licity to hundreds, still my greatest joy in riches is, that they enable me to repair the injustice of fortune to the man I love!"

The neighbourhood of the Castle of Llanvair abounded with beautiful plantations; and the countess, from childhood, an "enthusiast of the woods," delighted in enjoying, with Herbert, the refreshing solitude of those shades, where every object tends to tranquillize the sense and soothe the mind; and where the dancing, chequered light-the different, yet blended tints of green-nay, the very freshness and sweetness of the air itself, as it gently agitates the leaves, impart a sense of gladness and enjoyment to existence peculiar to those woodland scenes alone.

"Now labyrinths, which but themselves can pierce,
Methinks conduct them to some pleasant ground,
Where welcome hills shut out the universe,
And pines their lawny walk encompass round;
There, if a pause delicious converse found,
'Twas but when o'er each heart the idea stole
(Perchance a while in joy's oblivion drown'd),
That, come what may, while life's glad pulses roll,
Indissolubly thus should soul be knit to soul."

Perhaps it was in the indulgence of contemplations like these, that Herbert and his countess had unconsciously penetrated deeper into the recesses of the forest than was their custom, when his watchful tenderness was alarmed by an appearance of blackness and heaviness in the air, that threatened thunder. Solicitous for the safety of his Rosamond, sir Herbert bitterly reproached himself for the imprudence that exposed her tender frame to the possibility of such a danger. Shelter he despaired of obtaining; and to retrace their steps back to the mansion before the storm began, seemed impossible.

In the midst of this distress, how great was his relief, on proceeding a few steps further, to discover a hut, rudely constructed indeed, but such as would fully answer the purpose of sheltering his beloved bride from the impending storm! He knocked at the door of this woodman's hut, as he naturally concluded it to be, but received no answer. Growing impa

tient, and the danger increasing, the ba ronet made little difficulty to lift the hum ble wicket, and discovered a clean, though rustic apartment, which was empty, although there were evident signs of its having been recently inhabited. Herbert pressed his bride to dry her clothes, which he feared were already penetrated by the wet, at the blaze of a cheerful fire, piled

up of wood; and when the lovely countess felt eased of her transient alarm, and safe from the impending storm, she began rallying her husband on his burglary, although the tremulous solicitude he had displayed was, in fact, highly gratifying to her feelings."I do not think it is a common woodman you have to deal with," she said, glancing her eye around the rustie, but singulary-furnished apartment. "Look what a variety of materials for employment are herea fowling-piece, a basket of differently formed and coloured flies for angling, a German flute, and books in English, French, Italian-Mercy, Her

noitstid

B 4

bert!

bert! this woodman is a wizard! for here is a book I can make nothing of, though you can probably tell me whether it is written in Hebrew or Greek."

In making out the inventory of this curious apartment, the countess did not omit to notice a small round table, surcharged with a pile of manuscripts, that reached to such a height as might have scared the experienced eye of the most intrepid bookseller, so that it was no wonder they excited the astonishment of a young and fashionable lady.

"I wish the hermit would return before we set out," observed the countess, "that we might implore his forgiveness, and at the same time get a peep at him."

Vain however were her wishes. The storm passed over, without that violence they had apprehended; and Herbert be came anxious to conduct her back in safety to the Castle of Llanvair. The countess was obliged to content herself with taking a slight minute of the singular habitation

bitation that had afforded her shelter, and promising herself to visit it again.

This hut or cottage consisted of only two apartments: the one, a sleeping-room; the other, which the countess and sir Herbert had occupied, and which might be said to answer the double purpose of an eating-room and a study, was also the most airy and spacious.

During the day, the woodman's hut ran strangely in the imagination of the youthful countess; and at night, when her women were undressing her, she could not forbear making it the subject of her discourse.

"As sure as I live," said Gyneth ap Gryffydd, "it belongs to the wild melancholy man of the mountains."

"The man of the mountains! whom do you mean?" said the lovely countess, whose mind was quite in the vein for a romantic adventure.

66

Why, my lady, there came here, about a twelvemonth agone, a mild, melancholy