But his head hung down, like a dew-bent flower, And the woman-an old ill-favoured crone- "What ails you, my little man ?” said I; "Such a lightsome thing as you, Should bound away, like a nimble deer, From stone to stone, and be over here, Before one could well count two." The child look'd up-To my dying day The woman look'd too, and she tuned her throa And, says she, "The poor thing's blind! "His father (who's dead) was my sister's sonLast week, his mother died too ;— He's but a helpless thing you see, Yet the parish has put him upon me, "And his mother made him more helpless still, For she nursed him up like a little lamb, "To be sure, he was her only one- So she toil'd and toil'd to get him bread, "And now we shall be too late for church, I thought the old bridge did well enough, I look'd about, but from my side And, with the child clasp'd carefully, With firm foot, light and steady.-- "And the woman,” said I, “ won't you help her too? Look where she waits the while.""Hang her old cat!-if I do," quoth he, "To souse her into the midst, 'twill be!" For my life, I could not but smile, So we left her to cross as best she might, His old white hat was wound about The tears still swam in his large blue eyes, And hung on his sickly cheekThose eyes, with their clouded vacancy, That looked towards, but not at me, Yet spoke to my heart more touchingly Than the brightest could ever speak. I took his little hand in mine, ('Twas a delicate, small hand,) And the poor thing soon crept close to me, With a timid familiarity No heart could e'er withstand. By this time the woman had hobbled up Ah, Goody !-what, safe ashore ?" Quoth Edmund I knew, without help from me, You'd paddle across”-askance look'd she, But spoke not a word ; so in company, We moved on to church all four. But I felt the child's hand (still clasp'd in mine) With a shrinking dread compress'd “ Do you love to go to church?” I said.“ Yes,” and he hung down his little head “ But I love the church-yard best.”. “ The church-yard ! my little fellow—and why? Come, tell me why, and how ?"“ Because because" and the poor thing Sobb’d out the words, half-whispering “ 'Cause mammy is there now.” Feelings, too deep for utterance, Thrill'd me a moment's space; At last—"My little friend,” said I, “ She's gone to live with God on high, In Heaven, His dwelling-place; And tell the truth alway, “ Shall I go there to-day ?”- To call you to his rest."- I love the church-yard best." And close to the church-door, C. THE AUTO-BIOGRAPHY OF TIMOTHY TELL, SCHOOLMASTER OF BIRCHENDALE. No. III. CHAPTER IX. We travelled the whole of the day; the grave gentleman in the middle nor did we stay to take any rest at assured me, he had met with the same night; but continued to pursue our remark in some book of travels he had route without let or hinderance, other read; so that I cannot be accused of than stopping for the necessary pe- imposing on my readers the mere phanriods of meals, at the different places tom of my own imagination. We had in our road. Notwithstanding the stopped to drink tea at a place, of rapidity with which I was wafted which I now forget the name, and through the country by this admira- were again embarked in the vehicle ; ble machine, I failed not to mark every I was deeply meditating on the event thing that attracted my notice ; and of my enterprize ; two or three of the I feel aware, that those benevolent company had nodded to sleep; the personages, who have accompanied me occasional discourse between the lothus far on my pilgrimage, have a quacious traveller and the young lady right to all the observations I made by was dropping into silence; and the the wayside. I regret indeed, for their whole of the interior of the machine sakes, that they are so few; but from was quiet and composure I was very the conformation of the vehicle, my disagreeably roused from my reverie range of sight was necessarily limited, by the Inquisitor, who had been yawnand indeed my attention was very much ing grievously for some time, and now, attracted to the interior of the coach, to divert his weariness, began to ply by the novelty of intercourse with me with very home questions, as to utter strangers, whose conversation where I was going, and the nature of and manners were to me as great cu- my business, and so forth. Unwilling riosities as the Unicorn or the Mam- to be rude, and seeing the rest of the moth would be to more travelled gen- company asleep, I ventured to tell him try. I took particular notice of the that I was “ going to London on busistate of the country through which I ness of importance, appertaining to passed, and was struck with the signs literature ;-and indeed to the welfare of luxury and prosperity which every- of society and mankind in general," ! where niet my eye. At first I kept a added in a low tone of voice ; for I did reckoning of every gentleman's-seat, not like to seem assuming, or to take village, and town, through which we an air of superiority over my less-dis. passel ; but when I had multiplied tinguished fellow-travellers. the knots on my handkerchief till the “ Doubtless, sir, doubtless," said space was exhausted, I was forced to the middle traveller, opening his eyes, abandon my inventory; and I am and leaning respectfully forward to therefore unable to inform iny reader catch the last words I had uttered. of the sum total between my native “ I was well convinced it could be no village and the metropolis. The face small matter that induced you to haof the country seemed varied--we zard yourself on the great ocean of sometimes ascended hills, but I think life, where so many slender barks are quite as often came down again. I wrecked. You have already, however, honestly confess, (I wish all travel met with admirers and well-wishers,” lers would do the same,) that I saw said he, bowing first to the old lady, but very little, and it would be very and then to all round. “ I am sure, I unfair to expect me to describe what wish success to your enterprizes, be I have not seen ; but we went so ex- they wliat they may."~" And that," tremely fast, that the whole country, said the inquisitive traveller, " is to hedges and all, seemed to be running be a mystery, it seems.”—“And likeaway from us, the which when I no- ly to remain so," subjoined the last ticed, and expressed my astonishment, comer. The gentleman in black shrug. Vol. XIII. с my head indignantly. ged his shoulders, and looked very once. "Gentlemen," said I, a good deal embarrassed, "I solemnly assure you, on the word of an old man, that I have no secret, that is to say, (for my heart beating loudly at this moment underneath my MS. forced me to make this reservation,) no secret worth any one's knowing, or concerning themselves about, as it does not tend to the injury of any human being, but rather," I added, (I fear a little too proudly,) 66 very much to the benefit of all mankind." "Why, an't you a freemason?" said the inquisitor. "No, indeed." "A government spy, perhaps," said the new-comer. I shook "Then I'm sure I don't know, nor can't guess."- It now struck me, that my companions must have formed a mean opinion of my circumstances, and perhaps, however unjustly, harboured suspicion of me on the score of poverty. It is true, I had no riches to boast of; but I was desirous of shewing them how far removed was my case from one of penury. "Riches, sir, said I, "are the great stumbling-block of this life. I know not, for my part, why the poor are not as estimable as the rich, if a little money, more or less, makes all the difference. But education, sir, is the thing which makes a real distinction betwixt man and man. What is it to me that I have my pocket-book well lined with this perishable article," said I, at the same time taking out my bank-note, and twirling it round in the very eyes of my antagonist, and which I thought produced an immediate effect," what is it to me, sir, if I have not also other qualities to distinguish me from the senseless mass of mankind?"-" I agree with you entirely," said the middle traveller; "but you need not fear being overlooked amongst the common herd, whilst you have so many distinguishing characteristics. Indeed, I tremble to think, with your advantages of education, and the means you possess, what a dangerous engine might you become in the hands of power, if you were disposed to mischief, which I fervently trust you are not."-"London, sir, is a new world to me; but I hope to escape all its perils, and put my trust in Providence."- "A Methodist, I guess, by your way of talk ing," said the inquisitive traveller, sneering contemptuously. "No, sir,' said I, provoked; "a Church-of-England man, and a Christian"-Like yourself, I was going to say, but on se cond thoughts I omitted that. "I confess," said the middle traveller, "I feel a slight impulse of curiosity myself to know the object of such a journey to such a place, so fraught with perils. I feel convinced that it must be a mission of no small interest that has drawn Mr Timothy Tell, schoolmaster of Birchendale, from his retirement for the first time."-" Sir," said I, gaping with astonishment at this strange man-" Sir, who told you my name and calling? For Heaven's sake, how was I made known to you?" -"Do you think, then, this is the first time I have heard of you? True, I have never seen you before; but your fame, and that of your academy, have gone far and wide. Incognitos, sooner or later, must be dropped. Eminent men must not hope to be hid under a bushel, or to do things in a corner; for they will come to light." In a corner! thought I, and my heart throbbed with redoubled violence beneath my precious MS. In a corner! can he mean my waistcoat? What a strange unaccountable man is this, who seems, with that searching glance of his, to see through me, as it were. Heaven forbid!" In a corner, sir," I repeated; "I'm sure-what do you think?-what can you mean ?""Nay, sir, your secret is safe in your own breast; there you have kept it snugly all the time, and there let it lie still. It does not belong to me to reveal the hoarded treasure of your bosom ;" and he looked, I thought, very significantly. I involuntarily laid my hand on my breast, as if to ascertain that my precious burden was still there. Ay, hold it fast," continued he, -it will pop out, after all." 66 -- " or On My alarms were redoubled. I look- round me in terror. I felt as if surTrounded by malignant spirits, who were all seeking to discover my treasure, and ready to tear it from me. I› began to think the strange man must be a conjuror, and leagued with the powers of darkness. A cold damp seized me. I dared not utter another word, but sat in a sort of aguish suspense, and held fast the side of my coat on which my treasure lay, willing to be prepared for any sudden attack. No violence was offered me, however, and I began a little to recover from my fears. I And now we stopped at the foot of a steep hill, and all the passengers proposed walking up. I was glad of this, as it gave me an opportunity of drawing aside the man in black, whom I could not now approach without feelings of awe. Sir," said I to him, "I am at a loss to divine what led you to suspect my secret, or how you knew any thing of my history. I conjure you to satisfy my doubts, and explain to me by what extraordinary means. you were acquainted with my hidden treasure."-"Upon my word, you puzzle me, sir-I assure you I am not a conjuror, whatever you may think.""Indeed, sir, upon my word, . was not thinking..... I did not suspect- "Oh no, you only thought I was Beelzebub, or something in that way I forgive you with all my heart. But the truth is, that I should not have known even your name, had you hot let me into the secret yourself. For when you displayed your riches to us so imprudently, I saw your name written in your pocket-book; and, from your conversation, I guessed you were a schoolmaster."-" But, sir, how did you penetrate the mystery of the contents of my waistcoat?"-" Of your waistcoat!-Indeed I never suspected any particular treasure there,-except, indeed, as it enclosed a heart of primitivesimplicity and worth.-But have you then a concealed treasure? of what does it consist, if I may inquire?Come, I think you may trust me, now I have explained to you how I perform my diabolical arts." I was so much won by his manner, that, upon his promising inviolable secrecy, I told him the whole; at which I was surprised to see him laugh heartily. However, he advised me to persevere in my design, and he hoped to see me in print very soon. He declared, as soon as he saw me, he perceived something extraordinary about me, and he prophesied that literary glory awaited me; |