Part 6 (1/2)

'No longer were the friar's eyes directed to the earth; they were cast abroad, and roaloom and desolation of the scene found a quick response in his own bosoain he entered by the postern

'But not again did his ear encounter the sound of laughter, or his eyes rest upon the beautiful figures of the five sisters All was silent and deserted The boughs of the trees were bent and broken, and the grass had grown long and rank No light feet had pressed it for many, many a day

'With the indifference or abstraction of one well accustolided into the house, and entered a low, dark rooarments made their pale faces whiter still, and ties They were stately yet; but the flush and pride of beauty were gone

'And Alice-where was she? In Heaven

'The rief here; for it was long since these sisters had met, and there were furrows in their blanched faces which years could never plough He took his seat in silence, and motioned them to continue their speech

'”They are here, sisters,” said the elder lady in a tre voice ”I have never borne to look upon them since, and now I blame myself for my weakness What is there in her memory that we should dread? To call up our old days shall be a solelanced at the ht forth the five fra before Her step was firm, but her hand tres of the other sisters gushed forth at sight of it, her pent-up tears made way, and she sobbed ”God bless her!”

'The monk rose and advanced towards the she touched in health,” he said in a low voice

'”It was,” cried the elder lady, weeping bitterly

'The allant youth who looked into thine eyes, and hung upon thy very breath when first he saw thee intent upon this pastime, lies buried on a plain whereof the turf is red with blood Rusty fraground, and are as little distinguishable for his, as are the bones that cru her hands

'”The policy of courts,” he continued, turning to the two other sisters, ”drew ye from your peaceful home to scenes of revelry and splendour The same policy, and the restless ambition of-proud and fiery men, have sent ye back, ed maidens, and humbled outcasts Do I speak truly?”

'The sobs of the two sisters were their only reply

'”There is little need,” said the ahich shall raise up the pale ghosts of hopes of early years Bury them, heap penance and mortification on their heads, keep therave!”

'The sisters asked for three days to deliberate; and felt, that night, as though the veil were indeed the fitting shroud for their dead joys But, hs of the orchard trees drooped and ran wild upon the ground, it was the sah, but there was yet the spot on which they had so often sat together, when change and sorroere but nalad; and in the minster nave was one flat stone beneath which she slept in peace

'And could they, reht of cloistered walls, look upon her grave, in garbs which would chill the very ashes within it? Could they bon in prayer, and when all Heaven turned to hear theel's face? No

'They sent abroad, to artists of great celebrity in those ti obtained the church's sanction to their work of piety, caused to be executed, in five large colass, a faithful copy of their old eeuntil that tihtly, as she had so well loved to see it, the fainal colours, and throwing a streaht upon the pavement, fell warmly on the name of Alice

'For many hours in every day, the sisters paced slowly up and down the nave, or knelt by the side of the flat broad stone Only three were seen in the custo tith she came no more, and the stone bore five plain Christian names

'That stone has worn away and been replaced by others, and one since then Tiht still falls upon the forgotten toer is shown in York Cathedral, an oldcalled the Five Sisters'

'That's ahis glass

'It is a tale of life, and life is made up of such sorrows,' returned the other, courteously, but in a grave and sad tone of voice

'There are shades in all good pictures, but there are lights too, if we choose to conteentleest sister in your tale was always light-hearted'

'And died early,' said the other, gently

'She would have died earlier, perhaps, had she been less happy,' said the first speaker, with'Do you think the sisters who loved her so well, would have grieved the less if her life had been one of gloo could soothe the first sharp pain of a heavy loss, it would be-withinnocently happy here, and loving all about them, had prepared themselves for a purer and happier world The sun does not shi+ne upon this fair earth toeyes, depend upon it'

'I believe you are right,' said the gentleman who had told the story

'Believe!' retorted the other, 'can anybody doubt it? Take any subject of sorrowful regret, and see with how much pleasure it is associated The recollection of past pleasure may become pain-'

'It does,' interposed the other

'Well; it does To remember happiness which cannot be restored, is pain, but of a softened kind Our recollections are unfortunately led with much that we deplore, and with many actions which we bitterly repent; still in the most chequered life I firmly think there are so many little rays of sunshi+ne to look back upon, that I do not believe any mortal (unless he had put hioblet of the waters of Lethe, if he had it in his power'

'Possibly you are correct in that belief,' said the grey-haired gentleman after a short reflection 'I am inclined to think you are'

'Why, then,' replied the other, 'the good in this state of existence preponderates over the bad, let miscalled philosophers tell us what they will If our affections be tried, our affections are our consolation and comfort; and memory, however sad, is the best and purest link between this world and a better But come! I'll tell you a story of another kind'

After a very brief silence, theslyly at the fastidious lady, who see to relate soan THE BARON OF GROGZWIG 'The Baron Von Koeldwethout, of Grogzwig in Ger baron as you would wish to see I needn't say that he lived in a castle, because that's of course; neither need I say that he lived in an old castle; for what Gere circu which, not the least startling and mysterious were, that when the wind blew, it ru the trees in the neighbouring forest; and that when the h certain small loopholes in the wall, and actually ht, while she left others in gloo short of ht to ask his way, and it WAS supposed that these miraculous occurrences took place in consequence And yet I hardly kno that could have been, either, because the baron's ancestor, as an a been so rash, and laying violent hands upon a quantity of stone and tied to a weaker baron, built a chapel as an apology, and so took a receipt fro of the baron's ancestor puts reat clairee I am afraid to say, I am sure, how reat many more than any other man of his time; and I only wish that he had lived in these latter days, that he reat men of past centuries, that they should have come into the world so soon, because a o, cannot reasonably be expected to have had as many relations before him, as a man who is born now The last ar dog for aught we knoill have a longer pedigree than the greatest nobleman now alive; and I contend that this is not fair

'Well, but the Baron Von Koeldwethout of Grogzwig! He was a fine swarthy felloith dark hair and large reen, with russet boots on his feet, and a bugle slung over his shoulder like the guard of a long stage When he blew this bugle, four-and-twenty other gentlereen a little coarser, and russet boots with a little thicker soles, turned out directly: and away galloped the whole train, with spears in their hands like lacquered area railings, to hunt down the boars, or perhaps encounter a bear: in which latter case the baron killed hireased his whiskers with him afterwards

'This was a , and a merrier still for the baron's retainers, who drank Rhine wine every night till they fell under the table, and then had the bottles on the floor, and called for pipes Never were such jolly, roystering, rollicking,

'But the pleasures of the table, or the pleasures of under the table, require a little variety; especially when the same five-and-twenty people sit daily down to the same board, to discuss the sareeary, and wanted exciteentle two or three of thee at first; but it became monotonous after a week or so, and the baron felt quite out of sorts, and cast about, in despair, for soht, after a day's sport in which he had outdone Nihtered ”another fine bear,” and brought him home in triumph, the Baron Von Koeldwethout satthe smoky roof of the hall with a discontented aspect He sed huge bumpers of wine, but the entleerous distinction of sitting on his right and left, i, and frowned at each other

'”I will!” cried the baron suddenly, s his !”

'The four-and-twenty Lincoln greens turned pale, with the exception of their four-and-twenty noses, which were unchangeable

'”I said to the Lady of Grogzwig,” repeated the baron, looking round the board

'”To the Lady of Grogzwig!” shouted the Lincoln greens; and down their four-and-twenty throats went four-and-twenty imperial pints of such rare old hock, that they sain

'”The fair daughter of the Baron Von Swillenhausen,” said Koeldwethout, condescending to explain ”We will deoes down tomorrow If he refuse our suit, ill cut off his nose”

'A hoarse murmur arose from the company; every man touched, first the hilt of his sword, and then the tip of his nose, with appalling significance

'What a pleasant thing filial piety is to contehter of the Baron Von Swillenhausen had pleaded a preoccupied heart, or fallen at her father's feet and corned them in salt tears, or only fainted away, and coentleman in frantic ejaculations, the odds are a hundred to one but Swillenhausen Castle would have been turned out at , or rather the baron turned out at , and the castle demolished The daer bore the request of Von Koeldwethout next , and modestly retired to her cha of the suitor and his retinue She was no sooner assured that the horsee moustachios was her proffered husband, than she hastened to her father's presence, and expressed her readiness to sacrifice herself to secure his peace The venerable baron caught his child to his ar at the castle, that day The four-and-twenty Lincoln greens of Von Koeldwethout exchanged vows of eternal friendshi+p with twelve Lincoln greens of Von Swillenhausen, and promised the old baron that they would drink his wine ”Till all was blue”- probably until their whole countenances had acquired the same tint as their noses Everybody slapped everybody else's back, when the ti caaily home

'For six mortal weeks, the bears and boars had a holiday The houses of Koeldwethout and Swillenhausen were united; the spears rusted; and the baron's bugle grew hoarse for lack of blowing

'Those were great tih and palmy days had taken boots to the off

'”My dear,” said the baroness

'”My love,” said the baron