CONTENTS. A TALE OF A POSTAGE STAMP A HINT TO NEGRO EMANCIPATORS' THE POSTAGE RATES.... STAMPS NEWLY ISSUED, OR FIRST DESCRIBED.. ADDENDA TO MOUNT BROWN'S CATALOGUE OF ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS A TALE OF A POSTAGE STAMP. DOZE THE FIRST CONTINUED.-PART V. TREASURE TROVE. 'Child of sorrow, sin, or shame ? SHORT as had been the time expended by the Tuscan lion on the narration of what he had witnessed in the artist's room, the Cross was beginning to fidget about uneasily, impatient of any talk but its own. The other perceived this; and fearing he would not be allowed to proceed at all, if he did not sucNo. 6. July 1, 1863. Price Fourpence.] cumb somewhat to his imperious co-mate, hastened to remark that perhaps it would give a clearer understanding of the conversation during the interview between Lorenzo and the ruffian, the substance of which he was prepared to recapitulate, if his worthy friend would render some account of the artist's early life, and other circumstances connecting him and the boy Carlo with the high-born family of the Marchese di Castiglione and the beautiful Adine. Graciously acknowledging the politeness of the Lion, the Cross, nothing loth, availed itself of the opportunity of resuming its narrative. 'It is the old, old story :-a youth, ardent, aspiring, enthusiastic, rich in every endowment of all-bountiful Nature, with an artist's adoration of external, and a mental appreciation of internal, excellence, is thrown into the society of a paragon of perfection, and how could the result be otherwise? "The dart of Cupid pierced the inmost core; What to him was the vast chasm between himself and his idol! What if he was, so to say, obscure, friendless, virtually name [Registered for Transmission Abroad. less, with nothing to depend on but the wondrous talent of making the inanimate canvas live and glow !-did he not feel, in his inmost soul, that his own qualities far outweighed those of any or all of his numerous competitors! What was their love to his! 'Thus sings the poet : "Man's love is of his life a thing apart; This holds not good in the fervent regions of the South; less so with such a temperament as Lorenzo's. With him, love was his existence. He felt capable of any daring achievement, any painful sacrifice, to win his mistress. Poring over the romantic, legendary lore of Italy, telling how fair damosels set their admirers well-nigh impracticable tasks before obtaining the guerdon of their favours, he felt no labour could be too difficult to endure, no adventure too hazardous to undertake, no enemy too formidable to encounter, could he but hope to win the prize at last. 'His was love indeed ;-such as is idealised in the Eros of the ancients, "Of the earth, earthy;"-not that celestial sentiment of self-abnegation, devoid of all aspirations but for the happiness of the object of devotion. This is friendship etherealized, religious affection, heavenly attachment,what you will; but it is not LOVE. Lorenzo would have nobly perished with, would have gladly died for, Adine; but he could not resign, he could not endure to think of her as another's. 'Some score of before the opening years of my tale, Carlo Verico, an old engraver, and his wife, dwelt in a narrow street in Florence, abutting on the Via delle Cantonelle. They had one son, Filippo, the villainous uncle of little Carlo, then a scampish, good-for-nothing ragamuffin, and a daughter, Paola, the boy's mother, ten or a dozen years older than her brother. 'The aged couple and their daughter were seated, one evening in the dreary month of November, over a scanty supper; for things went not too well with old Carlo, and, poor as he was, his readiness to assist the poorer ever prevented him from doing more than keeping the wolf from the door. As usual, young Filippo was "on the loose," lounging about in some café or casino. Passionately addicted to gambling, like many others of his countrymen, he was continually looking out for companions with the same propensity, and found only too many ready to consort with him in the excitement of cards or dice. His own small gains as office-boy in a merchant's countinghouse not allowing him the means of staking as he could wish, and ever on the prowl after those whose pockets were more amply furnished, many a young son of an opulent trader, and sometimes even scion of a noble house-partly by luck, but still more by a dexterous and unscrupulous use of eye and hand-he contrived to ease of a considerable portion of his pocket-money, only to lose it in turn to older and greater adepts in knavery than himself. 'A knock was heard at the door. "That boy is come home at last; but no wonder he stays away from such poor fare," was the mother's exclamation, with a mother's excuse for her child. But she was mistaken; it was not Filippo, but an officer of justice from the Bargello, requiring the attendance of Carlo, to answer some interrogations respecting his son. "The good old man placidly took leave of his weeping wife and daughter, and followed the messenger to the court of justice, where he found that Filippo had been apprehended on offering for sale a valuable bracelet composed of large beads of uncut emeralds. 'On the most rigid examination, and even after threat of torture-which Filippo was shrewd enough to be fully aware would not be put into execution under the paternal government of the Grand Duke-nothing could be wrung from him but that he picked up the jewel in the street, near the Basilica of San Lorenzo. 'Some of the emeralds being engraved with curious unknown characters or cabalistic devices, it was thought he had purloined it from his grandfather, to whom it might have been entrusted as a pattern for copying these mysterious emblems; and the old man had been consequently sent for to ascertain the facts of the case. 'On his disclaimer of all knowledge of the article, and its priceless value and peculiar appearance assuming the probability of a speedy recognition by its rightful owner, when it would be easily ascertainable whether it had been lost or stolen, the undertaking of the old engraver was entered into for the appearance of his son when requisite, and they were allowed to leave the court together; the valuable bracelet being, of course, detained the while, to be advertised for identification. 'Filippo soon contrived to give his father the slip, and escape the questions he did not choose to answer; and the poor old engraver was trudging slowly homeward, when, passing near San Lorenzo's Church, he was startled at hearing the feeble cry of an infant. Guided by the sound, he soon perceived the source whence it proceeded, in the shape of a little creature not more than six months old. The kind-hearted old man immediately stooped down, and gently taking it in his arms, was horrified at perceiving the poor little infant bleeding from a severe wound in its forehead. on 'Being so near home, he decided taking it to his wife, whose compassionate heart he well knew would not object to the trouble of attending the innocent sufferer. On reaching his dwelling, a few brief words sufficed to allay the women's anxiety; for Carlo Verico, much as he unwillingly mistrusted his son's principles, had sufficient confidence in his sagacity to be convinced that he could not have nefariously obtained the valuable piece of jewelry found in his possession, as it would have been hopeless to attempt turning it to account in that case without certainty of detection. 'While still listening to the hurried recital, the good woman and her daughter, with intuitive feeling of what was requisite, were washing the blood from its face, and fondly cherishing the strange baby. It was quite cold, and seemed to have been stunned by a fall upon the pavement, and only so far recovered as to give vent to its suffering by a feeble moaning. In fact, it was evident that if some of the blood from the wound had not slowly trickled down into its mouth, and thus revived it with its own warm life-fluid, the poor little creature would never have got over the severe blow it must have received from its fall upon the hard stones. เ 'After it had been well warmed and washed by its attentive nurses, and the cravings of nature satisfied with a little milk that fortunately remained from supper, the three heads were laid together to consult what was to be done next, when it was unanimously agreed that the babe must remain where it was, for that night at least. Scarcely had this determination been resolved on, than the truant Filippo returned, who, though not much given to betray emotion of any kind, started, and seemed much disturbed at the sight of the unexpected addition to the household. Nevertheless, he curtly evaded all inquiries by taking himself off to bed, soon followed by his relatives, the little interloper sharing the couch of Paola. 'Why was Filippo agitated at the appearance of the infant? A few hours since, he was passing a low casino in the Via dei Martelli. Owing to the time of the year, though not late in the afternoon it was already dark; and a female rushed out, bearing a bundle which she placed in his arms with a frenzied look of appeal, and hurried off, closely pursued by a man of colour, who had just caught sight of her, but had not observed her accosting Filippo. 'In great surprise at the occurrence, the youth walked on for some little time with the bundle, but was still further amazed at feeling it move, and found on examination it was an infant he was carrying in his arms. Then it was that his quick and greedy eye caught sight of the emerald bracelet, which was clasped as a necklace round the neck of the babe. This he eagerly seized; and happening that moment to be passing a dead wall near the Church of San Lorenzo, no witness being by, he dashed down his burden on the ground, and made off to try and dispose of his rich prize, with what success we have already seen. 'Who shall say if that blow on the head of the innocent infant had not some deleterious effect upon the delicate organization of the brain; and if all the swerving from rectitude in the future career of the man, might not be attributable to the selfish brutality of Filippo towards the unoffending child? PART VI. OHIME! 'That one so low should dare aspire so high ! Why not? The smallest and the meanest fly Ascends the proud cathedral's topmost tower: The vilest insect seeks the fairest flower.' 'NOTWITHSTANDING the strictest investigation for traces of the deserters of the child, and repeated advertisements after the owner of the bracelet, no claimant appearing for either, the Marchese di Castiglione, one of the magistrates, on satisfactorily ascertaining the worthy character of old Carlo, offered to allow him an annual stipend for the maintenance of the little foundling, retaining the jewel for further inquiries; for, although Filippo carefully kept his counsel, and ignored all knowledge of the baby, the magistracy could not avoid entertaining some notion of a connection between the animate and inanimate treasures. Own 'Such was the first introduction of the old engraver to the Marquis; and under his patronage, for some years comparative plenty blessed the household; albeit the charitable disposition of the old man, and the extravagance of Filippo, prevented any accumulation of this world's goods; and after the marriage of his daughter, and decease of his wife, who had been some slight check to imposition, though not to any relief of real distress, want was no unfrequent visitor in the now reduced household. "The Marquis himself, at no time wealthy, was kept impoverished, like old Carlo, by the extravagance of his eldest son, the father of Bernardo, the younger residing in Germany with his princely bride; and it was not until her decease-not long following that of her husband, who, as well as his brother, had died some time before the period of my story-that the large revenues of Adine, of whom he had been appointed sole guardian, enabled the old nobleman once more to resume the magnificent style of living commensurate with his rank, and the generosity of hand prompted by the benevolent dictates of his heart. 'Meanwhile the infant-whom his protectors had named Lorenzo, after the patron saint of the church near which he had been discovered, and Dolci, in honour of the celebrated artist, about one of whose paintings the engraver was then engaged-emerged from infancy to youth. 'Cradled in an atmosphere of art, and environed with models of excellence, both in form and colour, no marvel that Lorenzo grew up an artist. The child amused himself with copying the choice specimens scattered about the workroom of his padre, as he called him; and the youth was one of the most promising students of the Academia; the greater portion of his time being employed in imitating the marvellous chefs d'œuvre, so numerous in Florence; but he yet found time, under the instruction of a friend of his foster-father's, one of the sublibrarians of the Biblioteca Marucelliana, to imbibe a far more than superficial knowledge of the classic and modern tongues, and the historical and mythic deeds of saints and heroes. 'Previous to the marriage of his kind protector's daughter, and the decease of her mother-which followed a few years afterwards, when Lorenzo was about fifteen, and whose death-bed sufferings he alleviated with the most affectionate and unremitting attention, thus amply repaying the care bestowed upon his early childhood-the boy led a calm and happy life, the even tenor of which was broken only by occasional disputes with Filippo, between whom and himself there seemed ever a deep, if unacknowledged, antipathy; and who took every opportunity of annoying his younger companion, till the boy grew strong enough to offer active resistance to any bullying attacks, and the cowardice of the elder then prompted him to a tacit avoidance of his company. For some little time longer the trio resided together, ere "the silver cord was broken," and the good old engraver, full of years and virtues, was gathered to his fathers. Then, Filippo greedily seizing and disposing of all available property, which his extravagance was not long in frittering away, Lorenzo was driven to seek that home for himself in which we first found him. About the same time arrived the orphan grandchild of the Marchese in Florence, and Lorenzo was engaged by the old noble to give instruction in painting to the youthful heiress. The result might be easily guessed. Long unaware himself of the real nature of his sentiments, it was not till the avowals of other admirers, and more especially of the unworthy Bernardo, that Lorenzo became conscious of the flame consuming him, and felt, however unwillingly, the utter hopelessness of his passion. 'Paola and her husband were carried off by a fever; and Filippo, with his accustomed love of greed, taking unceremonious possession of the little they left behind, in fact, if not in act, turned young Carlo out of doors. The boy naturally fled for refuge to Lorenzo, who as naturally returned to him the affection so unsparingly bestowed upon his own helplessness. Happy hours were they for both, spent in the library of the Marquis ;-while Lorenzo engaged in the welcome duty of instructing the object of his then unacknowledged admiration, little Carlo, who usually accompanied him, amused himself with reading, drawing, or arranging his collection of postage stamps, the taste for which, long pervading central Europe, had but just partially penetrated as far as Italy ;—a happiness clouded only by the ungenerous behaviour of Bernardo, who seldom entered the room without some pointed allusion to foundlings and beggars, which the gentle interference of Adine alone prevented from generating an unseemly altercation between her tutor and her cousin. 'At last came the bitter awaking from the pleasing dream. Unwitting of the sentiments of his mistress towards himself—for Adine ever treated him with the like unvarying sweetness of manner evinced towards all with whom she came in contact-and maddened by the increasing familiarity of Bernardo, too evidently encouraged by the Marquis, The scene seemed visibly represented before my eyes: I saw the unfortunate lover rudely handled, and vainly endeavouring to defend himself from his numerous assailants and, like Mrs. Brown at the play, interfering where I had no business, or, as the pithy Spanish proverb humorously renders it, not sitting in my own shirt,' I aimed a blow with doubled fist at one of the foremost in the fray, and- -awoke, to find I had dashed down my gold repeater from the watch-hook to the floor, smashed the glass, scratched the face, and grazed the skin off my hand! (To be continued). 'A HINT TO NEGRO EMANCIPATORS.' Nor long ago in the Sémaphore appeared a letter from a wiseacre of Marseilles, who thought his sapience had discovered a famous mare's nest. We give a translation for the amusement of our readers, and next month will insert a lengthened and clever reply from a Parisian amateur, which has been printed in Moens' magazine for last month, but for which we have not room in the present number. |