parent's society, until that blessing and consolation is removed; and so it was with me. I knew not my uncle's value till I had lost him; therefore I make no doubt but that I showed impatience of his company, and of the quiet life we led; for after some weeks he said to me," Nephew, you are perhaps weary of the retired life we lead, and desire to see more of the household: it is true that your experience with us has hitherto been small, and your knowledge of our ways all taken from hearsay; you have hitherto been as a young eagle* in a nest, but the time is now come that you must try your wings. It was the Lord's pleasure, who cares for you, though you think little of him,† that you should have time for study and reflection before you are initiated into the more difficult parts of your business, which consists not only in preparing copies of these letters, but in dispersing them among our fellow-servants, in which work you will find much that is discouraging, and that from some whom you would not expect; but you shall accompany me this evening, and we will take a circuit through the house, and you will then be able to form some notion of those with whom for the present our lot is cast."

I was glad to hear this proposition, for as I before said, I was tired of the quiet life I led, my heart not being altogether, I fear, in the work I had to do: accordingly, being led by my uncle, I followed him willingly from the long passage, at the end of which was his apartment, into the principal hall. This was a magnificent room, wide and high, its windows being of crystal of various colours, calculated to give a beautiful glow to the rays of light which shot through them; but, as I instantly discerned, much embrowned with a thick coat of dust which lay upon them, and farther darkened by tawdry curtains which hung over them in remnants, much tattered and defaced, though originally of a fine sort of tapestry. The flooring of the hall was, I saw,

"As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings. So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." Deut. xxxii. 11, 12.

V. 7.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter

"And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones." Isa. liv. 12.

not equal, but raised at one end, like a divan or throne; this had been, I understand, a change effected by Mr. Fitz-Adam, to please Madame le Monde, who disapproved of sitting to dinner, as it were, on a level with those whom she accounted inferior. The chairs on this divan were, I saw, of ivory,† with blue and scarlet; whereas the seats occupied by the inferior servants, or those who sat below the divan, were of ordinary construction, being only benches without ornament. Now down the centre of this hall, between the chairs and benches, was a long table, whereupon, as my uncle informed me, the family dined. There were also on the same floor sundry parlours and withdrawing rooms, all of them set forth with costly furniture, bedizzened with burnish and gilding. Nevertheless, the rooms looked dark and dusty, exhibiting tokens of moth and rust, and apparently standing much in need of repair and of brushing. "Methinks," said I, "our housemaids are not the most brisk and orderly, nor our housekeeper the most thrifty; that is, if I may judge by the condition of these chambers."

"All will be set right by-and-by," replied my uncle, using a very common expression of his, "but our governors do not approve of those who would awake the sleeping housewives, and rouse them to work; and indeed some pretend that this old furniture would not bear the scouring, but would tumble to pieces under the brush."

So saying, my uncle led me up a fine flight of stairs, though one which seemed somewhat crazy, as if the stays had given way in some places in the wall, for the steps cracked and creaked hugely under our feet as we ascended.

""Tis no safe mounting here," said my uncle, "a man would be best below, but we will just take a look at the first floor, and leave those who will to mount to the towers."

So we went on and came to the library;-a noble

"For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment. And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts." James ii. 2-4.

+"Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim." Ezek. xxvii. 6.

sized room it was, though so dark that, although it was broad day without, we should not have seen an inch before us, had it not been for the lamp which hung from the ceiling; and this darkness, as I afterward found, was owing to the multitude of volumes which were reared up against the windows, to the utter exclusion of the light of heaven.* In the midst of this apartment sat the librarian, a young looking man, meagre, and with a very keen piercing eye, which rolled restlessly, seldom fixing, even for a moment, on the face of the person to whom he spoke, or indeed long on any other object. On our opening the door, this young man arose, and coming short up to my uncle, began, as I found was the way with him, to pursue the subject which happened to be uppermost in his mind, viz. the new system which had just been taken up in the family, according to the suggestion of the Master's enemy.

"I had been thinking," said he, "to call in your rooms, Mr. Secretary, but am happily prevented by your visit to me. I have been lately much engaged in examining, with a candid and liberal eye, the volume which contains the letters of him you call Master. I see much to admire in them, though I do not see that they tend to establish his sovereign claim to this house and estate; nevertheless, there is so much that is excellent in them, with respect to morality, that I should most gladly lend my assistance in copying and distributing them, and thus join with you and the chaplain in your work of kindness towards the lower order of the servants; for it is a favourite object of mine, to go hand in hand with the rulers and principal heads of this family, in every attempt which they may think it right to make for the improvement of our people in the lower offices. We have long wanted that sort of brotherly love, which ought to unite one family, and in the exercise of which the prosperity of a household must chiefly consist; for, as the old proverb says, 'a house divided against itself can never stand,' so am I convinced that the want of prosperity, and peace, and general improvement, which every one must lament in this family, originates in the differences of opinion which have ever existed among us, and which, I have no doubt, will entirely disappear,

"And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh," Eccles. xii. 12.

when knowledge prevails to the extent we wish, and when every leading individual is willing to yield a small degree of his ancient prejudices. And," proceeded the young man, with a volubility of expression which made me (inexperienced as I was) to stare with wonder,—“ I am happy to say that this, which has for a long time since been the desideratum of every philosophic mind, advances rapidly to its completion. All parties are, as it were, mutually approaching from the circumference to the centre, every one sees the necessity of mutual accommodation, and of that spirit of moderation and liberality by which universal benevolence is engendered; and every mind, however originally discordant, is brought into that state of harmony with the rest, by which all impediments to the improvement of the family are removed, and every facility made to administer to the introduction of that pure order of things, by which the golden age will be restored, and man will attain that perfection for which nature originally prepared him.”

During this long speech, which was run off with sur prising rapidity, I stood perfectly amazed, and my uncle as perfectly unmoved, for there was nothing in all this which he had not heard frequently before; but the orator, whom by-the-by I saw very imperfectly, owing to the obscurity of the apartment, had hardly finished his exordium, so abruptly commenced and so glibly carried on, when my uncle answered, I thought, somewhat dryly, that he preferred doing the work which his Master had given him to do, according to his own plans rather than those of another; "and to be plain with you, Mr. Librarian," he added, "I should not wish either to borrow or receive the help of one who entertains doubts respecting the right of the Master to call himself Master, though I pretend not to investigate the motives which may have induced him to make such tenders of his services for truly," continued my venerable friend, "if you, Mr. Librarian, do not entirely believe the words of those letters, or the truth of him who wrote them, I see not how you, as an honest man, can busy yourself in distributing them among your fellow-servants."

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Although," returned the librarian, with a seeming mildness, which thought spoke much in his favour, who was, as you know, my reader, but new to these scenes-"although I may not agree with you, Mr. Secretary, in all you think touching these epistles, I

may, nevertheless, have that sort of respect for them, or for parts and portions of them, which may lead me to think that, upon the whole, the distribution of them may be beneficial to my fellow-servants. I may also have a respect for your opinions, and those of that worthy man, the doctor; and I may be willing to coalesce, and go hand in hand with you in any plan you may form which shall have the smallest chance of benefiting our fellow-men. I may think that any thing which tends to bring brethren together into one bond of union, is an object to be desired; and I may think that if we wait for such an object as shall be wholly and entirely unexceptionable, we may wait for ever, and never meet at all. And, is the promotion of love, of liberality, of general benevolence, and utility to be despised; and am I to be rejected from this philanthropic coalescence, because in some small matter I may not entirely acquiesce with every individual of the family?"

"Small matter!" replied my uncle," and do you call it a small matter in a household, to disagree respecting the rights and person of the Master? if this be a small matter, I know not what is a great one. You tell me that you question the right of him I call Master to the possession of this domain; and you expect me to coalesce with you, and give you the right-hand of fellowship, while you acknowledge this doubt; and you do more, you ask me to permit you to assist me in the service of the very Master whose rights you question. Truly, Mr. Librarian, I can have no communion with you. I wish you well, and would be glad to see you delivered from your error; but I can have nothing to do with you in the way of accepting your services."

Thus speaking, my uncle walked out of the library, shaking as it were the dust of the apartment from the soles of his feet;† and what had I to do but to go after him, though I must confess that I thought he might have selected less offensive words wherewith to express his sentiments. However, it was not for me to call him to account; I therefore followed him silently as he pro

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." 2 Cor. vi. 17.

"Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." Luke x. 11.