The meek little stationer, with a broken and unfinished cough, slips down his fourth half-crown,-he has never been so close to a case requiring so many,—and is fain to depart. And Jo and he, upon this little earth, shall meet no more. No more.

66

(Another Scene.-Enter Mr. Woodcourt.)

Well, Jo, what is the matter? Don't be fright

ened."

"I thought," says Jo, who has started, and is looking round," I thought I was in Tom-all-Alone's agin. An't there nobody here but you, Mr. Woodcot?"

"Nobody."

"And I an't took back to Tom-all-Alone's, am I, sir?"

"No."

Jo closes his eyes, muttering, "I am wery thankful." After watching him closely a little while, Allan puts his mouth very near his ear, and says to him in a low, distinct voice: "Jo, did you ever know a prayer?" "Never knowd nothink, sir."

"Not so much as one short prayer?"

"No, sir. Nothink at all. Mr. Chadbands he wos a prayin' onst at Mr. Sangsby's and I heerd him, but he sounded as if he was speakin' to hisself, and not to me. He prayed a lot, but I couldn't make out nothink on it. Different times there wos other gentlemen come down Tom-all-Alone's a prayin', but they all mostly said as the t'other wuns prayed wrong, and all mostly sounded to be a talkin' to theirselves, or a passin' blame on the t'others, and not a talkin' to us. We never knowed nothink. I never knowed what it was all about."

It takes him a long time to say this; and few but an experienced and attentive listener could hear, or hear

ing, understand him. After a short relapse into sleep or stupor, he makes, of a sudden, a strong effort to get out of bed.

"Stay, Jo, stay! What now?"

"It's time for me to go to that there berryin' ground, sir," he returns with a wild look.

"Lie down and tell me. What burying ground, Jo?"

"Where they laid him as wos wery good to me; wery good to me indeed, he wos. It's time for me to go down to that there berryin' ground, sir, and ask to be put along with him. I wants to go there and be berried. He used fur to say to me, 'I am as poor as you, to-day, Jo,' he ses. I wants to tell him that I am as poor as him now, and have come there to be laid along with him." By-and-by, Jo; by-and-by."

"Ah! P'raps they wouldn't do it if I wos to go myself. But will you promise to have me took there, sir, and laid along with him?"

"I will, indeed."

"Thankee, sir! Thankee, sir! They'll have to get the key of the gate afore they can take me in, for it's allus locked. And there's a step there, as I used fur to clean with my broom.-It's turned wery dark, sir. Is there any light a comin'?”

"It is coming fast, Jo."

Fast. The cart is shaken all to pieces, and the rugged road is very near its end.

"Jo, my poor fellow!"

“I hear you, sir, in the dark, but I'm a gropin'—a gropin'-let me catch hold of your hand."

"Jo, can you say what I say?"

"I'll say anythink as you say, sir, for I knows it's good."

"OUR FATHER."

"Our Father!-yes, that's wery good, sir." "WHICH ART IN HEAVEN."

"Art in Heaven!—Is the light a comin', sir?" "It is close at hand. HALLOWED BE THY NAME.” "Hallowed be-thy-name!''

The light has come upon the dark benighted way. Dead.

Dead, your Majesty. Dead, my lords and gentlemen. Dead, Right Reverends and Wrong Reverends of every order. Dead, men and women, born with heavenly compassion in your hearts. And dying thus around us every day.-CHARLES DICKENS.

Please-I'll be strong

If you'll just let me wait
Inside o' that gate

Till the news comes along.

"Negligence "

That was the cause;

Butchery!

Are there no laws

Laws to protect such as we?

Well, then!

I won't raise my voice, There, men!

I won't make no noise:

Only you just let me be.

Four, only four-did he say

Saved! and the other ones?-Eh!

Why do they call?

Why are they all

Looking and coming this way?

What's that?-a message?

I'll take it.

I know his wife, sir,

I'll break it.

"Foreman !"

Ay, ay!

"Out by and by "— "Just saved his life." "Say to his wife,

Soon he'll be free." Will I?-God bless you,

It's me!

F. BRET HARTE

EXPERIENCE WITH EUROPEAN GUIDES.

EU

UROPEAN guides know about enough English to tangle everything up neither head nor tail of it.

so that a man can make They know their story by

heart, the history of every statue, painting, cathedral, or other wonder they show you. They know it and tell it as a parrot would,—and if you interrupt and throw them off the track, they have to go back and begin over again. All their lives long they are employed in showing strange things to foreigners and listening to their bursts of admiration.

It is human nature to take delight in exciting admiration. It is what prompts children to say "smart" things and do absurd ones, and in other ways "show off" when company is present. It is what makes gossips turn out in rain and storm to go and be the first to tell a startling bit of news. Think, then, what a passion it becomes with a guide, whose privilege it is, every day, to show to strangers wonders that throw them into perfect ecstasies of admiration! He gets so that he could not by any possibility live in a soberer atmosphere.

After we discovered this, we never went into ecstasies anymore, we never admired anything, we never showed any but impassable faces and stupid indifference in the presence of the sublimest wonders a guide had to display. We had found their weak point. We have made good use of it ever since. We have made some of those people savage at times, but we never lost our serenity.

The doctor asks the questions generally, because he can keep his countenance, and look more like an inspired idiot, and throw more imbecility into the tone of his voice than any man that lives. It comes natural to him.

The guides in Genoa are delighted to secure an Ameri