"What! must we give all our admiring attention to the Apollo and Venus, and turn from the Gladiator of Laocoon as overstrained, and approaching the horrible? Must we be continually imagining milk-andwater scenes of beauty, virtue, and happiness, nor remind our dainty readers that there are such things in this woful world as crime, famine, misery, disease, danger, death ?"

"Nay, but," interrupted I," you know that there has lately sprung up a school of authors, who, by picturing scenes of a fearful or horrible description, or actions of a deeply atrocious character, endeavor to terrify into the minds of their readers feelings of what they call intense interest." "Yes," said my friend, " and there would be nothing wrong in this, if they did it naturally, modestly, and sparingly; but they do not: they paint the monster Crime in an attractive shape, and make their personages murder, rob, and seduce, as heroes. Now, one thought will convince you that this is quite against my rule, for in the actual study of nature, we find that such a state of things never existed; there never was in real life an heroic robber, or assassin, or forger, or any one wilfully guilty of crime who was not, in all respects, a most contemptible and execrable being. If then in fiction you describe one of the heinous deeds that fiction, to be a picture of real life, must exhibit, describe it as you see such occur in nature, with all the horror and repulsiveness that really does hang around such actions and the miserable actors in them; but never allow yourself-as is done in a popular modern piece-to paint such a thing as a high-principled, well educated gentleman, committing a dastardly murder on a wretched, low individual; with what motive?-money; to what purpose?-to increase his powers of obtaining knowledge!"

Just as Bob arrived at this point of his discourse, we discovered, all on a sudden, that we had lost our way.

We had for some time left the highway, and were now in search of the path over the moors that saved some three or four miles distance in our journey; but, having got entangled in a maze of little cross lanes, and seeing nobody at hand, we felt rather at a loss about our route, and stood stock still, looking queerly into each other's faces.

But, as we were about to go off into a guffaw, our attention was caught by two figures apparently in the same predicament with ourselves, and the oddity of whose aspect and fit-out immediately fixed our admiration.

A Pedestrian Excursion.

PART II. HONESTY THE BEST POLICY.

THE first was a long, lank, shaky, shirtless individual, with a scraggy bare neck, a stubbly beard, washy mouth, watery eyes, and a big red. dish-blue nose, with a nasty whitish scarry streak across its ridge. He appeared to walk within and beneath a slight framework of wood and calico, which, though rather puzzling at a distance, on a nearer view ap peared plainly to be one of those portable opera-houses whereon Punch, that incomparable artist, electrifies the public by his brilliant and highly. appreciated execution.

Behind this interesting specimen stumped along a short, squab, but heavy and muscular fellow-an ugly customer in every sense of the term --somewhat less dirty, however, in aspect than his comrade. This second exquisite carried a box, not unlike our own, on the top of which was fixed a short, coarse drum, daubed with red and yellow paint, with a couple of drumsticks sticking through the cords. From the bosom of his waistcoat projected a soiled red cloth apparatus for securing a set of pandean-pipes, which themselves showed their noses from a side-pocket. They came up the first, with a hasty, knock-kneed, shambling shuffle -the second, with a sturdy, independent trudge; whilst, a few paces behind them, a little, ancient-looking cur trotted along upon three legs, the off hind one being carried in the air like a lance in rest-not so much from any necessity apparently, as from some eccentric whim of the crea ture's own. It had a phisiog. of no small sagacity, with an interesting expression of habitual pensiveness, and appeared to be scrutinizing our appearance with as much attention as its master.

We accosted them by a question with regard to the whereabouts of Drittenbreeks. They inquired, in a strong, southern accent, the way of Soandso. We informed them of the path we had come by-they us of their own wanderings.

It appeared, they had just been told by a cow-boy, that they must go back to an open space marked by a couple of dwarf trees cut into the shape of a bottle and glass, where the way to Soandso branched off southwards, and that to our destination in a north-west direction. Now we also had passed this identical spot, so that we found we should have to retrograde in company with our new friends for several minutes' walk.

Without more ado, away we padded together. As we went

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Comrade," said Bob, addressing the lanky fellow, "you, I presume, are the chap that works behind the screen, and originates the queer phenomena that excite so much of our admiration and delight (prithee, friend, let me walk to windward and have this bunch of meadow-green between you and me)-while our pleasant companion here with the pipes and drum, supplies the orchestral department."

"Yes," replied Lanky, "I comes the moves, and Bill there does t'other things, as you says.

Well," said Bob, " I have a mighty curiosity to know the theory of these same moves: I am an enthusiast in mechanical science, and have indulged in many speculations with regard to the machinery of Punch; and now that there is an opportunity of practically investigating the facts, it would be unpardonable to let it slip: moreover, as I know from experience that knowledge is not to be had for nothing, I don't object to fork out a small sum for an insight into the working of this microscosm of yours."

"Why, then, as you looks to be gemmen, and not likely to be taking the scran out of a fellow's mouth, in the way of hopposition, I don't care if I do put you up to the wires; and as our concern is slap up, with more than a dozen figures, I hope you won't scruple to come down with summat respectable-a bob, or at least a tizzy."

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Agreed. A tizzy, I consider by no means an overfee to such a distinguished professor, and for so much information; so pray halt your establishment at this green space-here, you see, are the trees the cowboy alluded to-and let me have an autopsy of the anatomy of Punch and Judy. Here's the sixpence for you."

The dirty-devil proprietor of Punch no sooner touched the coppers than he slipped them into a rent in his clothes, which likely led to a pocket, or some other receptacle; then, halting, he looked with a hesitating, significant glance at his comrade. The latter, however, thundering an oath that made us stagger, and frighted a brace of sparrows out of a hedge like the report of a gun, shouted

"Come along! What the for, with a pair of fools? you?"

do you stand humbugging there When shall we be in to Soandso, think

"You hear that 'ere, gents-I fear I can't oblige you-Bill, you see, won't allow it."

Oh, you can't, can't you? Perhaps, then, you can refund the blunt ?"

"By no means wotsumever. No money returned is a standard theatrical rule."

Then, by the soul of Hengist, I'll have it out of you!"

With this, flourishing his jacobin club about his head, he brought it down on the fragile theatre of Punch, and laid it a shattered wreck on the earth, with its luckless manager groaning beneath it. As the blow struck it, Punch himself was dashed from its recesses, and appeared to spring upon the grass.

When Bob saw this, he started back in alarm, remembering, with wellfounded apprehension, the doughty blows he had seen dealt by that_redoubted champion upon the sooty nob of even Old Nick himself. But, alas! the irresistible hero was prevented, had he been ever so eager, from rushing to the rescue, for the dog, Toby, that had erewhile been making ferocious demonstrations at Bob's shins, the moment he saw the puppet fly from the framework, caught it by the nose, and stood shaking it thereby with a face expressive of a conscientious discharge of duty.

Not so the stalwart and formidable Bill! Throwing his box, drum and pandean pipes upon the ground, he came valorously up, calling upon my friend to stand out if he were a man, and he would speedily make him believe himself in paradise. To this beatific invitation Bob made response by hurriedly divesting himself of his encumbrances, and putting them, along with the club, under my charge, when, falling gracefully into warlike attitude, he stood on the defensive.

The showman, rushing on with bulldog fury, planted a blow for the stomach of his adversary, which would, no doubt, have turned that organ. But Bob was wide awake, and anticipated it by a fearful left-handed counterhit, sent with his whole strength from his shoulder, straight and swift as an arrow, into the mazzard of the other, extracting with the precision of dental surgery (in which he was a distinguished practitioner) two of his front teeth, which, staggering back, the fellow forthwith spať into his palm to look at.

The reception sent him somewhat abroad. Undaunted, however, he returned to the engagement, and, dashing forward, made rattle upon the ribs of the student a couple of blows that palpably evinced his perfection at least in the drumming part of his profession. But the latter, stepping backward, and crying, "Here's a sight for a father!" jobbed him with his left, and finally, watching his opportunity as he came butting on, tipped him the " upper cut" with a force and dexterity that laid him nearly senseless on his back, alongside of his comrade, who was now sitting up among the ruins of his theatre, a semi-bewildered spectator of the combat.

He lay motionless for a while, till Bob, calling him and entreating him to come to the scratch, he got up, and, giving his dog a kick that sent it flying into the air as if a bull tossed it, walked to a little drain by the way-. side, and, stooping, bathed his face, which now had, certainly, an altered look. As he did so, he addressed his companion with a voice of woful intonation :

"Gather up, Joe, and let's be jogging; it an't no use-give the gemman his tizzy-I've got a skinful, and no mistake. Devil a tooth have I in my mouth now more than a suck—all along of you too—it's always the way!"

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Nay," cried Bob, "keep the tizzy, it may help to set your concern a-going again. Never mind me, I have had a full sixpennyworth of diversion. And now, Grim, after that I think a pull at the Farintosh would not be repugnant to the feelings."

And he suited the action to the word; but, observing the overthrowing manager eyeing wistfully his proceedings, his generous nature prevailed, and, looking with compassion on the fallen foe,

"Alas! poor devil," said he; "would you like a drop of comfort, to set you on your legs once more?"

Slowly the fellow extricated himself from the ruins of his establishment, and, getting upon his feet, made a grab at the bottle.

"Hillo! my man, this will never do; you must get something to take the liquor in."

"Never mind that-my mouth just holds a glass."

"And do you think I would let your mouth touch my bottle ?"

"Is not my mouth as good as yours?"

"There is more of it, at all events."

Here the discomfited Bill interrupted him with—

"Hold your jaw, and let the gemman have his own way. If you have nothing else to hold the drink, take the crown of your castor."

But the manager's tile was a ventilator-pervious to liquids as well as aeriform bodies; so without more ado, he whipped off one of his shoes, and held out the heel of it. Into this original drinking-cup, Bob poured a modicum of the contents of the bottle.

Then, shouldering our burdens, and wishing them the top of the morning, we went on our way rejoicing, but, looking back as we went, we saw the two Punchites with their noses in the villanous receptacle, swilling away at the wondrous fluid.

Soon we emerged from the narrow wood upon the moorland-an hour's swift walk over which would bring us to our destination. It was high, open, breezy, and covered with grass, which the sun of summer had half converted into an odorous hay. The higher parts were stony and heath-covered, and ever and anon you would come to a deep chink in the rocky hillside, through which would be gushing a joyous rivulet, impreg nated with iron or other ore-for it was a district abounding in mineral riches. And then the cool wind came so caressingly about your face, while the deep blue sky, and scanty white cloudlets, and every object around us, betokened ardent heat. The march of four miles over the moor was surely one of the most exhilarating portions of that happy excursion!

There were cottages, too, in sheltered nooks, and here and there the mouths of mines, with their engine-houses turreted and ornamented like feudal towers of old, or haply with an object of, to my mind, even more picturesque effect-the atmospheric engine working in the open air, its heavy beams and angular rods, bending and twisting in the sluggish, interrupted motion, peculiar to the machine.

As we walked on, many were the fragments of stones or of soil that Bob picked up, and, as he chipped them with his hammer, we discussed their nature, the order of formations to which they belonged, the metals whose ores they contained, or the chemical or other properties by which they were distinguished. Some of them he considered of such value as to merit a place in our box; others, when we had done talking of them, he shied at crows or pee-weets as they winged their way over the moorland. Plants, too, and diminutive wild flowers he was continually plucking, identifying them with the descriptions in the "Flora" we carried, and stowing away some of them in our book, for preservation.

There was not a butterfly, a moth, or a dragon-fly fluttered across our path, but we pursued it; and when, after a long and mirthful chase, we had run it down, with a needle dipped in nitric acid he would transfix the insect, at once destroying its life and preserving its painted splendor from decay.

At length we came upon a beaten track, then into a rough road, which led us to the little town of Drittenhrook, with its stone cross, its broad main street, and pretty Gothic church. Through it we passed, and made