wish to have a word with you on the lawn." At this summons I observed Robinson turn as red as a carrot, and give a hurried glance at Eliza, who very nearly dropped the bottle she was locking up of old Griggs's fiery port wine.

The particulars of the interview between the two gentlemen Robinson narrated to me that very evening (indeed he told every body every thing concerning himself). "Griggs," (says he) "has been asking me what my intentions are with regard to Eliza. He says my attentions to her are most remarkable: that I must have known she was already an engaged person, though he didn't care to confess, that the engagement was one into which his sister had been forced, and which had never been pleasing to her-but that it was impossible that my attentions could continue, or the poor girl's affections be tampered with any further."

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Tampered with! says I," (continued Robinson, speaking for himself,) I tamper with the affections of Miss Griggs!"

'By Jove, sir, do you mean to say that you have not? Haven't you given her a pearl bracelet and a copy of Thomas Moore's poems? Haven't you written copies of verses to her, three in English and one in Latin Alcaics? Do you suppose, sir, as a man of honour, I can allow my sister's feelings to be played with, and you an inmate under my unsuspecting father's roof? No, sir, things can't end here. You must either declare yourself or you know the alternative.”

Here he gave a tremendous scowl, and his eyes flashed so, and his bushy whiskers curled round his face so fiercely, that Robinson, a timid man-as almost all men who play on the flute are-felt no small degree of perturbation.

"But I do declare myself," said the young gentleman, "I declare that I love your sister with all the ardour of a young heart; that she is the object of my daily thoughts, and my nightly sighs-my soul's polestar-my-my—”

"Never mind any more, sir," replied young Griggs, somewhat appeased; "you have said all this in your poetry already." As Robinson confessed indeed he had.

The result of the interview between the young men was, that Robinson fully declared himself the adorer of Eliza, and promised to marry her immediately on the consent of his mother and guardians, if not now,upon his coming of age, and entering into the banking business which he was heir to. "I may consider myself authorised on your part then to make this proposal to my sister?" said Griggs.

To which Bob agreed, and as Griggs thought the offer had best come in writing, Robinson and he retired to the former's room, where a paper was drawn out at Griggs's direction, and signed by the lover of Eliza.

But the strange part of the story, and the proof of what I before advanced, viz., that Eliza was perfectly innocent and unconscious of the effects produced by her fatal beauty-was that when George Griggs her brother, carried her the offer, she vowed she had never been so surprised in her life-had never given Mr. Robinson the least encouragementhad, it is true, received presents of books from him and verses, which she regarded as mere proofs of schoolboy friendship, a frolic-liked him very much certainly as a brother, a younger brother, in whose welfare she should ever feel the tenderest interest, for whose happiness she should ever pray-but she was already engaged to Mr. Butts.

Bob professed to be broken-hearted by this sentence of Eliza's, but we all

saw there was hope for him, and that if the engagement with Butts could be broken, he might then aspire to the bliss which he desiderated. As for checking him in his desires, or pointing out the folly of his marriage at eighteen with a young lady of four-and-twenty, that was a point which struck none of us-on the contrary, our pleasure was to suppose that old Griggs would refuse consent, that an elopement would take place in consequence; which Bob's friends would have the fun of arranging, and we even inspected the post-chaise at the Green Dragon, and ascertained the condition of the posters kept there in anticipation of such a romantic event-not that Eliza would have consented, of course not-I would not suppose that she or any other woman would do such a thing, and mention this as an instance not of her indiscretion, but of our youthful folly.

Meanwhile, Mr. George Griggs returned to the university, having made an unsuccessful application, he said, upon the governor's feelings, to induce him to break off his sister's marriage with Butts.

"The old gentleman's honour was bound," his son said; "he wished it were otherwise, but having pledged his word he could not withdraw it: and as soon as Butts pleased he might claim his bride. The living Butts desires must soon fall in," he added, "Hicky has had two fits of apoplexy already. Give him a third, and it will be too late."

With this intimation George Griggs departed, informing his young friend at the same time, that although he would gladly have shaken his hand as a brother-in-law, that relationship appeared now to be impossible; and that if he heard of the least further communication between Bob and his sister, he should be obliged to return from Cambridge in a character most painful to him.

Why, why," said he, "did you come into our house, and bring wretchedness into our peaceful family? Before she saw you, my sister was happy-contented at least with her lot-now she only looks forward to it with terror, and I dread to think of the consequences-that match will kill her, sir-I know Eliza's heart-she will die, sir-and, mind me, there must be other victims if she do!”

I don't know whether Bob was touched, or terrified, or delighted by this announcement-delighted to be the possessor of such charms— touched by the cruel havoc they caused-or terrified at the consequences which might ensue to himself from the exercise of his fatal power to please; however he determined Miss Griggs should not die.

He accordingly wrote off the following letter to his correspondent:"MY DEAR NOKES,

"Send me down fifty pounds, and a case of pistols, and put them down to my own account. Counting upon receiving your parcel and remittance per coach, Wednesday; I shall leave this on Wednesday evening at eleven, drive through London to the Angel, Islington, and be there probably at five o'clock in the morning. Have a carriage and four waiting for me there, and you may as well bring fifty pounds more, for posting is dear, and I am going to the North. Don't fail me at this most critical juncture of my life, and count upon the eternal gratitude of "ROBERT ROLFE ROBINSON."

When the faithful Nokes received this letter, he for some time could not understand the nature of its contents, until at last the real nature flashed upon him that his young master was going to run away with some lady, and ruin his own and Nokes's prospects for life.

We made it all right meanwhile about the horses at the Green Dragon,

which were to be ready at eleven o'clock on Wednesday evening; and in the afternoon of that day walked down to Puddley Heath, two miles from our parsonage, where the London coach passed, and we made sure of finding our parcel.

Instead of the parcel it was little Nokes himself who jumped off the box, and giving Robinson a squeeze of the hand, and a nod of the head, pointed significantly to the carpet-bag, which the hostler was handing down, and which no doubt contained the money and the pistols. What the deuce we wanted with pistols, I have never been able to ascertainit was Tolmash, our comrade at Griggs's, who suggested the pistols, as we sat in conspiracy over the affair (for we delighted in it, and had hours and hours of consultation every night concerning it), it was, I say, Tolmash suggested the pistols, taking a hint from a picture in "Tom and Jerry," in which a fellow is represented running away to Gretna Green, and pointing the "barkers" at the governor who is just galloping up.

Bob was so impatient to see these weapons that it was with great difficulty Nokes could restrain him from examining them on the high road, but we waited until we got a private room at the Green Dragon, where the weapons were shown, and where Bob explained at full length and with great eloquence, his purpose of abduction.

"There was a gal, a beufle gal, whose heart was bweaking for him, and whose pawents wouldn't let him marwy--he was determined to wun away with her if he couldn't get her-to blow his bwains out, &c. &c."

All this Bob told with great sputtering and emotion over a glass of brandy and water. Nokes looked grave.

"I suppose it's the parson's daughter you wrote me about, that I sent the necklace down for. I thought that would have been enough for her. Lord, Lord, what fools you young men are, Mr. Bob!"

"Fools! if you call me a fool, or bweathe a word against Eliza, I'll kick you wound the woom," roared Bob, who didn't seem to have much regard for his father's old friend.

"Well, well-stop-you'll regret it in after life; and remember the words of poor old faithful Jack Nokes; but never mind that. I can take a hard word from your father's son. Here are the pistols; you'd best not take them to the house, as you'll get into the carriage here, I presume. Here's the money-please just acknowledge it-I wash my hands of the business--kick Jack Nokes round the room indeed!"

Bob seized Mr. Nokes's hand with eagerness, swore he was his best and deawest fwiend, as he should find when he came into Lombard street; and then being armed with the sinews of war, the chaise was ordered at eleven, and we all departed for the vicarage.

I repeat I have nothing to say against Miss Griggs-she wouldn't have come very likely-she would have spurned the proposition with scorn, and refused to run away altogether, even if—even if a circumstance had not happened which rendered that measure impossible.

At about nine o'clock-- the moon was rising beautifully over the old church-Bob was packing his portmanteau for the expedition, and laboriously striving to thrust in a large dressing-case full of silver saucepans, gold razors, &c., which must have been particularly useful to him, as he had no beard as yet. We were making ready for the start, I say, when a letter was brought for R. Rolfe Robinson, Esquire, in the well known commercial running-hand of Mr. Nokes.

"SIR,

"Though I may lose your friendship for ever, I am determined to prevent this mad step on your part. I have written to Mr. Griggs, warning him solemnly, and threatening him with law proceedings and ruin, from which I am confident that I have saved you. I was at school with your father, and saved him too, and devote myself to the son as to him. "I have taken the post-chaise and the pistols, back to town with me. "Yours respectfully,

"JOHN NOKES."

Bob was bursting out in an oath, when the door opened, and our respected tutor, the Reverend Frederic Griggs, made his awful appearance, candle in hand, and with a most agitated countenance.

"What

"What is this that I hear, Mr. Robinson?" he exclaimed. news, sir, is this for a tutor and a-a f-f-f-ather? Have I been harbouring a traitor in my bosom-a -a serpent that would sting my innocent childso young and so corrupted! Oh, heavens !"

And he proceeded into an oration, which I pretermit, and which lasted for a quarter of an hour. Griggs had a flux of words, and which imposed greatly upon parents and guardians during a first visit or two, but became intolerably tedious to us who were forced to hear it every day. He left us after the oration, saying he was about to retire, and pray for the misguided young men, who had entered into a conspiracy against a fond father's peace.

Robinson was wild. He talked of suicide, but the pistols were gone, and he didn't think of using the gold razors in the grand new dressingcase. We sat with him, and tried to pacify him with philosophy, and a bottle of cherry-brandy. We left him at three o'clock, and he told us afterwards that he rushed frantically out of the room, to Miss Griggs's bed-room, and cried out passionately, "Eliza, Eliza!” The door was locked of course, he could hear sobbing from within, accompanied by the heavy snore of Mrs. West, the housekeeper, who was placed as dragon over the weeping virgin. Poor soul! she did not come down in her pink frock to breakfast next morning.

But about that hour, up drove General Sir Hugh Rolfe, an apoplectic goggle-eyed white-whiskered little general, tightly girthed round the waist, with buckskin gloves, and a bamboo-cane, at whose appearance as he rolled out of the yellow post-chaise, poor Bob turned ashy pale.

We presently heard the general swearing in the passage, and the voice of the Reverend Mr. Griggs raised in meek expostulation.

"Fetch down his things-don't humbug me, sir-infamous swindle, sir. Bring down Mr. Robinson's bags-d-d impostor, sir, and so on.' Volleys of oaths were let off by the fiery little man, which banged and exploded in our little hall like so many Vauxhall crackers.

Our friend was carried off. Our own relatives caused us to be removed speedily from Griggs's under the plea that his daughter was a dangerous inmate of a tutor's house, and that he might take a fancy to make her run away with one of us. Nokes even said that the old gentleman had gone so far as to offer to make it worth his while if he would allow the enlévement to take place-but the Reverend Frederic Griggs replied triumphantly to these calumnies, by marrying his daughter to the Reverend Samuel Butts (who got his living by the death of the apoplectic incumbent), and she is the mother of many children by him, and looks at that angel face of his with a fond smile, and asks, "Who but you, love, could ever have touched the heart of Eliza ?"

SKETCH OF THE LATE REV. R. H. BARHAM, WITH A FEW LINES TO HIS MEMORY.

IN A LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM JOHN HUGHES, ESQ.

MY DEAR AINSWORTH,

None of those friends who, in common with ourselves, were in a position to appreciate the sterling character of our lost friend Barham, will find the slightest exaggeration in the few lines which I transmit to you. Indeed, I doubt whether some may not think me a niggard of due praise. The details with which you wish me to accompany them must necessarily be very commonplace in point of incident and anecdote. The lives of literary men, and of those in the graver professions, are best written in their works, and the results of their labours. That of our deceased friend, for at least the twenty-five years during which I had the pleasure and privilege of knowing him well, was very uneventful, and may have been considered as prosperous and happy a life as usually falls to the lot of All have their troubles and bereavements; in his case they were the better borne by the aid of a fine temper, a buoyant spirit, and a habit of Christian thankfulness which seemed one of his every-day pleasures. The best substitute for stoicism which a man of keen and sensitive feelings finds it possible to adopt, is to think a little less of his own sorrows, and more of those of others; and this I believe to have been Barham's secret for bearing with equanimity the loss of more than one

man.

Who ne'er gave him pain till they died.

He strove to be happy in making others so, especially those congenial spirits who more directly shared in his affections. To praise a man as a father and a husband, is no great matter of eulogium; and well it is for human nature that such is the case. The wise bounty of Providence causes the sun to shine on the just and unjust, the air and water to breathe and to flow for all, and implants the most certain and enduring principle of vegetation in that bread-corn which we call the staff of life, as on those humbler fruits which are really the best and most refreshing; and thus it is, that the pleasing picture of what is called "an united family," is almost everywhere to be met with. But however commonplace these domestic pictures may be in detail, their great aggregate presents itself to the eye of reason and religion like what is perhaps the most striking object in the natural world, a plain of uniform fertility and boundless extent, where God's bounties and man's energies are developed in one mighty whole. In such a scene, it may be supposed that our friend's

household did not form a barren and cheerless feature.

A familiar notice of a friend can seldom be drawn up without a mixture of egotism at first or second hand, which I must e'en request the good-natured reader to tolerate, for it would rather mar than mend the matter, and waste much time, studiously to exclude it. My first acquaintance with Mr. Barham dated from his election into the body of minor canons of St. Paul's, of which cathedral my late father was then a residentiary. Mr. Barham had married early in life, and in every respect enviably. His previous career as a graduate of Brasen-nose College had thrown him much into contact with several gifted and accomplished men, upon whom a shred of Reginald Heber's mantle, and a smack and savour of the "Whippiad," had descended in the way of corporate inheritance;