a mother crossing before the very pole of the carriage, which nearly ran into her ear, in so much haste was she to snatch out of the way two children, standing unconscious, the one with an apple, the other with a whistle in his mouth. And close to the wheel of the carriage, at one time, there was a young damsel, with pink cheeks, bargaining so earnestly for a pink ribbon with an old woman in her booth, that the wheel must, as Lucy thought, have gone over her out-stretched foot, but that, just in time looking up, she drew it in, and still holding the dear ribbon in her hand, continued her bargaining. Next there was a group of old women, leaning on their sticks, with their bonnets close to each other, telling and listening to something so eagerly, that they never heard the carriage coming till the wheel went over the point of one of their sticks, and begrimed the scarlet cloak of the speaker before she would move her shoulder out of the way.

Then came an awkward clown on horseback, with elbows out, lugging at the hard mouth of his shag-maned colt, who knew no more than his rider the way he should go, but who, with glassy eyes starting out of his frightened head, seemed to have a mighty mind to run straight in at the carriage window. Seeing which, Lucy ducked directly. How they passed she knew not; but when she looked up again they were gone, and Harry's body

was far out of the window, watching the operations of man and horse. There was the colt, floundering and struggling with his rider, at the corner of the street, where both vanished before it was settled which would be victorious.

But now Lucy saw before them, in a new street, a huge wooden house or caravan on wheels, on the outside of which, in large letters, were written the names of the wild beasts who lodged within, and who were all to be seen for the sum of one shilling. Across this part of the street hung flapping, furious portraits, coloured to the life, of a lion rampant, a hyena, a tiger, and a mountain cat with enormous whiskers.

Lucy began to be a little afraid that the poor horses would be very much frightened. But either they did not think the portraits striking likenesses, or they were not sufficiently acquainted with the originals and their private histories, to be as much. afraid as Lucy thought they ought to be. They went by quite quietly, yet were, as Lucy observed, most foolishly frightened soon afterwards by a poor little boy popping out from under the long skirts of a puppet-show. One reared, the other shyed, but their driver, being a temperate whip, patted them into good humour, and brought them on safely to the inn. Turning under the archway, they knew where they were, lowered their prickedup ears, and stood perfectly still at the bar-door,

neighing by turns to their acquaintance in the yard, who answered from their inmost stalls.

Lucy found, on the chimney piece of the room where they were to dine, an advertisement, informing the public that

"There is now in this town a new fairy, infinitely surpassing the old Corsican fairy, who appeared in England in the last century, and who was honoured with the approbation of the nobility and gentry. But the new fairy is full an inch less than the old fairy, and can speak three languages, French, English, and Italian, dances to admiration, and waltzes inimitably, if required."

While Lucy was reading this card, Harry was perusing another, which he had found on the table, and which informed the public, that this evening, at six o'clock, a company of tumblers would, at the theatre in this town, exhibit, for the amusement of the public, several curious feats in tumbling and rope dancing. One man promised to carry a ladder poised on his chin; and another to balance a table on the rope, and even a chair on which he was himself to be seated with his bottle before him, and quite at his ease.

Harry was curious to see these sights: he told Lucy that here would be fine examples of all they had been saying about the centre of gravity. These wonderful things must be done from understanding how to manage that properly. He wished

more and more, the longer he thought of this, to see these tumblers. Lucy, it must be confessed, was not so curious on this subject, and she would much rather, had she been to choose, see the new Corsican fairy.

Their father and mother had determined to sleep at the inn where they now were, and they told Harry and Lucy that they would, in the evening, let them see either the Corsican fairy or the tumblers, but to both they could not take them, as they were in opposite parts of the town: the tumblers at the theatre, the Corsican fairy to be seen at the court house, between the acts of a concert. Lucy was fond of music, Harry did not care for it.

"Well, Harry and Lucy, which do you choose?" said their father. "Take five minutes to consider, but then you must decide, that we may engage our places or buy our tickets in time."

Lucy recollected the resolution she had made, when first she set out upon this journey, that she would imitate her mother's kindness, of which she had seen so many examples; she therefore gave up generously her own wish to hear the concert and see the fairy; she did this in so kind a manner, that she put her brother quite at ease. was very happy with him seeing the tumblers, and, when it was all over, she was quite content with them and with herself.

She

66

SUGAR-BOILING.

At the end of the next day's journey our travellers arrived at Clifton. Harry and Lucy were delighted with the place, and were glad to learn that they were to spend some days there, in order that their mother might rest herself. The next morning after their arrival they walked with their father on the Downs, from the top of which they looked down a steep cliff, and saw the river Avon below. They descended to the river, down the cliff, by a new road, which a number of workmen were then making. The workmen were breaking some hollow stones, which had fallen out of the bank by the side of the road. The hollows of these stones were lined with shining crystals. Lucy picked up bits of this stone, and added them to the collection which she had made at Matlock. The stone that sparkled with crystals was called, she was told, Bristol stone, and the crystals themselves were called Bristol diamonds. Lucy afterwards saw, at the house of a lady in Clifton, a cross of these Bristol diamonds, and another cross of real diamonds, and on laying