The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-12-15 00:00:00

hint ; and to his partner, Mr. Merrythorpe, a good-
tempered, happy little personage, who represents the Co.
Tea years previously the eldest son of the former had se-
riously offended his parent by forming an alliance with a
young orphan girl, engaged in his father's house to super-
intend the education of a younger brother, and, for this
offence, he had been driven from his home and his name
forbidden to be mentioned within its walls. Good Mr.
Merrythorpe, however, and his wife, had kept their eyes
upon the outcast ; and by their influence he had succeeded
iu getting a highly responsible employment in a merchant's
counting-house, from which he derived a moderate coin-
petence. The interest of the tale hinges upon the success
of certain efforts made by Mr. Merrythorpe, his wife, and
the mother and brother of the offending young man, to
procure for him and his innocent wife and children, from
the unbending and stern father, forgiveness of his early
fault. The history of the second brother affords alto a
touching and instructive episode. The plan adopted to
soften the haughty father is the introduction into his
house of one of the children of his discarded son, in the
hope of first winning his affections, and ultimately bring-
ing about the forgiveness of all, The effort to introduce
the child—" Darling Denham"—has been successful, and
the following beautiful little incident occurs:—
" A week had passed ; but the scene is again that din-
ing parlour. Just the same it looks, and yet what a dif-
ference may be traced! You could have dreamed the
rich damask window-curtains had never been undrawn,
for they have fallen. in just the same massive folds as be-
fore; and the suspended lamps are casting the same light
upon a choice dessert, and gleaming on fine glass, through
which the wine sparkles like melted rubies and liquid am-
ber. But chairs are not drawn upon the hearth-rug now,
the proprieties are rigidly considered, and Reginald occu-
pies one side of the table.
" The ' angel in blue' is there ! Not seated on a stiff,
uncomfortable nursery chair, and frightened into silence
by grave looks ; or shyly crouching near his first friend
for protection. Not at all,-but perched upon the knee of
Mr. Hamilton Howard Hamilton with one arm thrown
round his neck, and all the confidence arising-from six
days' intimate acquaintance ; and just at that moment
watching with childish glee the manufacture of an orange-
peel basket, —to be filled with a particle of every delicacy
on the table—on which Mr..Ef. H. Hamilton was busily
engaged, lamenting now and then his own awkwardness
at an art in which, twenty years before, he had been a-pro-
ficient. It put him in mind of the time when-Reginald
was just such a child, and made him think of poor Ed-
ward ! This he said. But surely there was an unspoken
memory of the absent which mingled with the sigh heard
at the mention of the dead !
" Darling Denham was unquestionably the chief object
of attention at the table ; he had been prattling away about
his mamma and papa, and brother and sister, the kitten,
and a certain toy horse and cart belonging to Edward,
which seemed, by his account, to merit unbounded admi-
ration. Meanwhile the basket had been completed,
quickly filled, quickly emptied. and—broken.
" ` But I would not have a cart with only one horse-,'
said Mr. Hamilton, forgetting all dignity in the delight he
had in drawing on the child to prattle. ` I would have a
cart with four horses, would not you ?'
" This was evidently a new idea ; and little Denham had
not yet made room for it in his mind. He looked up
astonished, and his cherry lips just parted, but he did not
speak.
" ` I saw a cart so large,' continued Mr. Hamilton,
measuring about a foot on the dining table, ` laden with
barrels, and drawn by four horses; shall I bring it home
for Darling to-morrow ?'
" The child's mind had cleared with this description,
and now the idea was taken in distinctly. But t( o bash-
ful at the magnificence of the promised gift to speak, he
threw both arms now round Mr. Hamilton's• neck, and
hugged himself against his breast. The hug was—returned.
" ' I think Darling you must be sleepy,' said Mrs.
Hamilton a few minutes afterwards, `it is past bed time.'
" What an odd name to give a child,' interrupted

Reginald.
" But it suits him exactly, does it not ?' returned his