The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-12-21 00:00:00

We have not had

;hcrs ha

thor of the work now
universally-read " Pa
elan." In his new pro

nay, in some t

ightful
scape is
streams fl
breathe perf
real flesh and bl
•very day, and
by weakness, an

by virtue and print
story, " Now and I
its first pa

eipal cliarict
specimens of

Ifilverstoki

generous-h
Nmily—Ca,
Oxley, an a

tragedy. The
Rev. Mr. Hay!

kentlemat

haracter.
The velum,

book, is eve

i!kg extracts will give

the various (

Somewl

of our good

counties is needl

self, a cotta

Seen so

Our notice, wit

mg at a cottag
was most snug

jessamine, ho

stood a bi
stretched d,
flowers and
the ground
that the bt
mansion so

them in pleasant place, indeed. The cottage was built
very substantially, though originally somewhat rudely, and
principally sea-shore stones. It had a thick thatched
roof, and the walls were low. In front there were only
two windows, one above another, the former much larger
than the latter, the one belonging to the room of the cot-
tage, the other to what might be called the chief bed-
room; for of these latter there were three—two being
small and at the back of the cottage. At a little distance
behind, and somewhat to the lett, stood an elm-tree, its
trunk completely covered with ivy ; and so effectually did
it shelter the cottage, and otherwise so materially contri-
bute to its snug, picturesque appearance, that there could
be little doubt of the tree's having reached its maturity
before there was any cottage fot it to grace and protect.
Beside this tree was a wicket, by which was entered a little
slip of ground, half garden and half orchard. All this
formed the remnant of a little freehold property, which
had belonged to the present owner and to his family before
him, for several generations. The initial letter (A) of
their name, Ayliffe, was rudely cut in old English cha-
racter, in a piece of stone forming a sort of centre-facing
ever the doorway ; and no one then living in the cottage
knew when that letter had been cut. He who now owned
the cottage was Adam Ayliffe, once a substantial, but now
a reduced yeoman, well stricken in years, being at the time
tow spoken of not far from his sixty-sixth year. The
crown of his head was bald, and very finely formed; and
the little hair that he had left was of a silvery colour,
verging on white. His countenance and figure were very
striking to an observant beholder, who would have said at
once, That man is of a firm and upright character, and
has seen trouble,'—all which was indeed distinctly written
k its open Saxon features. His eye was of a clear blue,
and steadfast in its gaze ; and when he spoke, it was with
a certain quaintness, which seemed in keeping with his
simple and stern character. All who had ever known Ay-
liffe entertained for him a deep respect. He was of a very
independent spirit, somewhat taciturn, and of a retiring
and contemplative humour. His life was utterly blame-
less, and regulated throughout by the purifying and ele-
vating influence of Christianity. The excellent vicar of
the parish in which he lived reverenced him, holding him
np as a pattern, and pointing him out as one of whom it
might be humbly said, Behold an Israelite indeed, in
whom there is no guile. Yet the last two years of his
life had been passed in great trouble. Ten years before
had occurred, in the loss of his wife, who had been in
every way worthy of him, the first great sorrow of his life.
After twenty years spent together in happiness greater
than the tongue could tell, it had pleased God, who had
given her to him, to take her away quite suddenly,
but very gently. He woke one morning when she woke
Rot, but lay sweetly sleeping the sleep of death. Thus
Sarah was gone, and thenceforth his great hone was to
follow her, and be with her again. His spirit was stunned
for a while, but murmured not, saying, with solemn re-
signation, ' The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken
away : blessed be the name of the Lord.' A year or two
afterwards occurred to him a second trouble, great, but of
a' different kind. He was suddenly reduced almost to
beggary. To enable the son of an old deceased friend to
become a collector of public rates in an adjoining county,
Ayliffe had unsuspiciously become his surety. The man,
however, for whom he had done' this service fell soon
afterwards into intemperate and dissolute habits ; dis-
honesty, as usual, soon followed : and poor Ayliffe was
horrified one evening by being called upon, his principal
having absconded, a defaulter to a considerable extent, to
eontribute to repair the deficiency to the full extent of
his bond. At the time of this sad event Ayliffe was the
freehold owner of some forty or fifty acres of ground
Adjoining his cottage, besides some sums of money ad-
vanced upon mortgage to a neighbour, the interest of
which he was setting apart for a purpose which will be
presently mentioned. But all was suddenly sacrificed ,
not only the small accumulation of interest, but the
principal from which it had grown,—and not only that,
but more than half of his own land had to be sold to
make good the loss for which he had so unhappily become
liable. The stroke seemed to prostrate poor Ayliffe, not
only on account of his severe pecuniary loss, but his
betrayed confidence. Nor was this all :—his favourite
purpose had been suddenly defeated, that purpose hav-
ing been making a provision for the marriage of his only
child, a son, called after himself Adam,—being the fifth
Adam Ayliffe, father and son, for as many generations.
That grand object was now defeated ; and father and

son shortly afterwards experienced a bitter proof of
the too frequent fickleness of earthly friendships. The
girl whose hand had been pledged to him readily broke off
the match at her parents' desire ; and she being very
pretty, and they so well to do in the world as would have
enabled them with ease to have set Adam Ayliffe and her
comfortably going in life, little difficulty was found in
obtaining a successor to poor Adam, in a thriving young
farmer whom she had actually jilted in his favour ; for
Adam was not only of an old family, and would succeed
to considerable family property, but was at once one of
the finest young fellows in the county, with a handsome
countenance, of a most engaging frankness, a figure tall
and well formed, possessed of surpassing activity and
strength, and of a daring and reckless courage. In all
manly exercises he excelled every competitor ; and as to
his feats at singlestick, they wore talked of in several
adjoining counties. Every one liked Adam Ayliffe : he
had a laugh and a good word for all whom he met,—
would do any thing to oblige any body. and seemed not
to know that there was such a thing in the world to be
looked after as--self."

A. PAINFUL AND A

'ING SCENT

" Feeling it quite impossible to ask the miserable con-
vict such questions as Mr. Hylton had wished, he resolved
not to make the attempt, but to do it as prudently and as
early as might be, through old Ayliffe, or the chaplain or
governor of the gaol. He was just about to leave, and
was considering in what terms he could the most effec.
tually address himself to Ayliffe, when, without any sum-

eons having issued from within the door was unlocked,
ad the turnkey, putting his head within, said,
" I say, my man, here's the woman come with your
thild;that you've been asking for. They'll come in when

the gentleman goes.'
" Ayliffe started up from his seat with an eager motion
towards the door, but was suddenly jerked down again,
having forgotten in his momentary enstacy that his irons
were attached to a staple in the floc)
" ' Come, come, my man '
thou must I

r, sternly,
this child

is to come to thee.'
" ' Give n.e the la(
paid Ayliffe, in a hoar