.

The old man treadeth wearily,
Wearily down the hill;
But the old man prateth cheerily,
Prateth cheerily still.

CHAPTER FOURTH

Showeth forth a severe affliction which befel me.

A most boisterous pounding at my bed-room door awakened me early the next morning. From top to bottom the oaken boards were assailed with thick showers of fierce blows, until the old lock rattled loosely in its socket, each panel threatened to leap from its stout casing, and the whole door trembled with impotent indignation. Amazed at a racket so unusual-for even Ludwig in his gayest and sprightliest moods, had seldom ventured to raise such a dreadful disturbance. I shouted forth permission to enter, and leaped out of bed, ready to receive a friend or repulse a foe. The door at that instant flew back, and disclosed Van Noortstrandt, pushing in Claes, who held back with all his feeble strength.

"Sure as dis world, massa, I no want to 'turb you, but dis gemman make me come wid him, and what can poor ole darkey do? Dat am de truf, dear massa, 'deed it am. What for Claes want for to tell lie, hey?"

"It is so, my old friend," Antony chimed in, "I could not bear to see you waste the best part of the morning, so after wandering about for some time, waiting for you to come down, I caught Claes as he was going across the lawn, and, by main force, lugged him up stairs. He struggled long and hard, and appealed by turns to my reason and fears, alternately expatiating upon my breach of etiquette, and your just vengeahce, but with no effect. He forgets that I am a young man, and of course inaccessible to either reason or fear, when at variance with my inclination," Antony continued, with a merry laugh and a sidelong squint at his gray locks.

During all this, I had been sitting lazily upon the side of my bed, rubbing my eyes and yawning to an unparalleled extent, and after slight deliberation, was about to fall back again upon my pillow, when Antony rolled forth such a torrent of exhilarating remonstrance as effectually awakened me.

"Up, up, my friend! The sun is two hours high, and we have much to do to-day, of which more anon. You are host and I am guest, but for all that, I mean to lead you around with me on many a wild-goose-chase. You have young blood. yet in your veins, which long idlenss has stagnated. A little exercise, and all will

be merrily flowing again. So up! and raise your 'tally-ho!" And he ran to throw open my window, letting the cool mountain air gambol in.

"Tally-ho! I say. Do you not hear the noise of the chase in the distance?"

"I hear nothing."

"Nor I, but in such a country as this, we should,—and it is a shame that we do not. Where could there be better advantages for generous emulation in the field? Six-barred fences-ten-foot ditches-mountains steep enough to blow a whole pack of hounds -and streams sufficiently deep to drown both horse and hunter. By the Saint! nothing is wanting but the fox himself. So tallyho! once more! I leave your man with you and shall expect you 'down in ten minutes."

And he skipped away, merrily whistling, while Claes looked after him with a thoughtful grin, and muttered, "What a berry strange gemman he be dat massa hab brought home with him!"

Such was the scene which was repeated every morning for several weeks, with this exception, that Claes, discovering that I was disposed to bear the intrusion more in sorrow than in anger, soon enrolled himself under Antony's banner, and became quite as relentless a persecutor in the cause of early rising. Finally, any hostile proceedings became unnecessary, for I felt so much improved by such a regimen, that I gradually adopted it without foreign compulsion, finding pleasure in that which was formerly a pain.

a

And not content with pulling me from my bed at such an early hour of the morning, Antony did not leave me to myself for an instant, but dragged me after him upon all sorts of tiresome excursions. It was in vain that I ventured to remonstrate. All my entreaties might have been made to the winds with as much effect. Antony regarded them not, but still continued to force me over hill and valley, river and plain, until I began to believe that free will was but an empty name, a fabulous theory of the ancients.

There was no part of the country which we did not visit; not a cave, stream, or glen, where our footprints were not laid. Every scene of historical or legendary importance in time, came to know us. One day we were at Sleepy Hollow, another at some noted Revolutionary Headquarters, a third, whipping some little trout stream with our light tackle,-a fourth, venturing out with well polished fire arms,-again drawing a net in the Hudson,-and twice we actually climbed to the very top of venerable Crow-nest. Upon all these little trips, as I came at last to consider them, Claes resolutely accompanied us, "to keep us out of danger," as he said. He protect two sprightly youths like us from danger, indeed!

It cannot be wandered at, that under this accumulated round of exercise, my health gradually improved. My face became ruddier

-my blood ran quicker-I was twenty years younger-even my thoughts flowed in a more boyish strain-and as for rheumatism, it never came back again.

So we lived for some time. At first, I was free from all manner of care, but after a while, my mind became more and more distracted with growing fears for the safety of my nephew, so that sport of any kind was absolutely distasteful to me. For although there had been many arrivals from France, there was no mention made of the vessel in which Ludwig had sailed, and by the latest dates, she must have been out forty days.

"But cheer up my friend," Antony said, one evening, when I mentioned these fears, which, from the mere dread of uttering them, I had previously kept to myself. "Forty days is not a lengthy passage. I have known them to last twice as long. Your ap prehensions are foolish in the extreme, and by this moping inactivity, you only give yourself much unnecessary pain. Get something to read, and I venture to say, that as you become interested, you will forget your fears, and when a letter comes from Ludwig announcing his safe arrival, you will wonder that you could even have been alarmed."

All this however gave me but little comfort, and I still continued to mope and pine, despite all Antony could do to cheer me.

And now I come to a part of my history which I would willingly pass over, on account of its painful nature, but which it may be necessary to treat of, as it forms a proper conclusion to what I have already related, and in some measure explains my present position.

One evening, Claes, who had disappeared for some minutes, entered with the latest New York paper, which he had obtained from a messenger dispatched to Cold Spring. In my trembling anxiety to receive news of my nephew, I forgot all else, and with great eagerness turned to the shipping intelligence, but had not read three lines, when Antony, who had been looking over my shoulder, snatched the paper from me, and held it at a distance. "Antony-my dear friend," I exclaimed, half ready to fall from my chair.

My dear Byvank"

"You have seen-tell me all."

"Can you bear bad news, my friend?"

"Anything-anything-rather than uncertainty! My nephew, what of Ludwig?

"I know not where he is-God only knows!" "But his ship-is it--tell me, my friend!"

"Has been found"

"Where? how? Good God! Do not fear for me-I am strong-I am cool-I can bear it."

"Has been found a tenantless wreck, on the"

Was I strong and cool? Alas! how much we err when we call excitement strength!

For I knew nothing more for several days.