now, in the failure of our application to you, you must excuse us."

They immediately left the room; but the Doctor, turning to the combatants, continued, -"You unneighbourly and irreligious women, I shall to-morrow bind you both over to keep the peace, and I shall require of each of you one good and sufficient surety to answer for your good behaviour; and I think you cannot do better than get the clergyman, whose church you attend, to stand your bail. - You may go !"

"Ah!" said Mrs. Gustall, weeping, "I wish your Worship had spoken sentence before those Gentlemen went out of the room; for then I could have asked Mr. Wiseman to stand surety for us, as your Worship advises, for he is our Minister!"

161

THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.

It was on one of those days of Spring when Nature puts on her freshest and most lively verdure, and is animated by the glowing warmth of the Sun, as he spreads his glories over the world, that Dr. Freeman, having taken a longer ride than usual, pulled up his horse to consider whether he should proceed further or return homeward, when his attention was arrested by the appearance of a Gentleman on horseback, whose person he recognized without being able immediately to remember who he was. As they gradually approached, and each had instinctively drawn off his right-hand glove, the Doctor gave vent to his surprise, by exclaiming,

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My dear friend, Goodall! Is it possible that I once again see you? What, in the name of curiosity, have you done with yourself for so long a time? and what brings you at last in this direction, and this without my being acquainted with the prospect and pleasure of seeing you?

Do give me some satisfactory account of yourself, and of all that belong to you."

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My dear friend," said Mr. Goodall, in a tone bespeaking unusual earnestness, "I am now on my way to your house, having learnt from a neighbour who attended your Church last Sunday, that you were in residence at the Rectory; and it is my present intention to pass a day or two with you, provided you are not engaged, and will consent to put up with a visit from one who brings unwelcome intelligence of himself with him."

"It so happens,” replied the Doctor, “that I am perfectly disengaged, and am ready at all times to listen with interest to any thing which welfare."

concerns your

Mr. Goodall now calling his groom, ordered him to ride forward with his saddle-bags to Dr. Freeman's house.

"And tell my servants," said the Doctor, "that your master intends passing a day or two at the Rectory." Then turning about to his friend, he continued. "I am concerned to observe, that you do not seem to possess your usual good health; I fear your ride has been too fatiguing."

"That, Doctor," said he with a sigh, “is, unhappily, not the cause of the change which I fear is too visible in me; it is something greater than mere weariness of body-something much deeper than ordinary discomfiture; it is," said he, laying his hand upon the Doctor's arm, something that has wofully shaken the inner man; and I am come, my good friend, to open my complaint to you, and to ask for advice by what means I may endeavour to relieve it."

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During this time the Doctor's change of countenance, and a slight nervous tremor, indicated distress of mind, and he exclaimed "Goodall, for heaven's sake relieve me by telling at once the occasion of this sudden alteration-what, what can it be?"

"The fact is," replied his friend, "my wife and I have been thrown into the deepest sorrow by a heavy domestic affliction, which requires the exercise of more religion and philosophy to sooth than, I fear, either of us possesses. You well know our daughter Kathrine !" and here he stopt," she was our only child, our only joy !"

"Alas! alas!" ejaculated the Doctor; "my mind anticipates what you are struggling to un

fold; you need not distress yourself by a further disclosure; you mean me to understand that she is no more!"

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"No," said he ; no, she is not dead; yet I could almost think even that would be more tolerable."

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Surely," said the Doctor, whose knitted brows bespoke great distrust as to what he was about to surmise, "surely you do not mean to insinuate-but no, that is quite impossible; Kathrine possessed a mind too virtuous and pure to be sullied by any infatuated art of degradation; she entertained sentiments too noble and honourable, an affection too fixed, sensibility too strong, to yield to any worldly allurements, or to any unworthy temptation! but do relieve me!"

"God be thanked!" said Mr. Goodall, as he raised his eyes, while burning and eloquent tears rolled down his cheeks, "that sorrow was never in reserve for us; but we have to lament -how, how shall I tell it? we have to lament that the poor sufferer has lost her reason! You shudder at what I say, but it is, indeed, too true; Kathrine is destitute of sense and reason; in short, she is neither more nor less than de