So said Madame Bantes, and then left her to join her husband at the breakfast table.

"What ails the girl?" was his first question.

"She wants confidence in you and me, and yet is this the result of her affection for us both."

Stupid stuff-and such like, mamma; you have something behind the curtain again. Yesterday she had a headache and to-day she wants confidence."

"She is afraid of giving you pain, that makes her ill.”

"Silly nonsense, and such like."

"And she is afraid of your forcing Herr von Hahn upon her whether she likes him or not. She has never yet seen him. She had rather not see him. Her heart has already made its choice: she and Waldrich have a regard for each other; you might have noticed it long ago."

"Stop!" cried Herr Bantes; and he put down his coffee cup, pondered a little, again raised his cup and said, "Go on."

"How go on? I would only add that you should be cautious, and not push on this marriage too hastily, if you do not wish to cause sorrow unnecessarily. It is possible that the commandant may be removed to another garrison, and that time and absence may weaken this first love; then"-

"Right, that is just my own opinion. I shall write to his general, he must go to another garrison. What the deuce! Frederica shall never be a captain's wife. I shall write by the next post. How confoundedly provoking!"

Madame Bantes had now made a beginning: there followed, in truth, rather a lively discussion; Herr Bantes stormed a little, according to custom, and spoke out his will decidedly enough; nevertheless, he acknowledged he must go cautiously to work-not attempt to stem the torrent, nor offer violence to his daughter's affections ; Waldrich must by gentle means be removed from Herbesheim; Frederica's regard for him was not to be openly opposed, that she might become more calm, and that thus, by wisely steering his own course, he might, without her being aware of it, gain his own desired object.

"After all, it is an annoying affair," said Herr Bantes in manifest vexation, and he repeated the same when he came to a private understanding with Frederica.

"Now, mark," said he to her, "you are a sensible girl and ought not to let yourself be trifled with, like any silly fool. However, as I said before, I have nothing to say against it; fall in love if you will, VOL. X., N.S. 1873.

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but don't think about marrying. That won't do. You are too young -don't let things go too far; learn to know something of the world; every one has his own good points; consider, therefore, what is fitting for yourself: make Herr von Hahn's acquaintance—if you don't like him, off he shall go. I will not force you to anything, only, on the other hand, do not force me."

Thus was domestic peace restored, and a threatened storm diverted by Madame Bantes's prudence, and changed into a soft genial shower. Former cheerfulness was, as far as could be, restored, and things resumed their ordinary course. Frederica, quite at ease, thanked Heaven that she had so far succeeded, and felt a confident hope of 'better things" to come. Herr Bantes, too, anticipated from the future "better things." He was rejoiced that Frederica had resumed her former gaiety, and put his plan into execution of writing to the general. Madame Bantes, who loved with equal tenderness her husband and her daughter, hoped less, feared less; she left events to the guidance of Heaven. She regarded Waldrich as an adopted son; but she also highly valued Herr von Hahn, not only on account of the favourable reports she had received of him, but also on account of her husband's prepossession in his favour. anxious for her daughter's happiness; to her it was means of whom that object was accomplished.

She was only indifferent by

(To be continued.)

L'EMPEREUR EST MORT.

BY THE EARL OF WINCHILSEA AND NOTTINGHAM.

F scourge and thong how sore's the need!
Back, yelping curs of Rochefort's breed!
Back, sons of Communistic greed!
E'en hang the head!

From all your treacheries he's freed--
A great man's dead!

His faults, mayhap, were not a few,
But loyal were his aims and true;
He failed as most French rulers do-
But he loved France:

While you, ye fickle, noisy crew,
Eyed him askance.

From first to last, from great to small,
Who rightly answered duty's call?

But Nemesis prepared his fall,
While yours lacked point;

Small creeping maggots bred in all
Times out of joint.

To him was given perhaps no right
For which a chivalry will fight;
But he found France in woeful plight
With none to speed-

Long past the cure of words polite-
And did a deed!

He found her outraged and forlorn,
The shuttlecock of every scorn,
The waif of a late schemer born
Of her old kings,

And dared to promise her a dawn
Of better things.

Then, sudden as an April shower,

Did Faction paralyse his power,
And rivals rave, and liege-men cower;
And one and all

Left him-the scape-goat of an hour,
Alone to fall.

Embittered end of checquered part!-
Ambition, ta'en for what thou art,
The wreck of feeling, soul, and heart,
Who would compete

For the best prizes of thy mart
Laid at his feet?

But this I'll say of him :-" Although
He'd plumbed the depths of weal and woe.
He never persecuted foe,

Or cast off friend!”

Can any of his judges show
Much less to mend?

In troubled times his star appeared,
On chaos' self his throne was reared,
And yet for many a day he steered
Through channels dark,

Till Treachery's sullen rocks were neared :
They sank his bark.