[July, "My dear Mrs. Hartley," said Sir Lionel, how much this enhances the delight I now after the ladies had welcomed their unex- feel." pected visitor, "allow me to solve a little mystery, by introducing to you your old friend and mine, not as Mr. Morgan, the unknown artist, but as Sir Francis Ludlow." Never was there a happier party than that which now met in the old manorhouse. Every thing was satisfactorily explained; and, as may be presumed, Mrs. given to Sir Lionel to make inquiries as to Hartley revoked the commission she had the unknown artist in London. "Pardon me, my dear madam," said Sir Francis, now no longer Mr. Morgan; "I have practiced somewhat unintentionally a little piece of deception. Listen to to Woodthorpe. A month after this We now transfer the scene of our story me for one moment!" And seating him- happy meeting, a couple of carriages-andself on a sofa beside Miss Warburton, who four stood at the entrance of the Old Hall; had burst into tears, he took her hand in the postillions were decorated with white his, and continued. Italy, a short time before I had the happi- the village was ringing a merry peal, for "On_returning from favors; the bell of the fine old church of ness to make your acquaintance, I became Mrs. Hartley's beautiful neices had just aware that the condition of my tenantry pronounced their nuptial vows within the had become, in some respects, very uncom- walls of the venerable building; the villagfortable during my long minority, and I ers at Woodthorpe were decked out in resolved to inquire into their state per- all their humble finery; and there was a sonally. I was wholly unknown to any general rejoicing on the glad occasion of them, and it occurred to me as desir- which restored to them their beloved able to visit my property in Wales under benefactress, and beheld the happy event an assumed name, in order that I might which had taken place in her family. At obtain accurate information. Adopting length the bridal party broke up, and as my mother's name, therefore, I took up the afternoon sun of a fine October day my abode in your vicinity, amusing my- was shedding his beams on the old woods self during my leisure in making some surrounding Woodthorpe Hall, the happy sketches, and thus I had the happiness of couples entered their carriages, amid the becoming acquainted with you. You know the rest. As a poor artist, a total stranger to you and my dear Elizabeth, you received me with a degree of kindness I shall never forget; and Elizabeth bestowed on me the priceless treasure of her love. I will not conceal from you that I was unspeakably charmed with the confidence you reposed in me; and that it was to me all the more invaluable, because you knew me but as a poor, and perhaps friendless, artist, and not as the owner of these lands. I did not undeceive you; and for this I again entreat your forgiveness. I wished to enjoy for awhile the delight of knowing that I was beloved for my own sake. I wished, too, to prepare for you this surprise. I knew nothing at the time of my friend Sir Lionel's acquaintance with you; but I need not say loud congratulations of the assembled villagers, the vehicles dashed down the avenue through the picturesque hamlet and the shady lane which led from it, and bore away the two baronets and their lovely brides, no one knew whither, leaving the good Mrs. Hartley half blind with tears. thorpe ceased to be the solitary place it A few years rolled away, and Woodso long had been. Youthful visitors began to frequent the abode of their grandaunt, and were taught by their happy mothers, Lady Gertrude and Lady Eliza beth, to love and revere the venerable relative whose precepts and example so beautifully illustrated the duty of beneficence, and whose happiness consisted in the only true luxury that of doing good. From the Leisure Hour. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SHAH OF PERSIA. Ar a time when Persia occupies the at- | fabric, in wax, that seemed to want tention of the political world, the follow-nothing of nature but its perfume. In a ing narrative, by Sir Robert Kerr Porter, line, beyond these, was set a regular row will be found interesting in connection of the finest china bowls, filled with sherwith, and illustration of, the striking por- bet. In the parallel files, down the sides trait of the Shah, which was painted and of the wide central avenue, stood the engraved originally for the royal family khans and other Persians of rank, arrayed of England, and now reëngraved by Mr. in their most costly attire, of gold and Sartain for the Eclectic Magazine. silver brocade, some of them wearing in addition the royal khelat, which usually consists of a pelisse lined with fine furs, and covered with the richest embroidery, their heads bound with cashmere shawls of ever color and value. "The palace showed a spacious area, shaded with trees and intersected by water. In the center stood the splendid edifice, where his Majesty was to sit to receive the homage of his subjects. We were led toward the southern aspect of this place, the grand saloon fronting that way, where the ceremony of royal presentation was to be performed, and were carefully stationed at the point deemed best for seeing and hearing the great king. Before his Majesty appeared, I had time to observe the disposition of the scene in which this illustrious personage was to act so conspicuous a part. "The royal procession made its appearance. First, the elder sons of the king_entered, at the side on which we stood, Abbas Meerza taking the left of the whole, which brought him to the right of the throne. His brothers followed, till they nearly closed upon us. Directly opposite to this elder rank of princes, all grown to manhood, their younger brothers arranged themselves on the other side of the transverse water. They were all superbly habited in the richest brocade vests and shawl-girdles, from the folds of which glittered the jeweled hilts of their daggers. Each wore a robe of gold stuff, lined and deeply collared with the most delicate sables, falling a little below the shoulder, and reaching to the calf of their leg. Around their black caps they also had wound the finest shawls. Every one of them, from the eldest to the youngest, wore bracelets of the most brilliant rubies and emeralds, just above the bend of the elbow. "Rows of high poplars and of other trees divide this immense court, or rather garden, into several avenues. That which runs along the midst of the garden is the widest, inclosing a narrow piece of still water, stretching from end to end, and animated here and there with a few little jets d'eau, the margins of which were spread with oranges, pears, apples, grapes, and dried fruit, all heaped on plates, set close together like a chain. Another slip of water faced diagonally the front of the palace, and its fountains being more direct in the view of the monarch, were of a greater magnificence and power, shooting "At some distance near the front of up to a height of three or four feet-a the palace, appeared another range of sublimity of hydraulic art which the Per-highly revered personages-mollahs, assians suppose can not be equaled in any other country. Along the marble edges of the canal and fountains were also placed fruits of every description, in pyramids; and between each elevated range of plates, with these their glowing contents, stood vases filled with flowers, of a beautiful trologers, and other sages of this land of the east-clothed in their more sombre garments of religion and philosophy. There was no noise, no bustle of any kind; every person standing quietly in his place, awaiting the arrival of the monarch. At last, the sudden discharge of the swivels from the camel corps without, with the clang of trumpets, and I know not what congregation of uproarious sounds beside, announced that his Majesty had entered the gate of the citadel. But the most extraordinary part of the clamor was the appalling roar of two huge elephants, trained for the express purpose of giving this note of the especial movements of the great king. "He entered the saloon from the left, and advanced to the front of it, with an air and step which belonged entirely to a sovereign. I never before had beheld any thing like such perfect majesty; and he seated himself on his throne with the same indescribable, unaffected dignity. Had there been any assumption in his manner, I could not have been so impressed. He was one blaze of jewels, which dazzled the sight on first looking at him; but the details of his dress were these: A lofty tiara of three elevations was on his head, which shape appears to have been long peculiar to the crown of the great king. It was entirely composed of thickly-set diamonds, pearls, rubies, and emeralds, so exquisitely disposed as to form a mixture of the most beautiful colors in the brilliant light reflected from its surface. Several black feathers, like the heron plume, were intermixed with the resplendent aigrettes of this truly imperial diadem, whose bending points were finished with pear-formed pearls of an immense size. The vesture was of gold tissue, nearly covered with a similar disposition of jewelry; and crossing the shoulders were two strings of pearls, probably the largest in the world. I call his dress a vesture, because it sat close to his person, from the neck to the bottom of the waist, showing a shape as noble as his air. At that point it devolved downward in loose drapery, like the usual Persian garment, and was of the same costly materials with the vest. But for splendor, nothing could exceed the broad bracelet round his arms, and the belt which encircled his waist; they actually blazed like fire when the rays of the sun met them; and when we know the names derived from such excessive lustre, we can not be surprised at seeing such an effect. The jeweled band on the right arm was called the mountain of light,' and that on the left the sea of light.' "The throne was of pure white marble, raised a few steps from the ground, and carpeted with shawls and cloth of gold, on which the king sat in the fashion of his country, his back supported by a large cushion. While the great king was approaching his throne, the whole assembly continued bowing their heads to the ground, till he had taken his place. A dead silence had ensued. In the midst of this solemn stillness, while all eyes were fixed on the bright object before them, a sort of volley of words, bursting at one impulse from the mouths of the mollahs and astrologers, made me start, and interrupted my gaze. This strange oratory was a kind of heraldic enumeration of the great king's titles, dominions, and glorious acts, with an appropriate panegyric on his courage, liberality, and extended power. When this was ended, all heads still bowing to the ground, and the air had ceased to vibrate with the sounds, there was a pause for about half a minute, and then his majesty spoke. The effect was even more startling than the sudden bursting forth of the mollahs; for this was like a voice from the tombs-so deep, so hollow, and at the same time so penetratingly loud. Having thus addressed his people, he looked toward the British chargé d'affaires, with whom I stood, and then we moved forward to the front of the throne. The same awful voice, though in a lowered tone, spoke to him, and honored me with a gracious welcome to his dominions. After his Majesty had put a few questions to me, and received my answers, we fell back in our places, and were instantly served with bowls of most delicious sherbet, which very grateful refreshment was followed by an attendant presenting to us a large silver tray, on which lay a heap of small coin, called a sky, of the same metal, mixed with a few pieces of gold. I imitated my friend in all these ceremonies, and held out both my hands to be filled with the royal largess, which, with no little difficulty, we passed through our festal trappings into our pockets. "When the rest of the gratulatory compliments of the day had been uttered between the monarch and his assembled nobles, the chief executioner, our former herald, gave us the signal that all was over for that morning. We then retired, as we came, under his auspices; but, if possible, with still more pressure and heat than we had battled through on our approach." Here the thought occurs, that if frail human glory-the glory of a man that shall die, arrayed in vestures wrought by man's toil-can thus strike and overpower the sense, what must it be to witness "the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ?" It was, doubtless, the consciousness of the strong impression which even human glory may make which caused the ancient belief that no man could look upon the Divine glory, and yet live. So when, in the year that king Uzziah died, the prophet "saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up," and heard the hovering seraphim cry one unto another: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory!" he at once cried out: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." But when a seraph had touched his lips with a live coal from the altar, and said: "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged," he beheld that glorious vision undisturbed. So shall all who believe the Gospel, redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God, and sanctified by the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit, behold, with undazzled and admiring eye, that unutterable glory in which our Lord abides, and in which he shall reappear-that glory a mere glimpse of which struck the persecuting Saul, on his way to Damascus, blinded to the ground. A CORRESPONDENT signing himself "Theophrastus" called attention very properly a day or two ago to another side of that unfortunate subject which we have lately discussed. We pointed out a mistake in our system with respect to young women -an important defect in their training. But there are men as well as women in the world. Is every thing right in our system as regards its effect upon men? We say in our system. We know, of course, that natural passion is strong, and that it never will completely obey reason and conscience on this subject as long as the world lasts. But, over and above nature, is there not something in our system, in our conventional standard of what is necessary to support married life, which throws enormous and gratuitous hindrances in the way of marriage, and so gives a great gratuitous stimulus to vice? Do we not make difficulties for ourselves here, even where nature makes none, and create by our system a huge mass of artificial temptation which need never have TO MARRY? existed? It is thought impossible in a large class of society now to marry unless you have £1,000 or £1,500 a-year. This is considered the rule. A person who dares to contemplate this step upon a more scanty basis is told that he does so on his own responsibility. The collective wisdom of society is against him. The horrors of poverty are before him, famine stares him in the face, and, what is still worse, he, his wife, and family will all be a burden upon their friends. In fact, it is wrong, plainly wrong, a positive sin, to marry upon less; you are seeking your own selfish happiness at the expense of the comfort, and probably the purse, of your relations, on whom you will very likely have to fall back soon, and to whom, at any rate, it will be a positive pain to see you struggling on in a wretched way, hardly keeping your head above water, and, in fact, having only-dreadful to think of!-enough to eat, and drink, and be merry with. In studied language you are told that you must consult your posi tion in society in taking this step, that you are accustomed to a certain style of living, and that you must not think of being happy without it. Now, we are not going to cry up "love in a cottage;❞ we know that a certain income is necessary for comfort and happiness. But, when a whole class is completely scared from marriage by maxims of this kind, we must draw the distinction between a natural and a conventional standard of what a married man requires. It is not necessary for happiness that a man should live in a house near the Parks, or that he should even keep a man-servant or a Brougham, or that he should ride in Rotten-row, or that he should rush down with his family every three months by railway to Brighton, or Hastings, or Dover, for the benefit of his health. We assert this with confidence. Our opponents have a vast array of social authorities on their side of the question. They can bring an imposing muster of club sages; they can quote conventional rules and dicta from the oracles of Piccadilly, Pall-mall and St. James's street. We, too, are not wholly without maxims and saws on our side of the question with respect to what constitutes human happiness, for we have at our command the collective experience which has spoken, from the days of the Seven Wise Men to Dr. Johnson, and from the Proverbs of Solomon to the Proverbs of Martin Tupper. But conventional maxims and authorities would not have so much influence as they have upon our young men on this subject were there not something to aid them in the attractions of the bachelor life itself. A man is asked out ten times as much before he is married as he is afterward. That is a great difference, and the man of 30, who has enjoyed three or four years of exuberant hospitality, has felt his value as a convenient member of the social system, and that, as an unencumbered man, he is in great request, is rather loth to exchange the importance and rank of the young bachelor for the homely position of the married man. How pleasant it is to receive several notes of invitation every post, to be asked to a great many more places than you can go to! What a sense of social dignity rises at the thought! All the world going after you and humbly soliciting your countenance, while you have only to pick the best out of the number for your patronage, and to endure the bore of accepting their attentions! All this is very pleasant. It is true that amid all the glory and gayety of the bachelor life the heart will occasionally betray a gentle sadness, and a sigh will escape as a vision of a home and that which it implies crosses the mind of our much-solicited young bachelor. But he shakes it off, and rushes into the blaze of society again. If he is not really married, he can at any rate console himself with being married in imagination, or, as the scholastic phrase was, in potentiâ, to twenty young ladies, and twenty fresh ones every day. What is marriage to such a person as this but monasticism? It is retirement to a cloister, to a hermitage in the desert, and a cell in the rock. But, whichever of these causes has most share in the undue postponement of marriage by a large class among us--whether it is that young men are frightened by the imposing show of conventional authorities and the prophecies of poverty that they hear on all sides, or whether it is that they want to enjoy longer the freedom and popularity of the bachelor estate, the result is the same in either case. A great law of Providence can not be neglected with impunity, and this undue, artificial, and unnatural postponement of marriage ends in a great blot upon our social system. Vice is the result, and vice creates a class of victims to indulge it. If Providence has ordained that man should not live alone, and if conventional maxims or mere empty fashion and the artificial attractions of society lead to overlooking, or superseding, or tampering with this law, the neglect of a Providential law will surely avenge itself in social disease and corruption in one or other part of the system. It is not, then, because we wish for a moment to encourage improvident marrages, but because we feel convinced that our modern caution here has outstepped all reasonable limits, has become extravagant, has, from being a dictate of natural common sense, become a mere conventional and artificial rule, the voice of empty fashion, and a gratuitous hindrance to social happiness and the designs of Providence, that we call serious attention to the subject. The fear of poverty has become morbid, and men cry out not only before they are hurt, but before there is any reasonable prospect of it. They must see in married life a perfectly guaranteed and |