this mysterious stranger, whom she now supposed to be some poor maniac, who was wandering about the country.

The lamp had not been extinguished in its fall, and as soon as her tottering limbs would let her move from the spot where she stood, she went towards it and took it up. It was more curious and beautiful than any thing of the kind she had ever seen. The covering was of crystal in a globular form, one half smeared over with fresh-looking blood, or with some colour that resembled it. The stand was either of gold, or of the finest brass, and appeared to be of exquisite workmanship, though most of the figures represented on it were the most incongruous that could well be imagined. But she did not spend much time in examining it, as she was desirous of getting home as quickly as she could. She took the lamp with her, and had not gone many yards before she saw a still more cheering gleam issuing from their cottage window, to which she gladly drew near, and in a short time had the comfort of finding herself on her own threshold.

Her mother had retired to rest, but had left the door unfastened; she was not, however, gone to sleep, but said that she lay listening for her arrival. She spoke very kindly and comfortably to her daughter, and as she did not ask her any particulars of her walk home, or what made her so late, Sephora forebore to give her her any, and thought it best not to furnish her with any matter of cogitation that might disturb her

rest.

She quickly took some refreshment herself, and retiring to her own room, set her curious lamp down on the table, and began to examine it more accurately. The idea at this moment first presented itself to her mind, that this lamp was not hers, and that she had no right to bring it away, that it was in fact stealing the property of another. This thought disturbed her very much. She tried to argue it away by the consideration, that what she had done was mere thoughtlessness, for the idea of any thing wrong had never entered her mind till this instant. She put out the lamp and went to rest,

somewhat fortified by this consideration. But conscience, when unused to yield to any base power, is a stout disputant, and she now returned to the attack, and told Sephora, that though it was no crime in her to carry away the lamp, because she did not then suspect it to be evil, yet the moment she perceived that it was so, it became her duty to carry it back to the place from whence she took it, where the stranger would be likely to look for it, and where it was plain she might have taken it without any danger, because, even if she should have encountered this unfortunate being again, which was not very likely, it was evident that she inspired greater terror in him, than he did in her.

It was in vain that these thoughts came into her mind now, for they came too late for redress, and served only to torment her. The light was extinguished, and in utter darkness she felt that it was quite impossible for her to get up and find the lamp, and carry it to the place from whence she took it. At length she came to the resolution of

lying awake till the dawn of day, and then going to replace it under the plane tree.

Her mind was now at ease, and this circumstance, together with her weariness from the fatigues of the day, made her insensibly forget her determination and yield to sleep, and it was much later than her usual time of rising before she awoke. The first thought that came into her mind was the lamp. She started up to look towards the table where she had left it the night before, but it was gone. When, or how, she could not imagine, and she felt so confused with just awaking, and with the hurry of ideas that rushed immediately into her mind, that she doubted for a moment whether it were not all a dream. But her thoughts soon becoming more settled, she clearly recollected all the circumstances of the preceding evening. She directly went into Pythonissa's room, intending to ask her if she had been in her chamber and taken away the lamp, but finding her mother asleep, she perceived that that could not have been the case, and recollecting how much her description of this stranger had alarmed her

before, she forebore to say anything of her loss, as she knew the mention of the lamp must necessarily lead to all the circumstances connected with having had it in her possession. How to account for its disappearance she knew not. Some perplexing thoughts passed through her mind, but this was not an hour to be held long in the chains of mystery. The sun was shining bright on the dewy earth, and the indefatigable bees were thickly clustered round their hives, and buzzing and fluttering over a knot of autumnal flowers that grew before her window, inciting her by their cheerful industry to emulate their example. And soon a little troop of their neighbours came moving towards their cottage with a jocund step, to invite its inmates to go again to the plain of Zaanaim and assist in driving their flocks. Sephora, on receiving this proposal, looked towards her mother, to see how she felt inclined; as for herself, she would rather have stayed at home. But Pythonissa, though she declined going herself, absolutely insisted on her daughter's accompanying her