These amusements were very agreeable and economical too-far more so than riding and driving, for boats don't eat as horses do, and it's only the prime cost, and a little outlay now and then for paint, a broken scull, a mast or spar carried away, that you have to provide for. Pumpkinson was quite pleased as he heard my plans, saw my way of living, and sailed about in my little cutter. Indeed I never saw him make himself more agreeable, until I landed him at the Red House at Battersea, where I had invited all the Fulham and Putney watermen, with their wives and children to a little bit of supper.

In

What a lecture he did read me on my softness and extravagance! vain I explained to him that I had only ordered three or four legs of mutton with trimmings and London porter-he pished and pshawed, bounced out of the long room, and left me to enjoy my friends' company as well as I could-which I did very much. I say friends advisedly, for they behaved as friends, and saw me safe home and put to bed, without so much as wronging me of a shilling, which they might easily have done, as-I am sorry to say it-the number of speeches I made, caused me to feel thirsty, and take more fluid than I ought to have done.

Well, after I had been at Fulham about six months, I received a very unexpected visit from my old friend, Toofast Harduppe, with whom I had been forbidden to correspond by Mr. Pumpkinson. I was sitting at my luncheon when he entered with a lady leaning on his arm in whom I could not fail to recognise Mademoiselle Julie. I was so confounded by the unexpected appearance of the pair, that I did not rise to do the polites as I ought to have done, but sat staring at them, until Harduppe came forward and shaking me by the hand, begged leave to introduce me to Mrs. Harduppe.

Could I do less than congratulate them on their union, and wish them a long life and a merry one? No. I did so, and begged them to join me at luncheon. They did; and we passed a couple of very happy hours, during the whole of which the lady continued to eat and drink, and her husband to explain to me all that had happened to him since we met.

It appeared that he had settled with his creditors, by sacrificing his landed property among them, and, as he was unwilling to lead an idle life and appeal to his rich relations for support, he had set up in the lace trade-a business in which his wife-whom he had married through gratitude to her for her unremitting attentions to him while in prison-was fully capable of assisting him, as it had been her occupation in early life, before she went upon the boards of the theatre.

"And how does the trade answer?" I inquired.

"Admirably," said Harduppe; "if I had but a larger capital, I could realise a larger fortune than that which I have sacrificed to my creditors, in a very few months."

Julie merely said "sans doute."

"I could afford to give forty per cent. for a loan," said Harduppe.

I would willingly have lent him a thousand for half the interest, but Pumpkinson had so managed me, that I could only touch the interest of my property, and that monthly, and so I informed Harduppe, who told me that my name on a bill would do quite as well as cash.

"Sans doute," said Julie.

"In ma countries there is more names as cash in business. You will put your pretty leetle main to the leetle pit of paper pour mon marie, n'est ce pas?"

I positively refused, in spite of Julie's insinuating ways.

"For although," said I, "I am always ready to lend a real friend money upon very small interest, if I have it by me, I never did, nor ever will, put my name to a bill."

Toofast Harduppe in vain assured me that he would meet the bill when due, and that I should have no trouble in the business beyond the mere signing of it. I was firm, and refused; for although I maybe a little soft in some matters, I am not so soft as to put my name to a bill.

no.

No,

He offered me a share in the business, as a security, if I would only consent, but I was not going to turn tradesman after having been brought up at a public school and living as a gentleman, and so I told him.

"Well then," said he, " since you cannot help me by adding to my capital, although it would be of great advantage to yourself, you can and I know will aid me in a little matter, which will be of essential service to me, and very little trouble or inconvenience to you."

"Sans doute, it is such var leetle ting," said Julie, picking the last prawn.

I promised to do any thing for him but put my name to a bill.

"You have a yacht?" said he.

I nodded assent, and pointed to where she was lying.

"Ay, a very pretty little cutter; I suppose you hire a waterman to sail her for you."

I was indignant at the supposition, and told him that I and James, my valet, managed a little thing like that easily.

"Did you ever take a sail below bridge ?"

"Yes, of course; I white-bait at Greenwich and Blackwall frequently," said I," and sail there and back."

"You never sailed to Gravesend?-too far for a little thing of about six tons."

Eight tons," said I. "I have thought of running over to France in her."

"Try Gravesend first," said Harduppe ; 66 Irun down there to-morrow -the tide will serve, and the wind too, if it stays where it is. You will find it a delightful trip, and be able to render me the little service I alluded to or I ought rather to say to render a service to Madame Harduppe-for it is merely to bring a very small parcel ashore."

"Oh! so var small-so small as that," cried Julie, making the likeness of a diminutive parcel with the end of her shawl.

From the French schooner, the La Lune, which you will find lying off Tilbury Fort. I will give you a note to the captain, who is a great friend of Julie's, and will give you some excellent wines and a bed on board. If you could so contrive it as to lay alongside of him about an hour after dusk it would be better, as he would be sure to come on board." "And is that all?" said I.

"That is all; except to deliver what he will give you safe into Julie's hand. It is a wedding present from one of her relations." July.-VOL. LXXI. NO. CCLXXXIII.

2 c

"And a ting so leetle as it shall not incommode you not at all,” said Julie.

"I may rely upon you," said Toofast, as he put his hat upon his head, and shook hands with me at my garden-gate.

"You may,” said I. "I promise.”

"Not a word to Pumpkinson," shouted Harduppe from the bottom of the lane.

"Not a word," I replied.

Well, morning came, and I was glad to find the wind still favourable. I got on board at an early hour and started, and as soon as I had cleared the bridges and the pool, I put on every stitch of canvass the boat would carry, and sailed rapidly down the river. I went ashore at Erith and dined early, meaning to get to Gravesend about dusk, and sup with Captain Constant on board the La Lune.

I managed very cleverly to get on board just as it was growing dark. I handed in Harduppe's note, and the captain came up upon deck to the gangway, and in excellent English welcomed me on board. By his advice, I sent James, with the yacht, ashore off Tilbury, where there is a comfortable inn near the ferry, with orders to be alongside just as day broke in the morning, or a little before if possible.

We had a nice little fish supper, some capital claret, and a little very fine eau de vie. I did not exceed in the least, but by Captain Constant's advice turned in early in order to be fitted for rising early in the morning.

There were two berths in the cabin, one on each side, opposite to each other. The cabin was lighted by a swinging lamp suspended between the two. I turned in and tried to sleep, but either the French cookery did not agree with me, or the lapping of the waves against the clinkerbuilt sides of the schooner, prevented me from falling off at once into a sound nap as I generally do.

As I lay awake I saw the captain spring out of his berth, and after looking at me steadily, as if to ascertain that I was asleep, lift up the upper bed-clothes and rip up the side of his mattress, and extract from it a mass of something white, which he wrapped up with great care in a silk handkerchief, and put into my carpet-bag-my sac de nuit. He then sewed up the side of his mattress again, and slipped into bed.

I fell asleep, wondering what Julie's parcel could contain, requiring so much care and secrecy, and was roused again before I seemed to have had any sleep at all, and told that my yacht was alongside. I went on deck with the captain, who had prepared some coffee for me while I slept. I thanked him for his kindness and shook hands with him, after he had told me that I should find Julie's parcel at the bottom of my sac de nuit, which he carried up for me as all the crew were asleep, except one, who was keeping watch upon deck.

Just as I got off from the schooner's sides, and had hoisted all sails, I saw another man appear on her deck, who in a most impudent tone, ordered me to lay to. I am not to be bullied in that way by any body, so I turned my boat's head into the tide, and away I went. James told me he thought the man who had hailed me was a custom-house officer, but I did not care a fig for that.

As the wind was rather against us, we had to make several tacks be

fore we could round the point, and just as we did so, I saw a four-oared boat pulling right into us. I shouted out, "Look ahead;" but on they came straight for us, although I jammed the helm down as hard as I could.

"Look ahead, you lubbers,"I cried, just as the boat was laid alongside of me, and the man who had been steering her sprang on board.

"I say, though-this is my boat-my private property-I'll trouble you "

“And I will trouble you for your carpet-bag," said the man, very civilly.

It was lying on the top of the half-deck, and he very coolly took it up and opened it, and then turned out every thing, including Julie's pre

sent.

"This is it," said he, opening the parcel. "Ah! as I thought-splendid Valenciennes lace-not a bad morning's work. I'll trouble you to step aboard our boat, sir, and I will take charge of your yacht, and be at Gravesend nearly as soon as you."

To cut a long story short, I was convicted of smuggling lace, in which trade Harduppe and Mademoiselle Julie-for she was no more Madame Harduppe than I was-had long been engaged. I lost my yacht, and had to pay a large sum of money; and but for my true friend Pumpkinson, should have fared worse than I did. Since then, I have been living quietly in the country with my new yacht, which Pumpkinson bought for me upon the condition that I would not venture within fifty miles of London, nor correspond with Harduppe as long as he remained in England.

CHAP. V.

THUS ended Brutus Grumps's story just as we landed at Swanage and sought that comfortable inn, the Ship, kept by as jolly an old sailor as ever had the gout, and called it a sprained ankle. I stayed a few days with Brutus, gave him the best advice I could, and got him to put me ashore in Portsmouth harbour.

In a few months I saw in a London paper that Mr. Toofast Harduppe was transported for fifteen years for borrowing a gentleman's nag without his permission; and in the same paper, by a strange chance, the marriage of Mr. Brutus Grumps to Miss Georgina Pumpkinson. I concluded that the lawyer had wisely thought that the best thing he could do to save a nice snug property, was to appoint a guardian for life over a man who had on so many occasions proved himself such

A VERY SOFT ONE.

MEMOIRS OF A BABYLONIAN PRINCESS.*

THE autobiography of an authentic Babylonian princess, born, only forty years ago, amid the ruins of Nineveh, and now actually living in London, is a book to make a sensation in all circles. When we originally heard of it we had some grave misgivings about its veracity. We thought that Babylonian princesses were not the most likely people in the world to write their own lives; that they would rather sit in their arabesque chambers, sipping coffee and smoking nerghilahs; and that whatever elements of the wonderful or the picturesque might really enter into their experiences, they would themselves be the last to think them either wonderful or picturesque. In fact, we did not believe that this class of modern confessional literature had become sufficiently fashionable in the East to be cultivated by the daughter of an emir of wealth, and we were, accordingly, as incredulous as if the work had pretended to be the Memoirs of a Babylonian Sarcophagus.

But we have now read the two volumes attentively. Not a line has escaped us-not a word of the whole narrative; and we are bound not only to recall our doubts, but to aver explicitly that the memoir is curious and absorbing in the highest degree. The character of the writer goes far in itself to attract and concentrate the attention of the reader; her truthfulness and zeal, and the fortitude with which she has borne up against a succession of sufferings and calamities, are qualities that command respect. The scenes to which she introduces us are all more or less connected with scripture history, and her familiarity with them, and with the usages of the tribes and nations inhabiting them, enables her to enter into closer details than are ordinarily within the reach of the best informed travellers. Her descriptions of oriental customs and manners— of cities and deserts-buildings and costumes-of arts, literatures, and languages-of domestic usages and natural productions-interwoven into a narrative replete with exciting adventures, contribute altogether to render this publication singularly interesting. It is certainly the most remarkable work that has issued from the English press for many years.

We hope nobody will confound Maria Theresa Asmar with the popular ideal of a Babylonian princess. She is not a creature made out of shawl draperies and pearl ear-rings, with a turban of gilt floss, looking intensely vacant, as if she were longing for a balancing-pole and tight rope. Our princess is of a different mould and inspiration; and although, as we shall show presently, she could in her "palmy days" dress in the height of the Eastern fashion, we are happy to say that she has a soul of more seriousness than commonly falls to the lot of the lustrous race to which she belongs. The intellect of the princess is of a high order. She owes something of this to her family, who all seem to have been elevated above the level of the oriental character; but still more to her Christianity. The Christian religion is the school in which her faculties have been trained up; and she has responded nobly to her opportunities.

* Memoirs of a Babylonian Princess (Maria Theresa Asmar), daughter of Emir Abdallah Asmar; written by herself, and translated into English. 2 vols.