he ever saw;

horses; he tarried, unobserved, during this extraordinary scene, and assured Mrs Mac-Candlish it was the most moving thing "the death of the grey mare, puir hizzie, was naething till't.". This trifling circumstance afterwards had conse quences of greater importance.

The visitors were hospitably welcomed by Mrs Mac-Morlan, to whom, as well as to others, her husband intimated that he had engaged Dominie Sampson's assistance to disentangle some perplexed accounts; during which occupation, he would, for convenience sake, reside with the family. Mr Mac-Morlan's knowledge of the world induced him to put this colour upon the matter, aware, that however honourable the fidelity of the Dominie's attachment might be, both to his own heart and to the family of Ellangowan, his exterior ill quali fied him to be a "squire of dames," and rendered him, upon the whole, rather a ridiculous appendage to a beautiful young woman of seventeen.

Dominie Sampson achieved with great zeal such tasks as Mr Mac-Morlan chose to entrust him with: but it was speedily observed, that, at a certain hour after breakfast, he regularly disappeared, and returned again about dinner time. The evening he occupied in the labour of the office. Upon Saturday he appeared before MacMorlan with a look of great triumph, and laid on the table two pieces of gold. "What is this for, Dominie?" said MacMorlan.

in

"First to indemnify you of your charges

my behalf, worthy sir-and the balance for the use of Miss Lucy Bertram."

"But, Mr Sampson, your labour in the office much more than recompenses meI am your debtor, my good friend."

"Then be it all," said the Dominie, waving his hand, "for Miss Lucy Bertram's behoof."

Well, but Dominie, this money'

"It is honestly come by, Mr Mac-Morlan-it is the bountiful reward of a young

gentleman to whom I am teaching the tongues-reading with him three hours daily."

A few more questions extracted from the Dominie, that this liberal pupil was young Hazlewood, and that he met his preceptor daily at the house of Mrs Mac-Candlish, whose proclamation of Sampson's disinte rested attachment to the young lady had procured him this indefatigable and bounteous scholar.

Mac-Morlan was much struck with what he heard. Dominie Sampson was a very good scholar, and an excellent man, and the classics were unquestionably very well worth reading; yet that a young man of twenty should ride seven miles and back again each day in the week, to hold. this sort of tete-a-tete of three hours, was a zeal for literature to which he was not prepared to give entire credit. Little art was necessary to sift the Dominie, for the honest man's head never admitted any but the most direct and simple ideas. "Does

Miss Bertram know how your time is engaged, my good friend?"

"Surely not as yet-Mr Charles recommended it should be concealed from her, lest she should scruple to accept of the small assistance arising from it; but," he added, "it would not be possible to conceal it long, since Mr Charles proposed taking ⚫his lessons occasionally in this house."

'O, he does!" said Mac-Morlan: "Yes, yes, I can understand that better,-And pray, Mr Sampson, are these three hours entirely spent in construing and translating?

"Doubtless, no-we have also colloquial intercourse to sweeten studyneque semper arcum tendit Apollo."

The querist proceeded to elicit from this Galloway Phoebus, what their discourse chiefly turned upon.

Upon our past meetings at Ellangowan-and, truly, I think very often we discourse concerning Miss Lucy-for Mr

Charles Hazlewood, in that particular, resembleth me, Mr Mac-Morlan. When I begin to speak of her I never know when to stop--and, as I say, (jocularly)

she cheats us out of half our lessons."

"Oho!" thought Mac-Morlan,

"sits

the wind in that quarter? I've heard something like this before."

He then began to consider what conduct was safest for his protegée, and even for himself; for the senior Mr Hazlewood was powerful, wealthy, ambitious, and vindictive, and looked for both fortune and title in any connection which his son might form. At length, having the highest opinion of his guest's good sense and penetration, he determined to take an opportunity, when they should happen to be alone, to communicate the matter to her as a simple piece of intelligence. He did so in as natural a manner as he could;

"I wish you joy of your friend Mr Sampson's good fortune, Miss Bertram;