evening to see Othello, and I have been thinking ever since or the many beautiful passages which have been familiar to me from childhood, and which are to be found in that play."

Our hero became acquainted with all the beauties and defects of the mighty master. He read him, and heard him expounded. He studied him, and saw him illustrated. But of law-except the poetic law of the stagyrite-he was as ignorant as many other young gentlemen who read, or smoke, in lawyers' offices.

What was Uncle Abraham about all this time? Reading his favourite books, and indulging as much research into ancient literature, as a defective early education permitted. Still he entered into many speculative studies, and pursued them far beyond the reading of mere men of this world; and when he questioned his nephew on topics, little thought of by most young men, he was pleased to find him intelligent, inquiring, and in possession of knowledge uncommon for his age. At length, old Mr. Spiffard, the uncle, thought it time that Zeb should be prepared for his examination. He had passed nearly the number of years usual, and legally necessary, for reading law in the capital of Massachusetts. "I'll go to Mr. Treadwell's office, and talk the matter over with him, and with my nephew," said uncle Abraham. Accordingly, one day, as story-tellers have it, he appeared suddenly at the office, while Zeb was standing in the most approved attitude for delivering Marc Anthony's oration over the body of Julius Cæsar. The door had been left partly open, and his uncle entered, unperceived by the young orator, who was practising postures before a mirror ; which, though only intended to aid Mr. Treadwell in adjusting a cravat, before making his appearance in court, or in the green-room, disclosed the graces of our hero's person and action, (imperfectly it is true,) and at the same time served to let him see that he had an admirer behind him. He was in circumstances similar to the ghost of Hamlet's father, about to speak "when the cock crew," but alas! he could not vanish. The uncle had been standing for a moment, before the young lawyer was aware that any other than his own eyes witnessed his attitudenizing. When he saw the reflection of Uncle Abraham, he dropt his outstretched arm, and looked like any thing rather than a hero.

"That's right," said the old gentleman ; "I see that you are preparing yourself for public speaking. It is the sure road to wealth and honour in a republic."

The uncle certainly did not mean the same kind of public

speaking that occupied the mind of the nephew; but Zeb was relieved from his embarrassment by the train of thought which his preparation for enacting Marc Anthony had suggested; and his uncle proceeded to the business which had brought him to the office.

The

The result of Mr. Abraham Spiffard's inquiries was not so favourable to the belief of his nephew's progress in the acquisition of that knowledge, necessary for the orator of the Bar, the town house, the general assembly, or hall of congress. His questions were answered with perfect frankness by Zeb, who through life never lost his relish for truth or pure water. uncle was astonished that he had so long omitted those inquiries which now elicited the astounding fact that Treadwell had long neglected both his business and his pupil; who knew very little more of law, (particularly its practice,) than when he entered the office. The answer to one inquiry led to another, and the good old gentleman concluded his interrogatories by asking mildly, “Why, my son, did you not tell me all this?""

Zeb stood silent for some moments, before answering. Not that he wished to evade the question, but he wanted time to arrange his thoughts, like one of our Indians at a council-meeting; one of those men whom we call our red brethren, and shoot when they do not get out of our way, exactly at the time we wish to improve their lands for our profit, and plough up the bones of their forefathers, with as little ceremony as we do those of our own. Zeb was conscious that he had not been doing as his uncle intended; and that although he had not planned to deceive the worthy man, yet he had suffered him to deceive himself. After collecting his thoughts, Indian fashion, he replied with perfect ingenuousness:

"I take shame to myself, sir; I ought to have told you all this, and not waited till you questioned me. I have reasoned with myself repeatedly upon the subject, and my reason always told me that I was not employing my time as you intended that it should be employed. But this self-examination did not take place until in consequence of my teacher's neglect and the love I had imbibed for the study of general literature, a secret dislike and afterwards to myself, an avowed determination had been formed not to devote myself to the profession of the law. To form such a resolution without consulting you, was wrong. Nay, I knew it to be wrong, at the time. But as every other study became more delightful to me, so, that for which I was placed here, became more and more disgusting. You appeared to be proud of my acquirements in languages

and literature, and I cheated myself into the belief, that, if I became a good scholar-a well informed man-and proved myself by my conduct a moral man, I might be permitted to choose some employment more congenial with my taste and feelings, than the dry and formal, or the uncertain, intricate, and oft-times disingenuous proceedings, connected with the transactions in our courts of justice. And I-I hoped-Yes, I will tell you all-that as you had avowed your determination to consider me in all things as your son, that you would permit me to travel, first in our country, and then in foreign lands, and thus to cultivate a knowledge of men, as well as of books, of manners, as well as science and literature-a knowledge which would enable me on my return to my dear native country, justly appreciating her institutions, to be an honour to you, a comfort and support to my parents, and to enter the lists as a candidate for office, with not only the desire, but the power to serve my countrymen—a power which should produce such effects as seemed to be the ultimate object you had in view for me-such effects as would meet your approbation, and justify the partiality you had evinced towards me."

The old gentleman was evidently agitated while his nephew poured forth this address. He took a chair, and sat down during its delivery with his eyes fixed on the floor, and his hat pulled over his brow: at its close he looked up, with some severity of aspect, and replied in a tone of unusual asperity, "So! knowing that by a life of industry I had accumulated a decent competency, you supposed that I would indulge you in a life of idleness?"

"O no, sir-"

The uncle would not be interrupted. "Your love of ingenuousness induced you to deceive me! You knew better, likewise, what my wishes were than I did myself! You thought it. would be more to your advantage to visit France, Italy, and Germany, and be presented at the courts of foreign princes than to attend the courts of law in Massachusetts, and become familiar with the institutions of the country you are to reside in: now, I have served my country, and was supposed to be qualified to promote the happiness of those connected with me, or whose welfare had been entrusted to me; and that without foreign travelling or any other travelling. I have been content with this town-and this town has been content with me. have lamented the deficiencies of my education, and hoped that by making you a scholar and a scientific lawyer, you would have been able to do more and better than I have done. I chose

I

a path for you, and supposed that you were following its course: but you have chosen another for yourself. Now, suppose was to say, 'I have been deceived,-go! pursue your own course I have done with you?' "

"I cannot suppose it, sir."

"Why not?"

It is not like you. Besides, I did not plan to deceive you.” "You saw me cherishing an error, and did not undeceive me."

"I was wrong, sir-but I deceived myself. I believed that I was qualifying myself to become that which you most wished me to become. I would willingly believe it still. I have heard you complain of the drudgery you have gone through to acquire wealth, and lament that you had not devoted more time to the more ennobling studies. I never doubted that you wished me to profit by the means in your possession, to enter into a wider field of action and competition than you had necessarily been confined to-that you wished me to rise above the professional technicalities and every-day labour of the court and the office. I will believe still that my kind uncle-my more than father, will aid me in the path I shall choose, provided he shall be convinced that it is the path of honour.”

"The path of the lawyer is a path of honour. He may build for himself a reputation which shall stand the assaults of envy or folly; but it must have its foundation in what you call the technicalities of the office, and the habit of every-day labour. That necessary habit you have not acquired. The foun-dation of honour is truth. If I should aid you to pursue the path you have preferred, and continue still to be a father to you, it will be after the conviction that you will not in future deceive another, or suffer another to deceive himself; and then make self-deception a plea, or an excuse for your conduct. I have confided in you-and I may say-" here the old man's voice faltered" I have loved you, because I thought I discovered in you a rooted love of truth-I thought it was habitual in act as in word-I thought-"

The young man interrupted him, "Next to my love of the Author of all Good, is my love of truth. My fervent desire is to be habitually frank and sincere in all my intercourse with my fellow-creatures. I have now received a lesson never to be

forgotten."

Mr. Spiffard was silent for a moment: his tone was changed, when he said: "I believe in the sincerity of your desire. The belief that such was ever your disposition, has made me a con

fiding father to you. But the love of God, and of truth, must be shown by obedience to their laws in deed and word."

66

Here, sir, before heaven-"

"No protestations, young man. Notwithstanding what has passed, and my bitter disappointment, I will confide in you-I must confide in you. If I thought that there had been a deliberate plan to deceive, confidence would have flown forever. We cannot believe at will. I intend that you shall be my heir: and as you have given me to know that you will not pursue the law as a profession, I will, inasmuch as you have arrived at an age beyond childhood, consult your wishes, and we will be determined as to the future by our cool consideration of the matter."

Zeb attempted to speak, but his voice failed him. Tears ran down his checks, and he sobbed aloud. Here ended this momentous conference. Uncle Spiffard soon after had an explanation with Mr. Thomas Treadwell, and Zeb was withdrawn from the study of the law.

CHAPTER X.

We return home.—Medicine and Theology in Vermont.

"Let us sit and mock the good housewife, Fortune, from her wheel, that her gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally."

"Fortune reigns in gifts of the world, not in the lineaments of nature.” "I never did repent of doing good, nor shall not now."

Shakspeare.

"One really does meet with characters that fiction would seem too bold in portraying. This original had an aversion to liquor, which amounted to abhorrence; being embittered by his regret at the mischiefs resulting from it to his friends."-Mrs. Grant.

OUR hero had been between two and three years from under the paternal roof, and, strange as it may appear, had never visited the place of his nativity. One image, connected with home, haunted him. He saw it in the streets, in various shapes, and oft times followed its reeling and devious course, as the bewildered traveller follows the meteor which leads into the marsh or pool, its poisonous origin. This image banished