crowded with barges-between which- -But and silently, with finger on her lip, she drew him Andrew was not one to brood over imaginary hor-on to the side of that humble bed, and there, indeed, rors, in hopeless inaction, and the opinion of others fast locked in sleep, in sweet, untroubled sleep, lay encouraged him to hope that his son had only been the little thoughtless one, whose disappearance had lured away by the equestrian mountebanks. With inflicted such cruel anxiety and distress. the earliest dawn, therefore, mounted on the young powerful grey, he was away from C, and, (according to the clew at last obtained) in the track of the itinerants. But they were far in advance, and soon after passing through the turnpike, had struck into cross country-roads and by-ways, so that the pursuit was necessarily tedious and difficult; and Andrew was unused to travelling, having never before adventured twenty miles beyond his native place. No wonder that he was sorely jaded in body and mind, when he put up for the night at a small town about thirty miles from C- -, through which he ascertained, however, that the caravan, with its escort, had passed early in the morning of the preceding day-that the troop, while stopping to bait, had talked of Carlisle as their next place of exhibition; and had, in fact, struck into the great north road when they proceeded on their way. Andrew could gain no intel-poured out his whole heart in gratitude to his Creligence whether a boy, such as he described, accompanied the party. It having been very early in the morning when they baited their horses at the females of the band and children (if there were any) were still asleep within the closed caravan.

So Andrew proceeded with a heavy heart, but a spirit of determined perseverance-and his pursuit (now that he was fairly on the track of its object) was comparatively easy.

The boy was sleeping sweetly, but his cheeks and lips were almost colorless; a thick linen bandage was bound round his head; and over one temple, a soft fair curl, that had escaped from the fillet, was dyed and stuck together with clotted blood. Andrew shuddered at the sight; but the woman repeated her whispered assurance, that there was no serious injury. Then the father knelt softly down beside his recovered darling, his head bent low over the little tremulous hand that lay upon the patchwork-counterpane. Almost involuntarily his lips approached it; but he refrained himself by a strong effort, and, throwing back his head, lifted his eyes to heaven, in an ecstasy of silent gratitude; and, one after another, large tears rolled down over the rough, hard-featured face, every muscle of which quivered with powerful emotion. Yes, for the first time in his life, Andrew Cleaves ator in the presence of a fellow-creature; and when he arose from his knees, so far was he from shrinking abased and humiliated from the eyes that were upon him, that, turning to the woman, and strongly grasping her hands in his own, he said, softly and solemnly, "Now I see of a truth, that a man may cast his bread upon the waters, and find it again after many days. I gave thee and thine orphan babe a little food and a night's shelter, and thou restorest to me my child. While Andrew About mid-day, in mercy to his beast, as well as Cleaves has a morsel of bread, thou shalt share it to recruit his own strength, he halted at a hedge with him." And he was as good as his word; alehouse, when, having unsaddled Greybeard, and and from that hour, whatever were, in other reseen that he was taken care of, he entered the spects, his still inveterate habits of thrift and parkitchen and called for refreshment. There were simony, Andrew Cleaves was never known to many persons drinking and talking in the place," turn away his face from any poor man." and Andrew failed not to make his customary By degrees all particulars relating to Joey's disinquiries, which awakened an immediate clamor of appearance and his providential recovery, were cirtongues every one being ready with some infor- cumstantially unravelled. The little varlet had mation relating to the troop Andrew was in pur- been accidentally separated from his school-fellow, suit of. Such was the confusion of voices, how- and while gaping about the fair in search of him, ever, that he was kept for a moment in painful had straggled towards the large showy booth, suspense, when a decent-looking woman, (appa- where feats of rope-dancing and horsemanship rently a traveller,) who was taking her quiet meal were exhibited. Long he stood absorbed in wonin one corner of the kitchen, came hastily forward, dering admiration of the Merry-Andrew's antic and laying her hand on Andrew's arm, and look- gestures, and the spangled draperies and nodding ing earnestly in his face, exclaimed," After plumes of the beautiful lady who condescended to what are ye asking, master? Is it for a stray twirl the tambourine, and foot it aloft," with nods lamb ye 're seeking-and hav n't I seen your face and becks, and wreathed smiles," for the recreabefore?" Andrew shook like a leaf. The man tion of the gaping multitude. Others of the troop of stern temper and iron nerves, shook like an came in and out on the airy stage, inviting the aspen leaf, while the woman looked and spake "ladies and gentlemen" below to walk in, with thus carnestly-" Have ye, have ye found him?- such bland and cordial hospitality, that Joey have ye found my boy?" was all he could stammer out. "You are a stranger to me; but God bless you, if you can give me back my boy!"

66

"I am not a stranger to you, Andrew Cleaves; and I can give you back your boy; and the Lord bless him for your sake, for you saved me and mine, and took us in, and gave us meat and drink when we were ready to perish. Come your ways with me, Andrew Cleaves; but soft and quiet, for the laddy's in a precious sleep. He has come to hurt, but the Merciful watched over him."

So she led him softly and silently through a little back kitchen, and up a steep dark stair, into a small upper chamber, before the casement of which a checked apron was pinned up, to exclude the full glow of light from the uncurtained bed. Softly

thought it quite irresistible, and was just stepping under the canvass when a strong arm arrested him, and a splendid gentleman, in scarlet and gold, demanded the price of entrance. That was not at Joey's command, for all his copper hoard was already expended, so he was shrinking back, abashed and mortified, when one or two idlers of the band, probably seeing something promising about him, and that he was a pretty, sprightly, well-limbed lad, whose appearance might do credit to their honorable profession, entered into a parley with him, and soon made out that he was playing truant at that very moment, and apparently blessed with such adventurous genius, as, with a little encouragement, might induce him to join the company, and succeed to the functions of a sharp limber ur

chin, of whom inexorable death had lately deprived came less troublesome, and he longed ardently for them. So Joey was let in gratis; and there he the hour of emancipation. It came at last; a brief was soon translated into the seventh heaven of and unceremonious toilet was despatched by the wonder and delight at the superhuman perform- female group; and great was Joey's indignation, ances of his new acquaintances. He had, as it when, in lieu of the silver and azure, or his own were, an innate passion for horses, and the eques- good raiment, he was compelled to dress himself trian feats threw him into fits of ecstasy. Then in the every-day suit of his deceased predecessorall the gentlemen and ladies were so good-natured a most villanous compound of greasy tatters, which, and so funny! and one gave him a penny-pie, and had he dared, he would have spurned from him another a drop of something strong and good; and with contemptuous loathing; but a very short exthen the manager himself-a very grand person-perience, and the convincing language of a few age-told him, if he liked, he should wear a blue hearty cuffs, accompanied with no tender expleand silver jacket, and ride that beautiful piebald, tives, had satisfied him of the danger of rebellion, with its tail tied up with flame-colored ribbons. and he was fain to gulp down his rising choler, and That clinched the bargain; and in a perfect bewil- the scraps of last night's meal, which were chucked derment of emulation and ambition-wonder and over to him, as his portion of the slovenly breakgratitude-gin and flattery-poor Joey suffered fast. himself to be enrolled in "The Royal Equestrian Troop of Signor Angelo Galopo, di Canterini."

Forthwith was he equipped in the azure vestments of the deceased Bobby, and indulged with five minutes' sitting on the back of the beautiful piebald; after which, on the close of the day's performance, he made one of the jovial and unceremonious party round a plentiful board, where he played his part with such right good will, and was so liberally helped to certain cordial potations, that long before the end of the banquet, his head dropt on the shoulder of his fair neighbor, the lovely Columbine, and in a moment he was fast locked in such profound slumber, that he stirred not hand or foot, till so late the next morning, that the caravan (in a snug birth whereof he had been securely deposited) had long passed the small town, where Andrew had halted on his first day's chase.

In the mean time, the door and little square window of the caravan had been thrown open, and at last the machine came to a full stop on the high road, by a hedge-side, and the ladder was hooked to the high door-way, and the manager, who, with his spouse, had occupied a back compartment of the van, descended to review his cavalry, while the equestrians snatched a hasty meal dispensed to them by their associated Hebés.

There was the piebald shining in the morning sun, in all the perfection of piebald beauty-pawing, and sidling, and curving inward his graceful neck, and small elegant head, as if impatient of the rein by which he was led at the side of a large Flemish-looking mare. At sight of his appointed palfrey, Joey was about to scramble down the ladder after Signor Angelo, when the latter most uncourteously repelled him, with such a push as sent Joey's awakening sensations were nearly as as- him sprawling backwards on the floor of the caratonishing as those of Abon Hassan, when he un- van, and more than revived his late incipient feelclosed his eyes in his own mean mansion, after his ings of disgust and repentance. But now the waking vision of exaltation to the throne of the whole party, females and all, held parley of no Caliph. Poor Joey, who had fallen asleep in the very amicable nature about the door of their migraintoxication of supreme enjoyment and gratified tory council-chamber. The success of the late vanity, among knights and ladies, glittering with performance at Chad by no means been such gold and spangles, himself radiant in all the glories as to sweeten the manager's temper, or to harmonof the blue and silver, and the fancied master of ize the " many minds" he had to deal with; and the prancing piebald—found himself, on awak- loud, and surly, and taunting accusations and reing, stowed away into a corner of the dark, suffo- criminations were bandied about, the most acrimocating, jolting caravan, of course divested of his nious of which, Joey soon gathered, related to finery, huddled up on a bag of straw, and covered himself, and to some dispute respecting him, with a filthy horse-rug. The whole ambulating which had occurred the preceding night, after they dormitory was heaped with similar bedding, from had deposited him in his luxurious resting-place. which peeped out heads and arms and dirty faces, It appeared, that some of the party had even then which Josiah was some time in assigning to the begun to think with apprehension of the danger to blooming heroines of the preceding evening. At which they exposed themselves by the abduction last, however, he satisfied himself with the identity of a boy, whose father had ample means to pursue of the lovely Columbine; and as she lay within and punish them, should he discover that his son reach, and had taken him under her especial pro- had left C― in their company. These prudent tection, he made bold to pluck her rather uncere- suggestions were made light of by others of the moniously by the outstretched arm, which saluta- troop, words had run high even then, and the intion had the desired effect of rousing the fair one sides and outsides had arranged themselves for the from her innocent slumbers, but only long enough night in no very placable moods. During the to obtain, for Joey, a sound box of the ear, and a many silent hours of darkness, they had jogged drowsily-muttered command, "to lie still for a lit- and jolted in company; almost every one, howtle troublesome rascal." So there he lay, half ever, in his secret mind, came over to the side of frightened, and half repentant, and quite disgusted the doubters, and when at last they halted and with his close and unsavory prison, from whence called council, each accused the other of having his thoughts wandered away to the pleasant cot-caused the present dilemma. From words they tage on the thymy common-his clean, sweet, little proceeded to rough arguments, and at length to chamber, where the honeysuckle looked in at the something very near a general battle, in which window-his breakfast of new milk and sweet their fair companions, descended from "their high brown bread-his own little garden and his beehives, and Greybeard, that paragon of earth-born steeds. But then came in review, the rival glories of the piebald, and Joey's remorseful feelings be

estate," took part so heartily, that Joey, finding himself quite unobserved, seized the opportunity to scramble down after them; but in his haste to reach terra firma, he missed his footing, and fell

preferred the situation of a dashing groom to a station at the desk; and that to be a jockey! a real, knowing Newmarket jockey! (he had heard a vast deal about Newmarket,) would have been the climax of his ambition. Happy disposition, to qualify him for the staid clerk of a commercial establishment! But knowing the decree was irreversible, he submitted to it with a tolerably good grace, consoling himself with the reflection, that many young men so situated were nevertheless very fine fellows, and contrived, at odd hours, evenings, and holidays, to indemnify themselves very tolerably for their hours of durance vile. He had great confidence, moreover, that good fortune would introduce him to some of those choice spirits, whose experience would initiate him into many useful secrets.

Joey's expectations were but too well founded; temptation lies in wait for youth at every turning and by-path; but when youth starts with the design of voluntarily entering her fatal snare, the toils are wound about the prey with treble strength, and rarely, if ever, is it disentangled. Joey was soon the associate and hero of all the idle and dissolute youth in C—,—the hero of cock-fights, of bull-baitings, of the ring, of the skittle ground, of every low, cruel, and debasing sport, that prepares the way, by sure and rapid advances, through all the gradations of guilt, towards the jail, the convict ship, and the scaffold.

Nevertheless, for a considerable time, Josiah contrived to keep up a very fair character with his employers so clear and prompt was his despatch of business, and (with very few exceptions) so punctual and assiduous his attention to office hours. Beyond those seasons, their watchfulness extended not, and no glaring misdemeanor, on the part of their young clerk, had yet awakened any degree of suspicious vigilance.

nutely to trace the progressive steps by which Josiah attained that degree of hardened profligacy, which marked his character by the time he had completed his nineteenth year-the second of his clerkship in Messrs. counting-house. The marvel is, that his seat on the high office stool had not been vacated long before the expiration of that period. The eyes of his employers had for some time been open to his disreputable and ruinous courses. Their keen observation was of course upon him in all matters that could in any way affect their own interests; and at length, on that account, as well as from more conscientious motives, which ought to have had earlier influence, they deemed it requisite to arouse the fears of the still deluded parent, and to recommend his interference, to avert, if possible, the dangerous career of his infatuated son. Alas! it was a cruel caution, for it came too late. Too late, except to excite the father's fears to a sudden pitch of agony, which provoked him to bitter upbraidings, and violent denunciations, and thus contributed to sear the already corrupted heart of the insensate youth, and to accelerate his desperate plunge into irretrievable ruin.

It was well known at C that Andrew Cleaves had (for a man in his station) amassed considerable wealth, and that his idolized and only son would inherit it undivided; and in that confidence, there were not wanting venturous and unprincipled persons, who not only gave him credit in the way of trade, to an unwarrantable amount, but even advanced him loans from time to time, on the speculation of future repayment, with usurious interest. By such means, added to the not inconsiderable gratifications he at different times obtained from his father, under various specious pretences, Josiah had been enabled to run a course of low and profligate extravagance, far exceeding The heart of Andrew Cleaves, was, therefore, anything which had entered into the suspicions of gladdened by such reports of his son's official con- his employers, or the tardily aroused apprehenduet, as, coming from so respectable a quarter, sions of the distressed father. Among the threats were, in his estimation, sufficient surety of general of that abused parent, there was one which Josiah good conduct, and he was consequently lulled into doubted not would be promptly executed-a public a fatal security, not even invaded by any of those advertisement in C, that Andrew Cleaves held vague and flying rumors, which generally lead the himself nowise answerable for any debts his son way to painful but important discoveries. Andrew might think proper to contract-an exposure which Cleaves had no friends, it could scarcely be said, would not only cut him off from all future supplies, any acquaintance-alas! it is to be feared, no well- but probably create such distrust of his hitherto wishers. Beyond the cold concerns of business, undoubted heirship, as to bring forward all the he had maintained no intercourse with his fellow-claims standing against him, and irritate his father, men. His world was a contracted span; two ob- beyond hope of accommodation. jects of interest occupied it wholly-his wealth and his son. But there was no equipoise between the scales that held those treasures. He would not, in Shylock's place, have been in suspense between "his ducats and his daughter."

Gold had been his idol, till superseded by that living claimant, to whose imagined good all other considerations became secondary and subservient, and for whom (looking to worldly aggrandizement as the grand point of attainment, though Andrew talked well of "the one thing needful") he continued to improve upon his habits of parsimony and accumulation, so as to deny himself the common comforts becoming necessary to his advancing years. But the hard gripe occasionally relaxed at the persuasive voice of Josiah's eloquence; and that hopeful youth, as he advanced in the ways of iniquity, made especial progress in its refined arts of specious hypocrisy, to which, alas! his early training had too favorably disposed him. It would be a tedious and distasteful task VOL. VII. 23

LXXX.

LIVING AGE.

But the idea of absconding from C― had long been familiar to Josiah, and he had for some time past been connected with a set of characters, whose daring exploits, and communication with the metropolis, had fired his ambition to emulate the former, and to transfer his genius to a theatre more worthy its enterprising capabilities. Yet Josiah's heart was not quite hardened. It had not lost all pleasant remembrance of his days of boyish happiness of the indulgences of his father's dwelling, and of the repressed, but ill-dissembled fondness of that doating parent, whose proud and severe nature had even accommodated itself to offices of womanly tenderness, for the feeble infant left motherless to his care.

There were still moments-even in the circle of his vile associates-even in the concerting their infamous schemes-or while the profane oath still volleyed from his tongue-and the roar of riotous. mirth and licentious song resounded-there were mi-moments, even then, when recollection of better

things flashed across his mind, like angels' wings athwart the pit of darkness, and he shuddered with transient horror at the appalling contrast.

The faint gleam of such a mental vision still haunted him at the breaking up of a riotous meeting, during which he had finally arranged with his confederates the plan which was to remove him (probably forever!) from C and its vicinity.

"But I will have one more look at the old place before I go," suddenly resolved Josiah, when he had parted from his companions. "At least I will have a last look at the outside of the walls-though I can't go in-I can't face the old man, before I leave him—he would not pass over what can't be undone—and there's no going back now-but I will see the old place again."

It was late on the Sabbath evening when Josiah formed this sudden resolution, and so quickly was it carried into effect, that it wanted near an hour to midnight when he reached the low boundary of the cottage garden.

It was a calm, delicious night of ripening spring -so hushed and still, you might have heard the falling showers of overblown apple blossoms. Josiah lingered for a moment with his hand on the garden wicket; and while he thus tarried, was startled by a sudden but familiar sound from the adjacent close. It was the nichering salutation of his old friend Greybeard, who, having perceived with fine instinct, the approach of his young master and quondam playmate, came forward, as in days of yore, to the holly hedge, which divided his pasture from the garden, and poking his white nose through the old gap betwixt the hawthorn and the gate, greeted him with that familiar nicher.

But

of that unhappy boy, as he turned a farewell look upon the quiet cottage and just then a sound from within smote his ear faintly. At first, a faint, low sound, which deepened by degrees into a more audible murmur, and proceeded surely from his father's chamber. Josiah started-"Wa3 the old man ill?" he questioned with himself "Ill and alone!" and without farther parley, he stept quickly but noiselessly to the low casement, and still cautiously avoiding the possibility of being seen from within, gazed earnestly between the vine-leaves through the closed lattice. The interior of the small chamber was quite visible in the pale moonshine-so distinctly visible that Josiah could even distinguish his father's large silver watch hanging at the bed's head in its nightly place and on that bed two pillows were yet laid side by side, (it was the old man's eccentric humor,) as in the days when his innocent child shared with him that now solitary couch. neither pillow had been pressed that night-the bed was still unoccupied-and beside it knelt Andrew Cleaves, visibly in an agony of prayerfor his upraised hands were clasped above the now bald and furrowed brow. His head was flung far back in the fervor of supplication-and though the eyelids were closed, the lips yet quivered with those murmuring accents, which, in the deep stillness of midnight, had reached Josiah's ear and drawn him to the spot. It was a sight to strike daggers to the heart of the ungrateful child, who knew too well, who felt too assuredly, that for him, offending as he was, that agonizing prayer was breathed-that his undutiful conduct and sinful courses had inflicted that bitterness of anguish depicted on the venerable features of his only parent. Self-convicted, self-condemned, the youth“Ah, old boy, is it thou?" said the youth, in a ful culprit stood gazing as if spell-bound, and imlow hurried voice, as he stopped a moment to stroke pulsively, instinctively, his hands also closed in the the face of his faithful favorite. "Dost thou bid long-neglected clasp of prayer-and unconsciously me welcome home, old fellow? Well-that's his eyes glanced upward for a second, and perhaps something!" and a short unnatural laugh finished the inarticulate aspiration which trembled on his the sentence, as he turned from the loving creature, lip, was, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" and with quick, but noiseless steps, passed up the garden walk to the front of the quiet cottage. Quiet as the grave it stood in the flood of moonlight-its lonely tenant had long since gone to rest; and no beam from hearth or taper streamed through the diamond panes of the small casements. The Prodigal gazed for a moment on the white walls-on the honey-suckle already flowering round his own casement-then stept within the porch, and softly, and fearfully, as it were, raised his hand to the latch-which, however, he lifted not-only softly laid his hand upon it, and so, with eyes rooted to the ground, stood motionless for a few minutes, till the upraised arm dropt heavily and with something very like a sigh, he turned from the door of his father's dwelling, to retrace his steps towards C

Yet once again in his way down the garden path, he turned to look on the home he was forsaking. At that moment the evil spirit slept within him, and his better nature was stirring in his heart. The repose of night-its "beauty of holiness"-the healing influence of the pure fresh air-the sight of that familiar scene-nay, the fond greeting of his dumb favorite-the thought for what purpose he was there-and of the old man who slept within those silent walls, unconscious of the shock impending over him in the desertion of his only child-all these things crowded together with softening influence into the heart

Yet such it hardly could have been for that touching cry, proceeding from a deeply stricken heart would have reached the ear of Mercy, and, alas! those agitated feelings of remorse, which might " If Heaven had willed it,"

Have matured to penitence and peace, were but the faint stirrings of a better spirit doomed to be irrevocably quenched ere thoroughly awakened.

The tempter was at hand, and the infatuated victim wanted moral courage to extricate himself by a bold effort while there was yet time, from the snare prepared for his destruction. Just at that awful moment, that crisis of his fate, when the sense of guilt suddenly smote upon his heart, and his better angel whispered, "Turn-yet turn and live!"-at that decisive moment a rustling in the holly hedge, accompanied by a low whistle, and a suppressed laugh, broke on his startled ear; and, as if a serpent had stung him, he sprang without one backward glance from the low casement and the cottage walls-and almost at a bound he cleared the garden path, and dashed through the little gate which swung back from his desperate hand with jarring violence.

Those awaited him without, from whom he could not brook the sneer of ridicule-with whom he had mocked at and abjured all good and holy things, and, with whose desperate fortunes he had