of the Scythians, sir-of the Parthians-nay, of our own painted progenitors, the ancient Britonswhen we reflect on their contempt of the seasonsof the blaze of summer, and the ice of winter-how inexpressibly little does man, that lord of all created things, appear, creeping beneath an umbrella."

"As you please, Mr. Buff," said Butler, astonished and delighted at the stoicism of his guest, "as you please; though I think you practise a little too severely. For there is no certain proof that even Diogenes did not turn up his barrel when it rained."

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"What! won't the gentleman change his coat?" asked Mrs. Black with all the kind surprise of a woman. Why, he's very wet," and with a passing shadow on her face, she glanced at the stream that had meandered from the coat into the polished steel fender. Very wet," she repeated. "Wet!" exclaimed Mr. Butler, unable to repress his benevolence-" aye, I'm sure, Mr. Buff, you're wet to the shirt."

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Adam spread out his fingers over his heart, and with a firm voice replied, "Not at all, sir; I assure you, upon my honour-by no means.”

"At all events, Mr. Buff, you'll take a little brandy," said the philosopher in the furred gown; and as he spoke, the brandy was brought in. Filling himself a bumper, Mr. Butler pushed the bottle to

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Adam, who, apparently unconscious of the action, filled his glass. "I assure you, Mr. Buff," and the host looked a world of meaning in the face of his ingenuous guest" I assure you, the real spiritthere's a curious history about that brandy- I could tell you how I got it."

Adam was above vulgar prying; therefore, filling his glass a second time, he gravely observed—“ It is worthy of remark, Mr. Butler, that there is no nation so savage-no people so ignorant as to be shut out from the light of distillation."

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Very true, Mr. Buff; it is thereby that the philosopher recognises the natural superiority of the human animal."

"From pine-apples to simplest grasses," continued Buff, calmly sipping the brandy, "man ransacks the whole vegetable kingdom for a false and fleeting enjoyment. The reflection is humiliating,” and Adam emptied his glass.

Mr. Butler, absorbed by the merits of his brandy, observed- "It comes direct from France."

"It may have been broached before," said Buff, in allusion to his doctrine.

"Oh, dear no! Don't think it-certainly not," said Mr. Butler, with some vivacity; alive to the virgin character of his liquor. Adam bowed.

By this time, the coat of Adam, attacked by the fire without and the brandy within, became suf

ficiently dry to insure him from the pressing invitations of Mr. Butler to change it for another garment; and although Mrs. Black continued to look at the habit, it was not its humidity that attracted her attention. We have before insinuated that Adam's coat, like the cloak of the famous alewife, Eleanor Rummin, immortalized by the court poet, was

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Wither'd like hay, the wool worn away.”

Hence, the lady wondered when her brother informed her that "Mr. Buff would stay to dinner." Indeed, she ventured to cast a look of remonstrance, instantly smiled down by the complacent Mr. Butler, rendered more than usually genial by French brandy and Siberian fur.

"He is a most extraordinary man—a wonderful man," said Mr. Butler in a low voice to his sister. "You see-you hear a perfect philosopher,"-and the old gentleman pointed triumphantly to Adam, who, seated in an easy chair, his feet stretched out, his hands in his breeches' pockets, and his mouth open, slept and snored profoundly, his senses sweetly shut up by strong liquor and a blazing fire.— "See-he stands on no ceremony; though a perfect stranger, he falls asleep."

"I call it excessively rude," said Mrs. Black.
"What women think rudeness," observed Mr.

Butler, "is often the deep composure of a wellpoised mind. Had that man lived in Greece-had he only lived two thousand years ago,"

"I wish he had," said Mrs. Black, and she looked at her steel fender.

"His head would have descended to our mantelpieces! My dear Betsy, you have no idea of the self-denial of that man." Mrs. Black cast a feminine glance at the brandy-bottle. "None whateverhad you seen the magnanimity-the utter contempt with which he received a blow-as I live you may observe the mark on the left cheek”.

"Without returning it?" asked Mrs. Black. "Without condescending to look at the rascal who struck him. And then, when he was wet to the skin-no, I never knew such stoicism-I never”

At this moment, Adam awoke with a deepmouthed yawn, and flinging his leg still further out, the heel of his whole shoe came down like an axe upon the tail of a little spaniel, that like a pad of black velvet lay at his foot, and had uncurled its threadpaper queue for the sole purpose of having it trod upon. The blow being given, the dog as in duty bound, yelped and howled like forty dogs, and its mistress instantly taking it in her arms, increased its yelping twenty fold. A common man would have been disconcerted at the mischance, the more especially as the injured party was the property of

a lady. Buff, however, was above such weakness;
for he leisurely raised himself to his full length,
and a distant room yet ringing with the cries of the
spaniel, he tranquilly remarked to Mr. Butler-
"I have often, sir, been struck by the inequality
of fortune suffered by dogs. Here is one, couched
upon a pillow-fed with chicken, sweet biscuit, and
new milk; caressed and combed and decked with
a silver collar, yea, sheltered like a baby from the
wind and rain. And here is another, harnessed in
a truck, fed with offal or fed not at all-beat with
the stick of a cruel master"-

“Or kicked with his iron heel," said Butler, drily.
"Or kicked with his iron heel,"-repeated the
imperturbable Buff" sleeping on stones, or"-
"Dinner is ready, sir," said the servant.

Buff immediately left the whole canine race to their varied fortunes, and straightway followed Mr. Butler to the dining-room, where he found a new guest in the person of the family doctor, earnestly pressed by Mrs. Black to stay and dine. Mr. Butler, philosopher as he was, dined just like a common man; and though Adam Buff had shown himself an extraordinary person under other circumstances, at table he was very little above an average feeder. There was but little conversation during the repast, and that taken as a whole not more than ordinarily interesting.