her to address Lord Mowbray personally, she passed her arm through the General's, and leaning languidly towards him, said—

"Dear uncle, don't be affronted; but do you know, that if I could do what I liked, this terrace should be levelled into a fine green slope; I would have tufts of trees here and there; the river should be blocked up, to form a large sheet of water at the bottom of the valley, and--"

"That is, Frances," interrupted the General, "these sunny, terraced banks, and this court of Flora, mutually enhancing each other's beauties; that stream, which murmurs so harmoniously as it ripples and dashes over its stony bed, should be turned into the dullest of all dull things—a large, green English park, with an oval pond in the midst, conveniently placed to reflect back the surrounding insipidity. That is what you mean, Frances, is it not ?"

Certainly, dearest uncle, a park in itself is a dull, monotonous thing; but, you know, if these high screens of evergreens were removed, we should obtain a view of the high road, and the

carriages passing. And then, if the old beech avenue was cut down, and the road wound round and round, instead of going straight as a dart up to the Hall, the effect would be charming; and the visitors, as they approached, would be so agreeably surprised!"

"At being taken miles out of their way in reaching their destination, Frances, I suppose ?" said the General.

"No, but, dear uncle, I am serious; it would be a great improvement. I have been reading a book upon landscape gardening lately, and, I assure you, I am quite au fait at these things. And in getting rid of those old trees, with their bare roots, we should get rid of all these cawing rooks, that really make noise enough, morning and evening, to deafen one's ears and depress one's spirits-mine, at least.”

General Montgomery heard the proposed improvements patiently enough, considering how unwelcome they were to him even in idea; but to have actually seen the minutest alteration, would have put all his gentle philosophy to its severest test. In age, the love of natural and

inanimate objects becomes stronger than in youth; they are, perhaps, the last remaining associates of earlier days of happiness, when the companions we have loved are no more, or are divided from us by absence, or, what is worse, are changed; or have proved, it may be, unworthy of the affections lavished upon them: but the trees and shrubs and flowers planted by us, thrive, and repay our care; cheer us with their ever renovating beauty, and impart, as it were, their youthful vigour to our declining feebleness. The very chair we have been accustomed to, receives us still with unchanging kindness; le fauteuil qui nous tend les bras, assumes the character of friend whom we have invested with all our feeling and thoughts, and who promises to us an assurance of sympathy and comfort that will be unaltered to the end.

These were so truly General Montgomery's feelings, that he may well be supposed to have writhed under Lady Frances's enumeration of improvements; and had his gentle spirit ever suffered him to utter a severe reproof, it would have been called forth in the present instance;

but he preserved silence, signifying his dissent, as she ceased speaking, only by a mournful shake of the head and a look of regret.

versation.

A pause ensued, for Lord Mowbray seemed unwilling to accept the challenge covertly offered by Lady Frances, while addressing her uncle; and Lady Frances, on her part, disappointed in the object she had proposed by speaking at all, appeared reluctant to join farther in the conThe good General was unwilling to allow the question at issue, however, to end thus abruptly; and, ever anxious to think in unison with those he loved, sought some point to concede. "I think you are right, Frances, about those rooks," he said, interrupting the silence; "but what can I do? would you have them shot ?”

"Shot!" exclaimed Lady Emily eagerly; "oh, no; I beseech you, dear uncle, do not have any of them shot: only drive them away."

"Why, Emily, you remind me of a gentle friend of mine, whose premises were overrun by rats, but who could never be persuaded to destroy them; till at last, wearied with the

complaints of servants, and finding that the plea which he always urged, of there being room enough in the world both for himself and the rats too, availed nothing, he consented to a removal of the obnoxious visitors. And this was at length accomplished by carrying many sacks-full to a neighbouring common; where, released from their temporary captivity, they were left to live out their little day of life unmolested, at least by him. "It is a pity," said the General, as he concluded, "that this gentleness of soul will not bear reasoning upon, for one cannot choose but love it."

"Love it! yes," cried Lady Emily; "but are there not some things, dearest uncle, which it would be wicked to reason upon, and as wicked not to love? and surely this gentleness you speak of is one of them."

General Montgomery gave one of his fondest looks of admiration and affection, as he pressed Lady Emily's hand in his own, saying, “Et sa deraison, fussiez vous Caton, auroit l'art de vous plaire.”

"Well!" said Lady Frances scornfully, "we