, 1841-12-18

From the London Eerp.nkr for iS:i2.
Circumstantial Evidence.
A Tale.
BY C. P. r. N Esq.

In the reign of an ancient king OF Great
Britain, whose namr was George. and who
consequently is supposed to have furnished
on this side. both of the Conquest by the
Norman William and the Reclamation nf
our Church. under the renowned British
Bluebeard. Henry the Wifekiiler; and about
the period at which the British stage coach
first sprung into existence, under the form
and condition Of n snail. and the title of a
diligence, there appeared-hv the side of n
highway. which ran along the southern coas,
OF England. and led tn that sprt with an aw-
full name, still called the Dand'S End-a soil
tarv public house. with a little circular piece
OF ground before il. and an apple orchard
thIckly planted with trees behind il: beyond
which. again, was a place called The Garden;
though, i; must he acknowledged. tina, those
who did call it Sd were very courteous and
liberal in their e~pithets. Every one who
has seen Mount Edgecumhe knows well that
the most luxnriant vegetation Of which it IS
possible 10 imagine. can he produced 81 the
very verge Of old oceans rel m: Int no such
pains as arrshere bestowed had been given
the vegetable kingdom of the garden Of
which | speak, and n scantv array Of cab
ups anu ill'lS. WIS All IilI' inc
spot OF ground could boast. Even that was
looked upon in those DAYS ali hut miraculous.
considering that the garden crept 10 the very
edge Of the cliff which overhung the SEA; and
Neptune, as If indignant at the presumption
of the thing. would come ang ilv up to the
very bottom OF the bank at high wrter dn-
ring all seasons of the wear, but. when he
got cholerIc in the spring and autumn. would
bestow a buffet with his trident upon the
cliff itself, whi.h swept away. from time 10
time, a row of cahbages or a bed Of onions.
together with the soil in which thew were
planted. The house itself had an aspect
some what gloomy, and its gables were turn
ed towards the road, the entrance being
reached by a step. not up but down.
The face of the landlord was n merry
face and 4 gay one; but with all that he was
a prudent man, took care that his wit should
go as far as it would. made one Joke serve
MANY customers, had a loud laugh to answer
any question, that he did not choose 10 give
Q more definite reply to. eked out his mean
ing by a knowing look, which is not tangible
to the fangs of the law, and always spoke
wei. of the Justice of the peace. HIS vile
looked as if she could have been n Quaker:
ie "dS au hudodptSis HpWfNti. dH" u u
supposed, or at least was supposed by the
penple in the neighbnrh"od. that the beer in
that house turned more rapidly sour ,hn in
any other in the country.
1t was a nasty, sqnallv. rainy afternoon;
and the diligence WIS winding slowly along
upon the aforesaid road, at the average pace
of three miles and a half an hour; while the
rain kept beating in at various points Of the
crazy and ill.contrived vehicle. whm one
traveller in the inside said to another
Forty miles more, Frederick-fof miles
more.'
save said the other, 'and this snil of n
machine goes on as if it never intendd TO ar
rive at the end of the journev.'
..While your heart flies on with lie wings
Of love- replied the first VIII" spoke and yet
cannot reach Mary's feet any later than
the diligence l.,
/: the two gentlemen who thus .onversed
were the sole tenants Of the nadine, and
they were both young men Of fie or six
and.,wsnty years Of sgs. The one who