pencil, and some with their books, or portfolios and prints; while music, dancing, and even battle-door and shuttlecock, beguiled the dull day to those who were too young to care for such pastimes as engaged the attention of their seniors. The young gentlemen were not so easily reconciled to their fate. While it continued fair, indeed, the most of them adjourned to the lawn and enjoyed themselves, while they amused their fair friends who looked on from the neighbouring windows, by forming themselves into two rival parties, and engaging in a pitched battle with snow-balls. Had the weather continued favourable, there was little appearance of their wearying of this sport. Large snow-balls were rolled, and the opposing factions had united for a time to build a huge snow castle on the lawn, which it was designed that the one party should hold out, while the other laid siege to the glittering fortress. While the bold ramparts, however, were rising under their united efforts, the storm again broke out. Half-melted snow, with rising gusts of wind, that drifted it into their faces, compelled the heroes of the fight to retreat together into the hall, and now the interrupted siege was even more keenly mourned than the morning's disappointment.

While things were in this unsatisfactory and un

comfortable state, and as Mrs. Howard saw from the increasing storm that in-door amusements must probably be the sole resource of her guests until the Christmas eve brought others to mingle with them and add to their mirth or relieve their ennui, she set herself to engage them heartily in devising means of mutual entertainment. Blind-man's-buff was resorted to by some, dancing and music again formed the solace of others, but after a while they were all assembled in the library, many of them listlessly poring over the leaves of a book of prints, or watching their neighbours with ill-concealed weariness and indifference. Matters were in this very unpromising state when Miss Caroline Howard, Colonel Howard's eldest daughter, invited the attention of her cousins and young friends to a proposition she had to make for their mutual amusement. There had been, she said, a numerous company of passengers on board the ship in which she returned from India with her father, and they had frequently found it an agreeable pastime to relate to one another the stories they had heard or read of, or to repeat selections from the poets whose works they had studied. She now proposed to them that they should adopt the same practice; and as they were likely to have a good deal of time for

such amusement, she further suggested that a particular subject should be named for illustration, or the works of some favourite poet selected for their themes each evening, and that all of them should be bound to recite in their turn some poem illustrative of the subject chosen for their sederunt.

This proposal of Miss Howard was received with the utmost satisfaction; and, as soon as tea was over, they all assembled again in the library, where a cheerful fire was blazing, and chairs were arranged ready for them round the hearth. The whole party, both old and young, cordially entered into the scheme. Miss Howard was unanimously chosen Queen of the Night, and requested by her smiling subjects to name the theme that should excite their friendly rivalry, and task their memories during that evening's assemblage. The large old-fashioned arm chair was forthwith brought forward amid considerable merriment and bantering, and being duly placed in the chief place with a footstool before it, it was declared to be the throne, whither Miss Howard was conducted by one of her subjects, and, with formal ceremonial, crowned with a wreath of holly as their chosen Queen.

Silence having at length been restored to the assem

bly, the Queen invited them to begin the proposed pastime by each repeating some favourite passage from the delightful writings of Spenser, one of the noblest and least known of England's poets, or from those of his friend Sir Philip Sidney. As they had been cheated of the opportunity of visiting the haunts of the Pilgrim and Dreamer of Bedford, it would be no unmeet substitute for that intended pastime to glance at some of the refined allegories of the Fairy Queen, which had been considered by many as the source from whence Bunyan drew the germ of his immortal work. A slight murmur ran through the assembly on this announcement, and several of the younger subjects of the newly-elected Queen loudly protested against the choice of two such poets, to whose works they were perfect strangers. Order, however, was restored after a time, and her Majesty speedily reconciled her unruly subjects to her commands by pointing to the well stored shelves of the library, and intimating that each would be at liberty to resort to its treasures for a selection with which to contribute to the gratification of the company.

All difficulties being thus removed, the Queen received the marked attention of her subjects as she commenced the introductory sketches of THE FA

VOURITE LOCALITIES AND THEMES OF THE POETS by the following narrative of

The Haunts of Spenser and Sidney.

In the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey, where many very poor and unworthy monuments have been dedicated to the memory of our greatest men, there stands one which bears on it the name of "Edmund Spenser, the prince of poets." It is not expected in these pleasant evenings' recreations that you should receive a minute biographic narrative of the eminent men whose works we are to ransack for our instruction and entertainment. Suffice it that we glance at some of the scenes that have been rendered sacred by the presence of this noble English poet.

Spenser was born in the year 1553, in East Smithfield, London, in the neighbourhood of the Towerthe fortress and state prison of the capital, strangely and sadly associated with many of England's greatest names. He appears to have been of good birth, but in humble circumstances, and accordingly we find him entered as a sizer at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. in his sixteenth year. His progress was rapid, and his success marked by honorary degrees of his Col