more. Happy, if thus revenge had struck its final blow; for he would have fallen beneath it almost unconscious of a pang. But such a lethargy of the soul, after such an excitement of its fiercest passions, had entered into the diabolical calculation of Tolfi; and the fell artificer of his designs had imagined a counteracting device.

The tolling of an enormous bell struck upon the ears of Vivenzio! He started. It beat but once. The sound was so close and stunning, that it seemed to shatter his very brain, while it echoed through the rocky passages like reverberating peals of thunder. This was followed by a sudden crash of the roof and walls, as if they were about to fall upon and close around him at once. Vivenzio screamed, and instinctively spread forth his arms, as though he had a giant's strength to hold them back. They had moved nearer to him, and were now motionless. Vivenzio looked up, and saw the roof almost touching his head, even as he sat cowering beneath it; and he felt that a farther contraction of but a few inches only must commence the frightful operation. Roused as he had been, he now gasped for breath. His body shook violently-he was bent nearly double. His hands rested on either wall, and his feet were drawn under him to avoid the pressure in front. Thus he remained for more than an hour, when that deafening bell beat again, and again there came the crash of horrid death. But the concussion was now so great that it struck Vivenzio down. As he lay gathered up in lessened bulk, the bell beat loud and frequentcrash succeeded crash-and on, and on, and on

came the mysterious engine of death, till Vivenzio's smothered groans were heard no more! He was horribly crushed by the ponderous roof and collapsed sides-and the flattened bier was his Iron Shroud.

The Runaway.

A JUVENILE REMINISCENCE.

It was on the 5th of November, one thousand seven hundred and ninety, when I wanted two months of completing my fifteenth year, that being seriously in love with six ladies (four in their teens, one a widow of thirty, and the other a bouncing lass of two-and-twenty,) I made my election, and ran away from home to follow the last, who had gone down to Nottinghamshire to reside with her mother. But though Fanny (that was the dear creature's name) had played the very deuce with my heart, I do not think I should have deserted the other five, had she not possessed one charm which all the rest wanted. She could perform in tragedy as well as in courtship, and we made love in acting, before love made me commit the rash act of running away. She was my Juliet and my Desdemona, my Belvidera, and my Calista. The glowing language and impassioned sentiments of Shakspeare, Otway, and Rowe, had breathed from my lips in mimic rapture; I had sighed and languished, sued and swore, in ten-syllable heroics; she had done the same (except the swearing); and when, at last, I threw off my disguise and appeared myself," she did the same too. Then it was we both

vowed eternal fidelity and in the cruel moment of separation she promised to fly with me and take to the stage, if I would take the stage and fly to her.

I did so: but I was three weeks getting ready. First, I had to collect my travelling wardrobe, which, as I was not old enough to have the care of my own things, required due circumspection. I had to abstract from the family chest of drawers what I wanted, at convenient opportunities, and without exciting suspicion. However, by the end of three weeks, I collected two shirts, one pocket handkerchief, a best waistcoat, and three pairs of stockings. These, with what I knew I should have upon my back, would be sufficient, I thought; and they were deposited in a trunk, big enough to hold them and myself too, which I had concealed behind the water-butt in the back kitchen. next thing was money. I had pocket-money to be sure but it would have taken a year to save enough, out of eighteen pence a week, for my journey; so (with shame and contrition I write it) I paid a visit, one morning, to a corner drawer in my father's bureau, where, finding five banknotes, of ten pounds each, lying neglected as it were, and confined in a silk purse, I took pity upon one of the captives and released him.

The

Now I was equipped; and now I only wanted every body out of the way, that I might get out of the way myself. A favorable opportunity occurred. I seized it. With my trunk on my shoulder, and dressed in indigo blue silk stockings, nankeen fy-for-shames, a white dimity waistcoat, a snuff-colored jacket, and a hat quite good

enough for travelling in the dark (and that is the most I can say for it), I sallied forth about eight o'clock in the evening, on the 5th of November, running as fast as two short legs would carry me, to the George and Blue Boar in Holborn. I was in the very nick of time. The coach was just setting off. My luggage was thrown into the basket; I paid my fare; took my seat on the roof; and in five minutes was fairly on the road to my fair.

It was a bitter cold night; something between a bleak misle and a black frost. At first, I was in good spirits, and chattered to the coachman: but before we had gone ten miles, my teeth chattered so, that I could not chatter myself. The coachman advised me to take some spirits where we changed horses. I tossed off a glass of brandy, like one who had been used to it; and though it set my throat on fire, it brought plenty of water into my eyes to quench it. It had this good effect, however, that I grew warm to the tips of my toes and fingers. But nankeen, silk, and dimity, are ill adapted for outside travelling in winter. I was soon as cold again all over as a greyhound's nose; and the next time we stopped to change horses, which was at the Crown at St. Alban's, I changed half-a-crown for another glass of brandy. I tossed it off like the former. It got into my head, and had nearly been the cause of tossing me off the coach. However, I kept my seat, though the state of the poll was decidedly against me; but during the rest of my journey, I got no rest myself, save a few nods, which like angels' visits were few and far between.