But we will let her disclose herself. Here are bits from her Diary at Braehead:-"The day of my existence here has been delightful and enchanting. On Saturday I expected no less than three well made Bucks the names of whom is here advertised. Mr. Geo. Crakey (Craigie), and Wm. Keith and Jn. Keith-the first is the funniest of every one of them. Mr. Crakey and I walked to Crakyhall (Craigiehall) hand in hand in Innocence and matitation (meditation) sweet thinking on the kind love which flows in our tender hearted mind which is overflowing with majestic pleasure no one was ever so polite to me in the hole state of my existence. Mr. Craky you must know is a great Buck and pretty good-looking. "I am at Ravelston enjoying nature's fresh air. The birds are singing sweetly-the calf doth frisk and nature shows her glorious face." . "Yesterday I behave extremely ill in God's most holy church for I would never attend myself nor let Isabella attend which was a great crime for she often often tells me that when to or three are geathered together God is in the midst of them, and it was the very same Divil that tempted Job that tempted me I am sure; but he resisted Satan though he had boils and many many other misfortunes which I have escaped. . . . I am now going to tell you the horible and wretched plaege (plague) that my multiplication gives me you can't conceive it the most Devilish thing is 8 times 8 and 7 times 7 it is what nature itself cant endure." . . . "My religion is greatly falling off because I dont pray with so much attention when I am saying my prayers, and my charecter is lost among the Braehead people. I hope I will be religious again—but as for regaining my charecter I despare for it.” Poor dear little sinner !—Here comes the world again : 66 In my travels I met with a handsome lad named Charles Balfour Esq., and from him I got ofers of marage —offers of marage, did I say? Nay plenty heard me.” A fine scent for "breach of promise"! . . . "The Newgate Calender is very instructive" (!) “A sailor called here to say farewell; it must be dreadful to leave his native country when he might get a wife; or perhaps me, for I love him very much. But O I forgot, Isabella forbid me to speak about love." Dr. John Brown II VIRGINAL Ianthe FR 'ROM you, Ianthe, little troubles pass Lucy THE HERE are two passages of that poet who is distinguished, it seems to me, from all others--not by power, but by exquisite rightness-which point you to the source, and describe to you, in a few syllables, the completion of womanly beauty. I will read the intro-ductory stanzas, but the last is the one I wish you specially to notice : "Three years she grew in sun and shower, On earth was never sown. This child I to myself will take; She shall be mine, and I will make Myself will to my darling be The girl, in rock and plain, In earth and heaven, in glade and bower, To kindle, or restrain. The floating clouds their state shall lend Even in the motions of the storm, Grace that shall mould the maiden's form By silent sympathy. And vital feelings of delight Shall rear her form to stately height, Her virgin bosom swell. Such thoughts to Lucy I will give, Here in this happy dell." "Vital feelings of delight," observe. There are deadly feelings of delight; but the natural ones are vital, necessary to very life. And they must be feelings of delight, if they are to be vital. Do not think you can make a girl lovely, if you do not make her happy. There is not one restraint you put on a good girl's nature-there is not one check you give to her instincts of affection or of effort--which will not be indelibly written on her features, with a hardness which is all the more painful because it takes away the brightness from the eyes of innocence, and the charm from the brow of virtue. This for the means: now note the end. Take from the same poet, in two lines, a perfect description of womanly beauty "A countenance in which did meet Sweet records, promises as sweet. The perfect loveliness of a woman's countenance can only consist in that majestic peace, which is founded in the memory of happy and useful years,-full of sweet records; and from the joining of this with that yet more majestic childishness, which is still full of change and promise ;-opening always-modest at once, and bright, with hope of better things to be won, and to be bestowed. There is no old age where there is still that promise-it is eternal youth. John Ruskin A Phantom of Delight HE was a Phantom of delight SHE When first she gleamed upon my sight; A lovely Apparition, sent To be a moment's ornament; Her eyes as stars of Twilight fair; I saw her upon nearer view, A countenance in which did meet |