make with a captious and querrilous manner. She did not trust herself to look towards the Place, as it was called, although the hum of the assembled crowd must have drawn her attention in that direction. The fourth person of the group was a handsome and genteel young man, who seemed to share Miss Bertram's anxiety, and her solicitude to sooth and accommodate her parent.

This young man was the first who observed Colonel Mannering, and immediately stepped forward to meet him, as if politely to prevent his drawing nearer to the distressed group. Mannering immediately paused and explained. He was,' he said, a stranger to whom Mr. Bertram had formerly shown kindness and hospitality; he would not have intruded himself upon him at a period of distress, did it not seem to be in some degree a moment also of desertion; he wished merely to offer such services as might be in his power to Mr. Bertram and the young lady.'

He then paused at a little distance from the chair. His old acquaintance gazed at him with lack-lustre eye, that intimated no tokens of recognition; the Dominie seemed too deeply sunk in distress even to observe his presence. The young man spoke aside with Miss Bertram, who advanced timidly, and thanked Mr. Mannering for his goodness; but,' she said, the tears gushing fast into her eyes-her father, she feared, was not so much himself as to be able to remember him.'

6

She then retreated towards the chair, accompanied by the Colonel. Father,' she said, 'this is Mr. Mannering, an old friend, come to inquire after you.'

'He's very heartily welcome,' said the old man, raising himself in his chair, and attempting a gesture of courtesy, while a gleam of hospitable satisfaction seemed to pass over his faded features; but, Lucy, my dear, let us go down to the house, you should not keep the gentleman here in the cold;

Mr. a

Dominie, take the key of the wine-cooler. a-the gentleman will take something after his ride.' Mannering was unspeakably affected by the contrast which his recollection made between this reception, and that with which he had been greeted by the same individual when they last met. He could not restrain his tears, and his evident emotion at once obtained him the confidence of the friendless young lady.

'Alas!' said she, 'this is distressing even to a stranger; but it may be better for my poor father to be in this way, than if he knew and could feel all.'

A servant in livery now came up the path, and spoke in an under tone to the young gentleman, Mr. Charles, my lady's wanting you yonder sadly, to bid for her for the black ebony cabinet; and Lady Jean Devorgoil is wi' her an a'—ye maun come away directly."

Tell them you could not find me, Tom, or, stay -say I am looking at the horses.'

'No, no, no' said Lucy Bertram earnestly; ' if you would not add to the misery of this miserable moment, go to the company directly. This gentleman, I am sure, will see us to the carriage.'

'Unquestionably, madam,' said Mr Mannering, your young friend may rely on my attention.'Farewell, then,' said Charles, and whispering a word in her ear-then ran down the steep hastily, as if not trusting his resolution at a slower pace.

"Where's Charles Hazlewood running,' said the invalid, who apparently was accustomed to his presence and attentions; where's, Charles Hazlewood running-what takes him away now?'

He'll return in a little while,' said Lucy gently. The sound of voices was now heard from the ruins. The reader may remember there was a communication between the castle and the beach, up which the speakers had ascended.

'Yes there's plenty of shells and seaware, as you observe-and if one inclined to build a new house, which might indeed be necessary, there's a

great deal of good hewn stone about this old dunfor the devil here'

geon

6 Good God!' said Miss Bertram hastily to Samp''tis that wrech Glossin's voice-if my father sees him it will kill him outright!'

son,

Sampson wheeled perpendicularly round, and moved with long strides to confront the attorney, as he issued from beneath the portal arch of the ruin.. 'Avoid ye!' he said- Avoid ye! would'st thou kill and take possession?'

'Come, come, Master Dominie Sampson,' answered Glossin insolently, if ye cannot preach in the pulpit, we'll have no preaching here. We go by. the law, my good friend-we leave the gospel to you.'

The very mention of this man's name had been of late a subject of the most violent irritation to the unfortunate patient. The sound of his voice now produced an instantaneous effect. Mr. Bertram started up without assistance, and turned round towards him; the ghastliness of his features forming a strange contrast with the violence of his exclamation- Out of my sight, ye viper!-ye frozen viper, that I warmed till ye stung me!-Art thou not afraid that the walls of my father's dwelling should fall and crush thee limb and bone?—Are ye not afraid the very lintels of the door of Ellangowan castle should break open and swallow you up!-Were you not friendless-houseless-penny less-when I took ye by the hand-and are ye not expelling me--me, and that innocent girl-friendless, houseless, and pennyless, from the house that has sheltered us and ours for thousand years?'

Had Glossin been alone, he would probably have slunk off; but the consciousness that a stranger was present beside the person who came with him (a sort of land surveyor) determined him to resort to impudence. The task, however, was almost too hard even for his effrontery- Sir-Sir-Mr. Bertram-Sir, you should not blame me, but your own imprudence, sir

The indignation of Mannering was mounting yery high. 'Sir,' he said to Glossin,' without entering into the merits of this controversy, I must inform you, that you have chosen a very improper place, time, and presence for it. And you will oblige me by withdrawing without more words.'

Glossin being a tall, strong, muscular man, was not unwilling rather to turn upon a stranger whom he hoped to bully, than maintain his wretched cause against his injured patron- I do not know who you are, sir, and I shall permit no man to use such d-d freedom with me.'

Mannering was naturally hot-tempered-his eyes flashed a dark light-he compressed his nether lip so closely that the blood sprung, and, approaching Glossin-Look you, sir,' he said, that you do not know me is of no consequence. I know you; and if you do not instantly descend that bank, without uttering a single syllable, by the Heaven that is above us, you shall make but one step from the top to the bottom.'

The commanding tone of rightful anger silenced at once the ferocity of the bully. He hesitated, turned on his heel, and muttering something between his teeth about unwillingness to alarm the lady, relieved them of his hateful company.

Mrs. Mac-Candlish's postillion, who had come up in time to hear what passed, said aloud, If he had stuck by the way, I would have lent him a heezie, the dirty scoundrel, as willingly as ever I pitched a boddle."

He then stepped forward to announce that his horses were in readiness for the invalid and his daughter.

But they were no longer necessary. The debilitated frame of Mr. Bertram was exhausted by this last effort of indignant anger, and when he sunk again upon his chair, he expired, almost without a struggle or groan. So little alteration did the extinction of the vital spark make upon his external

appearance, that the screams of his daughter, when she saw his eye fix, and felt his pulse stop, first announced his death to the spectators.

CHAPTER XIV.

The bell strikes one-we take no note of time

But from its loss.

Is wise in man.

To give it then a tongue
As if an angel spoke,

I feel the solemn sound.- Young

THE moral, which the poet has rather quaintly deduced from the necessary mode of measuring time, may be well applied to our feelings respecting that portion of it which constitutes human life. We observe the aged, the infirm, and those engaged in occupations of immediate hazard, trembling, as it were, upon the very brink of non-existence, but we derive no lesson from the precariousness of their tenure, until it has altogether failed. Then for a moment at least,

Our hopes and fears

Start up alarmed, and o'er life's narrow verge
Look down-On what?-a fathomless abyss,
A dark eternity, how surely ours!

The crowd of assembled gazers and idlers at Ellangowan had followed the views of amusement, or what they called business, which brought them there, with little regard to the feelings of those who were suffering upon that occasion. Few, indeed, knew any thing of the family. The father, betwixt seclusion, misfortune and imbecility, had drifted, as it were, for many years, out of the notice of his contemporaries---the daughter had never been known to them. But when the general murmur announced that the unfortunate Mr. Bertram had broken his heart in the effort to leave the mansion of his forefathers, there poured forth a torrent of sympathy, like the waters from the rock when stricken by the wand of the prophet. The ancient descent and un