Bohemia, in a voice so rich, so mellow, and so flexible, that as the notes rolled out, and blent into each other, they seemed like some rich balm expressed from many flowers, and filtered through a soft summer-air into the heart.

'Charming, charming! Thank you a thousand times. Now only one more, and then you shall have a respite till after tea," said Mrs. Lewyn.

And without any more pressing, Mr. Lethbridge sang Angeol d'Amour, as only Mario could have sang it beside himself, even to that wonderful high note at the end, which always makes one feel as if one's listening soul had, indeed, reached Heaven. It was something terrible to fall from such beatitudes adown the prosaic precipice of cups and spoons; but the servant at that moment brought in tea, and of the whole party Charley was the only one who could, with any degree of complacency, listen to the silver sounds, the metallic singing of the hissing, bubbling kettle, or think that the plum and other cakes might be compared with the sweetness they had just heard, and yet not suffer by the comparison.

"What a pity," exclaimed Mrs. Lewyn as she handed the young curate his tea, while he was assiduously handing the cream and sugar to Mrs. Penrhyn, and receiving, nothing loth, the silent homage of her admiration; "what a pity that such a voice should be wasted in a village!"

"'Pon my word," laughed he, "it is not very flattering to be considered a voice and nothing more, for you don't seem to have any compassion for the exiled spirit of the man."

"No, indeed," smiled she, as she made a sort of circular bow round the table, “when I look at the society you are in, I don't think there is much room for pity."

"Well, I rather agree with you, Mrs. Lewyn; and only that I am eating bread and butter, and, therefore, don't want to run the risk of being confounded with that most ridiculous of all creations -real or imaginary-Herr Werter, I should say something pretty on the occasion, or at least endeavour to do so."

"Pray don't, for you never can say anything half as pretty as you can sing; so we will take out the compliment you should have paid us, in another song by and bye. But, jesting apart, as you cannot always have the felicity of being in the present company, I really do think, considering how much you have to bring into a higher and wider sphere, that you have something very like superhuman merit to be content with this low and narrow one.'

"Don't you know, my dear Mrs. Lewyn, that no sphere that GOD allots us is either low or narrow, since it becomes the orbit of our own soul-and the star it is, that illumines and notifies the space, not the space the star. Then for every-day use, as old Wilbye has told us from his Hybla of world-culled wisdom-

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'There is a jewel which no Indian mine can buy,
No chemic art can counterfeit ;

It makes men rich in greatest poverty,

Makes water wine, turns wooden cups to gold,
The homely whistle to sweet music's strain;
Seldom it comes, to few from Heaven sent,
That much in little-all in naught-Content.

And if," added he, glancing almost imperceptibly at Mary Penrhyn, we have every reason to be content with what we have found, then, indeed, have we found Content."

"I shall have no chance with you at paradoxes; so let us leave them and talk parish, which is more adapted to my capacity. What do you think of Mr. Jowl's clever expedient, now that Church-rates are abolished?-in every other Sunday getting up a collection for apocryphal repairs in the church, or augmentations to the beadle, or the belfry; or for vestry-meetings to discuss the feasibility of abolishing mildew and church mice, or some other equally palpable and important measures?"

"Now really," laughed Mr. Lethbridge, "I should not have paid my respects to you this evening had I known that you intended to get up charades."

Charades!" echoed Mrs. Lewyn

'Yes; for do you not mean it for a charade of Tantalus, to convene such a party in this

'Darling room so soft and white;'

conjure up such tea, such cream, such cakes, and then suddenly destroy our zest for all and each by treacherously introducing Mr. Jowl and his parochial screw-propeller? Do pray let us for

get the parish, now that we have got into your charming grounds. Charley, old fellow, what are you thinking of, you look so very serious.'

"I was thinking," said Charley, as he assiduously waded through a great wedge of plum cake, "how much better it would be if there was no bread, only cake in the world; now wouldn't it?"

"I'm by no means sure that it would be an improvement to the present state of things. Now, for instance, how should you like to eat plum-cake with roast mutton?"

"I think I should," rejoined Charley, approvingly, discussing another piece of the cake, with his head on one side, the better to contemplate the bit that still remained in his hand.

"Oh, very well, you shall have some with your dinner tomorrow, Charley," said Mrs. Penrhyn.

"No, no!" cried that young gentleman resolutely, and even laying down the débris of the cake which he still held, "for if you say I may have it, I know it will be something that I shan't like, as you always play me those sort of tricks; just as you did when I wanted to see how Jenkins's new mouse-trap was made, and you let my finger be caught in it."

"I always let you buy your own experience, Charley, for two reasons: first, because it is the only experience that is worth anything; and next, because it is the shortest, though the roughest, road to all knowledge."

"Ah! but you don't do so to May and Linda. You always tell them beforehand, that things will hurt them, or be nasty, or whatever it is."

"That is because they are content to believe what I tell them; but you are a little St. Thomas, Charley, and have no faith in anything but your own eyes and fingers."

"Certainly," laughed Mr. Lethbridge, "there is a great deal of analytic chymistry in Charley's researches. He is a perfect Herapath at ferreting out even the fifty-thousandth particle of a grain of mischief, wherever it exists."

"Ah! well, you may laugh at me," said Charley, sliding off of his chair, and standing up, doubtless on the principle of the overcrammed boy, who thought he could eat a leetle more if he stood up; "but when I'm big I'll write a book."

"What a vindictive young rascal you must be, Charley, to threaten us with anything so dreadful! and what is your book to be about?" said Mr. Lethbridge.

"Oh! about the Doatskinry and Darlingry of dogs," said he, throwing his arms about Swiftpaw's neck. "But do you know any stories about lions and crocodiles, and eagles and owls, and seals and monkeys, and things? And did you ever eat with them, and lie down with them, like the man that came with the big show to Mold last month; and did they ever roar and scream at you ike a thunder-storm, as they did at him? Did they, Mr. Lethbridge ?"

"I'd be sorry to refuse to promise you anything as you could ax me, Sir," said Taffy, pulling his right ear so vigorously that his design seemed to be, not only to make it as red as a cherry, but also to elongate it down to his shoulder; "but I can't promise you that neither, for I thinks when folks is so fond of setting about lies of others, it's only a just theng that summut of the truth should sometimes get about of them; and if that truth is bad enough to do for 'em, sarve 'em right, and if so be as I was judge and jury, I wouldn't never give no other vardict."

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Aye, but Taffy, you are not either judge or jury; and your Bible has another teaching; it would be different if Mr. Jowl's misdeeds consisted in injuring, oppressing, or calumniating you personally; then, in self justification, you might be obliged to make known his misdeeds, for too much forbearance with regard to violent sins of aggression, is very like that 'consenting to a thief,' against which we are emphatically warned, by being told that he who does so is worse than the thief. But there is a wide difference between this and blazoning all our neighbours' defects and short-comings; which remembrance of our own, ought to always prevent our doing; for if we have not their particular sin, depend upon it, we have some other of equal weight, which in the eye of GOD may be worse; and even plenty of small change for their besetting sin, which we are so prone to condemn."

"Well, sartin sure, Sir,-but it's more convarting like, to be chastised by you, than to hear a whole bushel of sarmonts stuffed chuck full of Mosses and hell-fire, prached by Mr. Jowl; but I don't think, Sir, as he have any what you call besetting sin; for on the contrairy, he is beset with sins, and the mountain on top of 'em is hypocrisy. However, as he is so fond of damnation, it's to be hoped, with the blessing of GOD, as all hypocrites will be d-d, and as they travels by the Belzibub line, and no mistake, that they will be sent in a fust class curse, back to their father, the devil, and that's all the harm as I wishes 'em, Sir."

Mr. Lethbridge could not help laughing both at Taffy's theology and his forbearance, but, shaking his head at him, he said, as he walked on, "Oh, Taffy! Taffy! you and I must have some private conversation on these matters; so come over to me on Saturday morning between ten and eleven."

"Thank you, Sir; I'm much beholden to you, I won't fail. Your servant Ma'am; your servant, Sir."

And Taffy went his way, as they continued theirs.

Upon my word," laughed Mary Penrhyn, "I'm very much of Taffy Lloyd's opinion, that it is a very good thing that the Hundred of Baron's Court should see as well as hear a few truths about the Rev. Jabez Jowl."

"I cannot allow such uncharitable words to pass your lips," said he, kissing them away. And a few minutes more brought them to Mrs. Lewyn's gate.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

SHOWING THAT GOOD SINGING MAY BE HEARD EVEN IN A VILLAGE. MRS. LEWYN'S ALBUM: A COLLECTION OF PRECIOUS DAUBS, WHICH PROVE THAT IF ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS, NEITHER DOES GOLD ALWAYS GLITTER. PEN-Y-COED was a small, two-storied, gable-end cottage, embowered in ivy; with latticed windows, with lozenge-shaped panes. Immediately under the library and dining-room windows was a parterre of choice flowers, with a vast variety of standard rose-trees, and an old-fashioned sun-dial in the midst of them; then, from the lodge-gate, running parallel with one side of the house, was a wide well-gravelled carriage road, leading through to another road and another lodge, each entrance being shaded by some patriarchal elms and horse-chestnuts; and on one side of this drive, partitioned off with iron palings, was a large meadow in which cows and sheep were grazing; while on the other side, at the back of the house, before coming to the large well-stocked fruitgarden, which was enclosed with high walls, and was about a quarter of a mile from the house, there was a rookery; and though the sun was now rapidly disappearing the crows were still clamorously telling the woods and fields, and to the deepening twilight, their Methuselah legends.

Charley, who was sitting in the window, seeing Mrs. Penrhyn and Mr. Lethbridge coming up the avenue, ran out to meet them with Fluff in his arms, the snowy uniformity of the latter's head being intersected with postage stams which were continued down his back.

"Why, Charley," laughed Mr. Lethbridge, "what have you been making Fluff, not a Post-Captain but a Post-Catskin for?"

"Oh, he's been so naughty; he very nearly killed one of Mrs. Lewyn's canaries; and so, to punish him, I'm going to put him in the post as we go home, and send him to Miss Prosser, for he is only fit to live with old tabbies," said Charley in a loud and angry voice, talking at Fluff. And then added, "stoop down, Mr. Lethbridge, I want to whisper you. I don't really mean to send Fluff away to old Prosser's, but I've put the postage stamps all over him to frighten him, and make him think I do; so mind you make him think so too."

"Oh, Fluff, Fluff! I'm ashamed of you," cried he, immediately entering into Charley's plot, to the great delight of the latter; "to think that a cat of your hitherto immaculate coat and conduct, should ever have been beguiled into thinking that a bird in the paw was worth two in the cage, and so have converted yourself from the first of felines into a Post Meridian Grimalkin. Fie! fie!