had been guilty of unintentional rudeness in going abruptly into the room; so I left it without the tea which I had expected.

I had seen enough of my unknown companion to convince me that she was sufficiently attractive. Indeed, I had beheld and admired her before; for, while standing at the Saracen's Head, when the coach was getting ready, I saw three young ladies, wrapped in large tartan cloaks, whose heads were made comfortable by grey beaver bonnets, and drab-coloured feathers. They were evidently sisters; and under their bonnets I saw three as pretty faces, my own Emma's excepted, as I would wish to look upon. Their appearance was genteel and modest, with a retiring bright black eye, which induced one to follow, as it stole away seemingly from observation. I had seen two of these girls bid adieu to the third; and in my unknown companion I found her who had before attracted my attention.

Our conversation had been, previously to this recognition, monosyllabic; for she seemed to decline communication with a stranger; and, viewing her unprotected and delicate situation as a peculiar safeguard, I had not pressed myself in the least on

her notice. However, when we again started, I told her that I was very angry with myself for my abrupt intrusion on her tea-table; and I expressed my fear and regret that I had deprived her of so necessary a refreshment. She gave me to understand that I had not done so; and added, very graciously, that I was not the cause of her quitting the room; so I concluded she had taken tea up stairs, and we both resumed our silence.

The night, although a wet one, was not so dark as to prevent me from seeing the young lady's face in shade. This partial invisibility gave the charm of a veil to her beauty; and I could not, for the life of me, help looking rather too often at her fine pale face, which, like a mirror, threw back every twinkling star that kissed it through the windows. -From what I have said, you will perceive that we sat exactly opposite to each other, our feet sometimes mixing, in those changes of position which fatigue and restlessness occasioned. I felt the extreme awkwardness of my situation; and I caught the fair lady looking repeatedly at me; no doubt agitated by similar cogitations. The coach was of course dashing away at the rate of eight miles

an hour, and making a great noise. As the night advanced, the young creature became sorely fatigued, sleepy, and restless; changed her position every moment; and of course I said all in the power of gentle language to cheer her. I made up my boat-cloak in the form of a bolster, and advised her to lie down on the seat, and take her rest with perfect confidence and safety. She did so; and leaning my head against the angle of the coach, with my arm in the sling, I fell into a sweet doze. How long I slept I know not, but my first consciousness was, that my ankle was receiving a gentle and repeated pat." What can this be?" thought I, and cautiously opening my eyes, I saw the fair lady again sitting up, and looking at me with fixed attention. A suspicion instantly crossed my brain, that it was her foot I had felt; and it also appeared to me, that the nice little pat could not have been altogether accidental." She may be no better than some other pretty girls," thought I; "she may think me a very dull companion.— If she be really as innocent as she looks, and of as respectable a family as her external as her external appearance and

manner indicate, why was she permitted to risk

this exposure?"-A few more looks on my part did away suspicion; and I concluded that I must have erred in supposing the lady to pat my ankle

on purpose.

On awaking from asleep in a coach one feels very cold; and I soon found that the lady was shivering and uncomfortable.-To relieve her as much as possible, I advised her to permit me to put my large military cloak round her, to which she assented, with thanks, in a melancholy and extremely sweet voice. I was almost fascinated; and I regret to say I was on the point of telling her, as I folded the cloak about her bosom, that every thing put round a young lady's neck ought to be clasped. In short, I had my arms in the very first position of advance towards warming her with an innocent.pressure, which, God knows, might have been carried too far, or resented with scorn; but, just at the moment, I really thought my Emma's sorrowful face was looking through the window. Such was the illusion, that I fell back on the seat in shame and silence.

I have no belief in supernatural agencies. gination is fully sufficient to create visions,

paint pictures on waking thought, as well as on sleeping thoughtlessness. The air-drawn dagger of Macbeth, and the ghosts of Richard, rose by the same magic touch of fancy.-That I am not singular in my delusion of sight, the following anecdote

attests:

Captain Montresor was as daring a horseman, and as brave an officer as ever hunted a tiger, faced a wild boar, chased a fox in mimic war, or met an enemy on a field of battle. He was famous for having cleared the most astonishing obstacles in his ardent pursuit of an object; and it was said that Montresor would go over the devil's back, rather than stop to look on the other side. Yet on one occasion he proved that he had some reflection. The dogs were in full cry-the chase had excited all the energies of the sportsmen-every hunter seemed to be as regardless of life as his rider-Montresor, as usual, led the charge—a prodigous stone ditch rose before him. No one ever suspected that he would stop. But he did stop.-A mad brother officer, Major Campbell, who wished to be as far before Montresor in horsemanship as he was in rank, made towards the leap with fury, but his