the door, he was not very distinctly advised whether his hand or his foot was the proper instrument wherewith to open it; succeeded, however, in turning the handle, and rushed out like a madman, overturning in his precipitate flight the footman, who just then was coming in with a salver loaded with costly glasses, decanters, and goblets, of which, in another moment, not one was smashed into less than seven distinct fragments. How he got out of the house, our Virginian never precisely knew; but out he did get, somehow or other, and hurrying to his hotel, shut himself up in his own room, and enacted the part of a lunatic for the rest of the day.

Time will wear out the deepest griefs; at any rate, it wore out the mortification and rage of the collegian. In the spring of the next year, he was again in New York, and again (so the fates willed) took a seat one day in an omnibus. There were three or four passengers; and his ride, altogether, was pleasant enough. He got out at the corner of Broome street, and the first man he met, full in the face, as he stepped from the vehicle, was one of his class-mates at college. "Hastings!" exclaimed one, and "Walters," the other. "Why, Jack, where have you come from," said Walters; and "Walters, my dear fellow, what the deuce brings you to New York?" answered Hastings; and then, by way of obtaining satisfactory answers to these and several other mutual queries, the young men linked arms, and betook themselves to a stroll. The conversation that then ensued is in no way likely to prove instructive or entertaining to readers in general, save and except one small piece of information elicited by our hero; to wit, that Richard Walters was now on his way to Boston, with his sister, and a young lady who had been staying for more than three months at his father's house in Virginia, on a visit to the sister aforesaid; the object of the present journey being a return of that visit by one of equal duration, on the part of Miss Walters, to her friend and late guest, Miss Catherine Somerville. The reader may fancy the sudden effect of this bit of intelligence, on the susceptible heart of John Atherton. The result was, that in less than ten minutes he had told all his perplexities to his friend, and both were striding, as fast as their legs could transport them, in the way that led to the house where the glasses had suffered from Hastings' impetuosity, and at which Miss Somerville and her friend Miss Walters were staying during their brief residence in New York.

Walters had heard, from Miss Somerville, of the strange caper played off by his present companion; but that young lady, with very commendable delicacy, had always refused to mention the name of her eccentric visitor, and he therefore knew nothing of Atherton's agency in the matter; touching the pocket-book he could give no explanation.

But if he could not, Miss Somerville could; and she did too. It was undoubtedly her chattel; the gift of a very dear brother, an officer in the navy, and just at this time on service in the Mediterranean. It was his hair that the locket contained; and the young lady with large black eyes and the mischievous mouth was her, Catherine Somerville's, cousin. At the time of the adventure which formed the opening scene of this drama of misadventures, the said cousin, Harriet Evertson, was about departing for Charleston, where she resided; the eventful ride in the omnibus was one of her wild frolics; the abstraction of the pocket-book was partly another, and

partly the result of a certain supposed secret affection, cherished, in spite of her teeth, by Miss Harriet Evertson, for the young sailor whose hair it contained; her design was to take out the glossy ringlet, have another inserted, and then restore the book to its rightful owner; but this design was frustrated, as has been seen, by its loss in the omnibus; and the time of her departure was too near at hand to admit of any steps for its recovery.

Such was the account given by Miss Catherine Somerville, partly from facts that had recently come to her knowledge, and partly conjectural. There is nothing more to be told, save that our Virginian, having nothing especial to keep himself and his horses in New York, accompanied his friend and the two ladies to Boston; that in process of time there was a wedding; and that both John Atherton Hastings and his pretty wife Catherine, very often exclaim, with a smile that does not betoken much of unhappiness, one may do a worse thing sometimes, than take a ride in an Omnibus."

CHORUS.

Imitated from the Agamemnon of Eschylus, 384.

Unblushing, unveiled, in the eye of the morn,

From her soft-curtained chamber the beauty was borne,
And sailed on the wings of the earth-sweeping west,
In rapture reclined on her young hero's breast.

II.

But many the shield-bearing hunters who traced
The fugitive fair-though the sea had erased
From its deep-rolling bosom the track of their oars
To Simois, verdant with wood-crested shores.

III.

And the justice of Heaven has remembered the crime
Of the bride and her lover, which, tardy in time
But in anger determined, deep vengeance hath taken
For the festal board wronged, and the husband forsaken.

IV.

As a lioness,-mild in the spring-time of life,
All sportive, and gentle, and careless of strife,
Bred up like a dog on the hearth of her lord,
Beloved by the old, by the children adored-

V.

With her face brightening up at her nourisher's call,
And fawning for food in his bountiful hall,-
Who hath shortly by slaughter and bloodshed repaid
The friends of her youth, and her nature displayed--

VI.

So she seemed a spirit of breathless delight,

Of rapture and bliss, in the fond Phrygian's sight,-
With her soul-piercing glances, and murmurs of love,-
Oh, how could such beauty so ruinous prove!

VII.

For she who in peace and in gentleness came
Was a fury avenging with slaughter and flame;

And the youth who had slumbered in trust by her side
Was betrayed to the foe by his beautiful bride.

H.

THE REMINISCENCE OF AN OLD MAN.

The course of true love never did run smooth.

SHAKSPEARE.

IN September, 17**, being on my way to spend some months on the continent, I stopped at the seaport town of G****, to spend a few days with a friend whom I had not seen for several years; on the evening of the day previous to that, on which I intended to continue my journey, we walked down to the beach. The day had been unusually fine and calm, and the ocean lay before us like a vast mirror, with scarcely a ripple on its green bosom; so that no one, who then beheld it, could have thought it possible that a few hours would see its now tranquil waves, lashing the shore with ungoverned fury, and threatening to engulph in their fathomless abysses, the noble vessels, which then glided smoothly along its peaceful surface.

The beach was crowded with spectators; for a ship was expected to come into the harbor, which had sailed from thence about three years before, and every one was anxious to be there, to greet the first appearance of some loved one; husband, parent, child, or lover! Amongst the groups, that which most attracted my attention was composed of two females, who stood a little apart from the others; one of them was a girl, apparently in her nineteenth or twentieth year. She was below the middle stature, but her figure was slight and beautifully proportioned; and her white drapery, when lifted by the gentle breeze, displayed a foot and ancle, which a sculptor might have chosen for his model. Her features were not regularly beautiful, yet was her face one of the most attractive I have ever beheld.--Large, soft, hazel eyes, with long black lashes and arching brows, the shape of the face inclining to round, a profusion of dark hair, and a complexion of great brilliancy, but which varied every moment, as she stood gazing wistfully across the waters, deceitful hope shedding her enraptured expression over every feature! Such is the picture memory brings before me at this moment, as I then saw her. She was accompanied by an elderly woman, whose dress bespoke her an attendant. I learnt, from my friend, that the young lady was the daughter of Colonel Ashbourne, who had fallen, with many of his gallant comrades, in fighting his country's battles; and she was living with her widowed mother, whose health had always been delicate and failing, in a small house, which he pointed out to me, a little further up on the beach, and away from the noise and bustle of the port. Emily Ashbourne was older than I had imagined; she was in her twentysecond year, and had been for some time deeply attached, and betrothed with the consent of her surviving parent, to a young officer in the Navy, who after performing many gallant actions, and steadily adhering to his duty, was this day expected to return, in the ship whose arrival we were awaiting, in the reasonable hope of obtaining promotion; and under the promise of receiving the hand of Emily, given by Mrs. Ashbourne, when on Arthur Bouverie's last sailing, she had resisted his entreaties to be united

to her before his departure. During the three years of Arthur's absence, as regular a correspondence had been kept up between him and his betrothed, as the uncertainty of winds and waves would permit; and Emily had lived in great retirement with her mother, notwithstanding which, she had had many advantageous, and even distinguished opportunities, of settling in marriage; but she had rejected them all; and her firm and unshaken constancy was now about to be rewarded!-I looked upon this young creature, whose bright visions were painted on her glowing countenance, with a deep feeling of interest, and put up a silent prayer that they might not be disappointed, but realized, even as she wished them to be.

The sun had gone down about an hour, and twilight was beginning to settle on the face of nature. No distant glimpse of the Ariadne had been obtained, yet every one lingered on the beach, unwilling to give up their hopes of her arrival. In the last half-hour, there had been a slight change in the elements, which, to an experienced eye, denoted an uneasy night upon the deep. The air had become dull and oppressive, and, at intervals of six or seven minutes, there came a low moaning blast across the waters, from the west, where the clouds were gathering thickly, of a dark leaden color; and, at these moments, there was a heavy swell apparent on the ocean, as if it were answering to the murmuring call of the winds. The mariners who had been scattered amongst the spectators, were seen collecting into a knot; now pointing towards the west, and now endeavoring to get a sight of the vessel, whilst any light remained, but in vain. These appearances, though their danger was not fully known, were not lost upon the anxious watchers; and many a heartfelt ejaculation might be heard from amongst the females, and I observed that the beams of hope were already darkening on Emily's countenance. There had been some minutes of deep silence; every one had retired within himself, to wish and to pray.-The gusts had become more frequent in succession, when suddenly the dark clouds in the west appeared to be rent open, and the red, forked, lightning burst from them, as if shooting into the recesses of the deep, followed immediately by an awful clap of thunder, which shook the earth to its very foundation. This seemed to be the signal for the unloosing of the elementsthe blast rushed over us, with appalling violence—again the thunder roared into our inmost souls-the dark clouds were whirled through the skies, which now gleamed with a wild unnatural light; as if to prove to us that the turmoil of nature was universal, shewing us the sea running mountains high, the breakers roaring and lashing, as if goading each other not to be outdone in the mighty strife between the winds and the waters! The terrified women ran here and there, and many returned to their houses; but none in G****, closed an eye in sleep that night. The men remained, consulting, doubting, and wondering.-Boats were held in readiness,every moment was expected to bring signals of danger and distress; for it was imagined that the Ariadne could not be far distant, as the wind had been fair, ever since the day on which she was to have sailed from the last port where they had touched; and her arrival had been expected for two days, according to the ordinary calculations; and, it was therefore greatly to be feared, that she might perish in this tremendous storm, amongst the hidden rocks and shoals, with which the coast abounds. The darkness was

universal, and it was past midnight, when a gun was heard, faintly booming through the roaring of the winds. It was rapidly followed by another and another; immediately a great shout arose from the shore, as if in the vain attempt to convey the intelligence to the sufferers, that assistance was at hand.—Lights were kindled and placed on high; two or three boats were instantly put out, in the hope of being at least able to save human life! but it was otherwise decreed. The wisdom of the Eternal God thought fit that all should be lost in that eventful night! None of the boats could reach the fated vessel; two were obliged to put back, after numerous and fruitless efforts, in which they only endangered their own safety, and attained no nearer to their object; and the third was overset, and its crew with great difficulty saved by the others, and brought back to shore.

Now, indeed, was the time to call upon God's mercy for "those who go down to the sea in ships, and see the wonders of the Lord on the great waters."-Human aid was totally unavailing; we had done all that the hand of impotent man could do! The wail of women rose upon the gale, and there was one who urged the men again and again to make one more effort, as they would themselves hope for mercy in the hour of extreme peril. My heart knew that it was Emily Ashbourne-the appeal was irresistible; the effort was made, but like the former, it was ineffectual.

Thrice again was the signal of distress heard, and then the raging hurricane was left in undisturbed possession of the world of sound; then came to the minds of all who were there assembled, the sad conviction, that a ship had perished; and though there were not wanting voices from amongst the crowd, to call out that there was no more reason to fear that it was the Ariadne than any other vessel; yet the words of consolation entered not into the hearts of those, who had relatives and beloved objects in her; and indeed, in my own mind, the conviction was strong, that the ship which we had so fruitlessly endeavoured to succour, was the Ariadne. All felt that the blow was stricken; the arrow had gone forth from the bow; and they mostly retired to their several homes; some to vent their grief in loud and clamorous lamentations, and others to weep over God's inscrutable decrees, to pray, to sorrow, and to be still! There was, however, one, who in that dreadful night remained exposed to all the inclemency of the weather, rather than leave the shore, whilst a shadow of hope remained. Poor Emily! I had persuaded her,-for hours like those need no introduction,-to seek the shelter afforded by some old broken boats, which had been turned on end, so as to form a temporary refuge from the storm; and here, wetted through and through, by the spray and foam which dashed over the beach, did she remain till day, in a state of mind, which none but those who have endured hour after hour of torturing suspense, can imagine! Towards morning, the wind abated a little, so that two boats put off again in the direction, from whence the signals had been heard; and I myself, filled with anxiety for the fate of so many of my fellow creatures, went out in one of them. What we found, was sufficient to confirm our worst apprehensions; floating spars, broken cables, and alas! alas! a plank, on which " Ariadne" was distinctly legible! No other evidence could be obtained; but that was indeed conclusive. Not a human being was to be seen; not an appearance