toms of illness only this morning to the physician, and he said—”

"Oh, no, papa!" exclaimed Cesarine, laughing, "I only told him how I had felt before I got this charming medicine. I'm quite well now. Allons, Fanchette, it's time to dress for dinner, and I've such an appetite !—I'm glad we dine by ourselves, or I really should be quite ashamed.-Oh! I forgot; there is to be a ball at the governor's on Tuesday: you must take us, papa! Nay, don't look so serious! I'm quite well now, I assure you ; so do take us!" and, playfully throwing her arms round his neck, she snatched a kiss, and then went dancing out of the room.

"Oh, that dear, dear doctor!" exclaimed Fanchette, following her; "he's worth his weight in gold!"

"Humph!" grunted Monsieur Jouffray, more testily than beseemed the occasion, "he means to be worth it, I suppose; but-pish! bah!-a hundred thousand francs! Peste!" and forthwith he paced the room after the fashion of a wild beast caught in a trap.

A journal of each day's proceedings would be somewhat tedious; briefly, then, Cesarine was all health and spirits till the wonderful phial was emptly; and from that time she began to decline and droop, and the pain in her side, lassitude, and other alarming symptoms returned, to the great dismay of her parents. Monsieur Jouffray held out stoutly for some time against submitting to what he was pleased to term " gross imposition and unfeeling avarice;" but, at length, his good lady put the question seriously to him, whether, if their daughter were in her grave, he would not give more than a hundred thousand francs to bring her to life.

So, with a heavy heart and doleful countenance, he betook himself to the residence of Dr. Proteau, and began to marchander with him; but he had scarcely commenced, when the doctor interrupted him by saying, "Do not let us waste time, monsiear. I am told that a merchant considers his word as binding as his bond: am I right? Do you always consider yourself bound in honour to perform whatever you say you will do, provided the conditions stipulated be fulfilled?"

"Certainly!" replied Monsieur Jouffray, warmly; "I never did forfeit my word, and I never will."

66

"So all that you

No more will I," said the doctor. have to do is to give me your bill for the amount named, to be paid when your daughter is perfectly cured; but, in case of failure on my part, to be nothing more than waste paper."

"I cannot afford such a sum," said Monsieur Jouffray; "you think me rich, but

99

"That alters the case," exclaimed Dr. Proteau; "let it be inserted in the agreement, or bill, that if you can prove yourself to be not worth more than five times the amount, I will then abandon the whole claim."

Monsieur Jouffray here stammered a little; but, at length, said something about the apparent inhumanity of allowing a fellow-creature to sink into the grave, unless a specific enormous amount were raised.

"That is a question for her parent, who has the means, to consider," observed the doctor, calmly.

More conversation followed to little effect, and it was not till a fortnight afterwards that Monsieur Jouffray, worried, as he declared, by his spouse and Mademoiselle Dubois, and tormented by apprehensions for his daughter, agreed to sign the document in question. It has, indeed, been said since that his decision was somewhat accelerated by a letter from Lyons, informing him of the arrival of large orders from America, in consequence of which silk was likely to advance. Be that as it may, no sooner had he signed the bill than he took himself off for Genoa and Piedmont, comforted by the doctor's assurance that he would find Cesarine perfectly recovered before his re

turn.

So the good man went his way at a most fortunate moment for his speculations, and made large purchases of silk, which was scarcely in his possession when the rise in the market more than compensated him for the eccentric doctor's fee. Then he returned to Nice, where he found smiling faces and a warm welcome, but for some cause Cesarine blushed deeply when he congratulated her upon her improved looks. There was something odd, too, he thought, in the manners of his wife and Made

moiselle Dubois; but he saw that they were all happy; so he kissed them all round, and shortly afterwards in came Dr. Proteau, with whom he shook hands warmly, for his heart was right glad within him at what he saw, and moreover he was flushed with success. "If I had. not come to Nice," said he, "I never should have gone to Piedmont, and so I suppose I must not grumble: but you must confess now, doctor, that your terms were sadly. too high."

"The remedy which I have applied is worth conside-rable more," replied the doctor. "Here it is in the next room, and I recommend you never to let Mademoiselle Cesarine part from it any more."

66

Well," said Monsieur Jouffray, "that is doing more than you promised. Where's the bill? I'll give you an order on demand on my bankers. That's the way we merchants do business. I told you I never did and never will forfeit my word. Where's the bill?"

"Here it is, monsieur," said a clear but tremulous voice, very different from that of Dr. Proteau.

Eh! what! Albert Cluneau !" exclaimed Monsieur Jouffray.

"Yes, monsieur," said the young man, bowing respectfully, "I take the liberty of presenting my bill, and reminding you of our last conversation, in which you told me that if I could contrive to get but one hundred thoussand francs

Bah, bah!" exclaimed Monsieur Jouffray, "you must have misunderstood. But your bill! How!"

66

I have transferred the bill to Captain Cluneau," said the doctor.

"Captain Cluneau!" cried Monsieur Jouffray. "Yes, Captain Cluneau !" shouted a loud voice from behind the door, which Albert had left open, and forthwith in marched the worthy general, saying, “Captain he is, and I've come to thank you, my dear friend, for recommending to me a most excellent officer. I hope some day to see him a general. It would have been a sad thing to have left him idling his time at Lyons. Ten to one but he had got into some scrape or entanglement."

"Hem, ahem!" coughed Monsieur Jouffray. "But how came he here?"

"I posted him at St. Laurent," replied the general, "and it is but a step from that to this place, over the hills and along the vallons, and pleasant walking under the shade of the olive trees."

66

"And I," said Dr. Proteau, "I recommended air and exercise to mademoiselle, and so it happened

66

Bah, bah! Don't say any more!" cried Monsieur Jouffray; "I see it all now. A regular conspiracy. You've outmanœuvred me, general. Isn't that the word? come the old soldier over me, eh, Albert? Well, well, I believe I was wrong, for you're a good lad, and I knew your father, and so I won't be worse than my word, and if Cesarine

99

"En avant, Cluneau!" shouted the general; and, even as though her name had been the word of command, it had scarcely passed her father's lips before Cesarine found herself locked in the embrace of her lover.

"What a charming doctor!" exclaimed Fanchette Dubois.

17

RIGOUR OF THE LAW IN 1657.

AN HISTORICAL FACT.

RELATED BY MRS. GORE.

"YOUR views are doubtless noble, nor would I insinuate that your confidence is misplaced," observed Major Dewey to his brother-in-law, George Strangwayes, as they were riding together towards Blandford, from the neighbouring farm of Mussen, the property of the latter gentleman. ""Tis now near upon eight years since your father died, and you came into possession of the estate of Mussen. Since then, it has been your pleasure to leave Mistress Mabellah in possession of the place; nor would I insinuate but that the farm, (considering her feeble sex and lonely condition,) has been sagely administered."

"The place prospers," answered Major Strangwayes carelessly; "the plantations are rising the land is improved. Did you notice to-day, brother Dewey, the fine crop of wheat standing in West Croft, which in my father's time produced little besides docks and thistles? This change had scarcely been, had a short-sighted, longarmed soldier like myself remained at the head of affairs. I have not patience for a farmer, heaven help me! If a saucy farm-knave outbraves me in his duty, 'tis a word and a blow, or rather a blow wordless. Down goes he, flat as the thrashing-floor; and then there are broken pates to be answered for at Mr. Justice's, and fines, and, may be, worse; because, forsooth, my cavalier blood is too hot in my veins to bear the insolence of a hireling." Pray heaven the heat of your cavalier blood betray you not, sooner or later, into a sorer strait!" responded

66