Year: 1867

OF nope. A heart like thlne-h0peful, strong, en-
ergetic, and self denying-is to all around, in all
the trying emergencies of life, like a consecrated
banner on the battlefield The timid and dispirit-
ed gather around him, and confidence and courage
came upon them like an inspiration from above
Those who have been stricken down in the battle
of life, taking confidence from his serene brow,
buckle on their armour and renew the strife, more
strong, more hopeful from the contagious fear
lessness, that heeds not disaster but after every
defeat arouses with ten-fold energy. Where is the
man, whose soul is not all of the earth, whether
christian or pagan, who is nota hero-worshipper?


An active hustle succeeded to the chilling apathy
which had fallen upon the party atthe bluff. Hor-
ses were harnessed up, and in their solicitude for
the safety of their fair friend all of the party save
one or two, took their way to the lower bluff with
er Guiscard was Fastening to intercept the invoun
tary voyager.


1t was a rough and painless way that he took
In his eagerness to arrive in full time for the relief
Of Helen Rothsay, he had turned out of the road,
which was longer by miles than the short cut he
made across the country. Now and then, a cart
path for few hundred yards lay in his route, and
then he suffered black Bayard to course along at
will and when this again deviated from his route
he picked his way through the more open parts of
the country at an easy gaIop. Many a day had he
followed the chase across the same track with the
pleasurable excitement Of devoted sportsman, and
well he knew every portion of the wood. He was
pursuing the shortest practical route, which even
leisure of reflection and calculation could not have
enabled him to shorten. Like all who spring from
families of the south of France, that derive their
blood mostly from the Moor. he was ardent, enthu-
sastic and excitable but in the midst of the great
est excitement his intellect was calm, unclouded,
and if not calculating at least possessed of that in
tutive correctness of perception, which differs from
calculation, only in the rapidity of its processes


He forbore to urge his good steed to any weari-
some exertion of speed. He must reach the spot
whittier he was fastening, not only in season. but
his horse must also be in proper plight to breast the
current galantly and successfully, if necessity re-
quired. This consideration caused him often to
tighten the rein and check the speed of his eager
animal


The danger of the maiden, opened his eyes fully
to his own feelings in regard to her. Until now, he
had never been fully aware of the hold which she
possessed upon his affections He had felt that she
was amiable, attractive, beautiful, and even fascina-
ting but is not the rose that blossoms on the bough
sweet to the eyes, and does not every lover of ma
ture delight to linger over the flowers that God
has made? What was she to him. more than the
beautiful creation that bloomed around-mor than
the gorgeous sunsets, and the cloudy robe of silver
and gold and purple, that floats around the god of
day, when he walks down southern summer skies,
and leaves the world to soothing slumbers and
soft repose? Beautifulwas she indeed and that
his heart had often confessed but he had scarcely
dreamed that, if she were blotted from existence,
it would leave void in his heart which all the
beauties of creation or the companship of others
could not fill. While these thoughts were passing
through his mind, unconscously there rose to his
lips the beautiful lines of Mlton:-


'But neither breath Of morn when she ascends


With charm of earliest birds; rising


On this delightful land nor herb, fruit, flower


Clustering with dew nor fragrance after showers,


Nor grateful evening mild nor silent Night


With this her solemn bird walk by moon


Or gttcrng starlight, withoutthee issweet."


While loving her with all the intensityo his ardent
nature, he felt that if he wooed her as bride, it
would be but to involve her in the destiny that had
followed all whom his ill-fated race had dared to
wed; that by the bridal altar to which the Guis-
cards led the young and the beautifulwhom it was
their evil fate to love- there stood an invisible spec
tire, the claimant of the bride whom her mortal
lover held by tenure as weak as brittle thread of
glass Oh, vain and delusive happiness, founded
upon the love and affections of mortals-how it
withers and perishes away, Ikea feeble flower in an
untimely frost!


The unveiling of the recesses of his own heart
was not unmixed with pain. 1t often brings sense
of insecurity and apprehension, to know that our
happiness and wel-being gareinvoved in that of an
other, when fate or circumstances have raised up
between us barriers which we may not or dare not
surmount.


"She can never be bride of mine;" was the con-
Guiding rehectionof Guiscard, as he emerged from
the wood and halted on the bluff, from which he
hoped soon to espy the canoe floating down the
stream, with its precious burden unharmed. LET
some man of happier destiny WOO and win her.
She will never be the victim of my love. 1 shall
tread my path alone-the last of my blood and
ask no more from Heaven than power to save her,
for whom would gladly die


As he thus soliloquized, he dismounted from his
horse and stood surveying the angry stream. For
about the lengtho two ohundred yards the highland
abutted upon the river, while, above and below this
space, a tangled swamp extended back for nearly a
mile. This was now completely inundated by the
freshet, which reached within three or four feet of
the rounded summit of the level of the bluff, on
which he stood. Along themargin, at his feet, the
waters lay STILL with scarcely perceptible current;
but some fifty feet from the bank, the fierce broad
current began and extended nearly two hundred
yards to the further bank, now only defined by the
tops of tall trees rising above the food and quyer
ing in the current that broke and gurgled among
them. All thespace between this line and the bluff
where Guiscard stood, except the dead water near
the shore, was a swift and tumultuous current,
hecked by foam, and bearing along on its angry
waves huge trunks of trees, which went leaping a.
long from surge to surge, like down upon the wind.
Itwas a fit symbol of wild and resstless power
which nothing could withstand, Should Guiscard
enter the river at the point where he then Stood it
was obvious that he would be swept down, by the


force of the current, several hundred yards, before
he could gain the further side. To remedy this
difficulty, he assembled along the bank until his fur