desirous that she should eat more than she did, because a large appetite is more expensive than a small one. " If you eat enough to keep you in health, I'm certain you require to eat no more."

The last time I heard these remarks, Miss Wormwood was helping herself to a few grains of cheese, and about half-an-ounce of bread, at supper in the parlour; while she knew very well, that she had directed a full pound of rump steak to be broiled for her second supper in the kitchen; and while she was making her brother believe that she could not bear the flavour of malt and hops, every night, at his expense, she drank a pint and a half of strong ale.

My admiration for Miss Wormwood was soon at an end; I detested meanness of any sort, and I considered her positively dishonest. While she assisted her parsimonious brother in starving himself and me, she feasted herself and got fat on the best of everything, as also did the servant, who was fed with good dinners and hot suppers, to keep the tricks of her mistress secret from her mas

Miss Wormwood knew whom she could trust, and although I was not bribed with any of the good things, she felt convinced that I would tell no tales; and in return for this confidence, I left her to continue her mean practices unsuspected by her brother.

My master was an oddity-mean in disposition, but extravagant in temper. He would waste more words in a minute than he could save pounds in a year. As soon as he allowed his cross-grained humours to have their natural swing, I found I had "caught a Tartar," indeed. Some men lose temper on one account, and some on another, but he never kept his temper at all. If a fly fled past his nose he swore at it, if a dog barked at him he cursed it, if a man crossed him in any way he d― him. If his tea was too hot he would not wait for it to cool, but threw it behind the fire; if it was too cold he would almost throw it into his sister's face; and if it was not ready when he wanted it, he would upset everything on the table. He neither spared age nor sex, catholic, protestant, or dissenter he d― everything and everybody by turns. The pit of his damnation had no bottom to it-it was never full, and the curses he uttered so intemperately worked no evil to any soul but his own.

My high spirit and careless temper were quickly subdued by his never-ending violence: my very pride increased my submission, for I was too proud even to complain; but I nursed up the angry feelings in my heart, until trifling kindness of some sort or other entirely removed them. I became a perfect drudge, and had tasks to perform that ought to have been the work of none but the lowest menial. Recreation of any sort was denied, with the exception of what I could get by reading a few volumes on natural philosophy, abstruse treatises on geology, theology, and some other ologies, which were rather beyond the comprehension of my intellect. Amongst my medical studies, I found myself bothered with questions concerning the nature of the soul, the origin of the different races of mankind, the laws of gravitation, and the nature and properties of matter, until I found out that I must either cease to believe in the divine authority of the sacred writings, or resist the

inclination I felt to think and reason for myself. As I was left without any other guide to my opinions, but the impression made upon my mind by the authors of these different works; and as they had but one and the same tendency, namely, to weaken my confidence in the testimony of the Bible, and to deny, positively, many of the most striking instances of the greatness and power of God therein related; it is not surprising that I should have thrown the holy volume aside, as a book not to be depended upon.

I had been religiously educated by my mother, and the seeds of sound moral principle had been firmly planted in my heart, therefore when I first felt the growth of irreligion in my mind, and the doubts that gradually arose in my conscience, I felt myself committing some tremendous crime; but as I became accustomed to them, I argued myself into a degree of self-satisfaction. Pleased with the idea of thinking for myself, I gave that thought the most unbounded licence, and came to the conclusion, that man is a free agent; but that there is a duty he owes to his fellow creatures, which ought to be a restraint upon his inclinations and passions. At fourteen I formed this opinion for myself, without any knowledge of Mr. Owen, or his followers.

During the three or four first years of my apprenticeship, I was a solitary being, almost constantly shut up in the surgery, with no companions, but these books which had so pernicious an effect upon my young imagination. I then emerged, in some measure, from my solitude, and formed some acquaintances not very different from myself. I felt myself increasing in years and in strength, and resolved no longer to be treated like a child. Miss Wormwood was the first to see the alteration, and openly expressed her admiration of my personal improvement, and, while she had no power to win my esteem for herself, she fed my self-love to the highest pitch of vanity. I began to think myself the hero of a modern romance, and in the mirror of self-admiration beheld myself reflected a perfect Apollo.

Amongst many little things, which had created much annoyance to me, was the reputation which Mr. Wormwood had obtained for stinginess of disposition; and many good-natured old ladies occasionally insulted me, as I thought, by asking me if he gave me enough to eat-whether I had enough or not I would not complain to the public that I was ill-fed, and that my master was stingy. I felt myself bound to maintain his credit, and replied to such questions most cavalierly; but there was another mode in which I was still more annoyed, the habit which vulgar people have of inventing nick-names, and telling ill-tempered stories. constantly heard exclamations, such as "herring soup," 39.66 watergruel," and "who had the first smell at the herring?" when I went out, and quickly found out that they were applied to me. It was long before I discovered what they meant, and, although it was excessively ridiculous, I was incensed beyond measure at the story.

As a caricature of Mr. Wormwood's economy, it was said that we dined every day upon potatoes and salt, while a dried herring

was suspended from the ceiling, with a string attached to its tail, and swung from nose to nose, that we might smell it, and fancy that we were not really dining upon potatoes alone; also, that when the herring had thus been treated all the week, that on the Sunday, as a greater treat, it was boiled in a large quantity of water, to make soup, and that this delicacy formed our Sunday dinner. Now this was the reason why I found myself addressed with questions relating to meagre fare and red-herrings.

Since I had grown very tall, and as strong as a young lion I was determined to submit no longer to such remarks, and to show the next person who had the impudence to say anything about red-herrings, that I could defend myself and my master also. The opportunity was speedily granted, for one day when I was walking past some stables, an ostler and some stable-boys commenced the usual attack, by asking me how I felt after the herring, and if the soup was very rich.

On the opposite side of the street a young fellow was walking, whom I considered a mortal enemy, his master and mine being in the same profession, and at constant enmity with each other. We had no other reason in the world for our mutual hatred, and yet it amounted to such a degree that we could have cut each other's throat with pleasure. He saw how I was annoyed, and grinned with delight; but his pleasure was converted into a species of admiration, when he saw me coolly knock the ostler down, and kick the boys out of the way. Another ostler came out of the stables, with the intention of assisting his comrade, but my supposed enemy, being fond of what he called "a lark," crossed over the street, and putting himself into a scientific attitude, attacked the second ostler, while I gave the first, who had sprung on his legs again, a respectable thrashing, amidst the pleasant exclamations of the unwashed crowd collected round us, " Huzza for the doctors!"-" Physic for ever!"

The ostlers, in their own language, "cut their sticks," because they found we were "too many for them," and the coast being clear, Mr. Furnival and I swore eternal friendship for each other, and respectfully sentenced our respective masters and their quarrels to go to the devil, and never more to disturb the amicability of a couple of " trumps " like ourselves. My new friend was an oddity, and affected particularly an odd habit of swearing by everything ridiculous.

"By the sole of my grandmother's slipper in purgatory!" was his first exclamation, "What a couple of donkeys we have been, because our old governors make asses of themselves-grinning and jabbering their contempt at each other like two foolish baboons."

I cordially agreed with him, and he started many other subjects in his own comical style, with which I agreed likewise. "By the bitters and sweets of life, gentian, quassia, manna, and orange-peel included," said he, "what a generation of vipers this is, since two persons cannot practise the same profession without growling and snarling at each other like two dogs over the same bone!"

My encounter with the ostlers came to the ears of Mr. Wormwood, and he was excessively angry with my part of the transaction; but I was a submissive boy no longer, and defended myself against him, as well as against the attendants of the stables.

"Sir," said he, "do you think it upholding the dignity of your profession to be engaged in boxing matches, in the public street, with stable-men and horse-jockeys?

"Yes," I replied, "if I find myself insulted by them."

"It is more manly to bear an insult with patience than fight like a blackguard about it," he continued.

"I am of a different opinion," I replied-this was the first time I had ever expressed such a difference, however I might have felt it, therefore he was duly astonished.

"Different opinion! sir," he exclaimed, " and dare you set up your opinion in opposition to mine, you impudent young scoundrel?"

"I dare, and do," I replied. He foamed at the mouth, like a wild beast, with fury; his eyes dilated, and his brow contracted with the very extremity of anger and surprise-"You-you-you impudent young rascal," he stammered, “I'll—I'll horsewhip you, by Jove."

"Do you know that you are not talking to a child?" I inquired, "Can't you see that my arm is as long and as strong as your own and that I can horsewhip you, perhaps with more ease than you can horsewhip me?-I'll neither submit to be horsewhipped, nor allow you to talk of doing it, Mr. Wormwood."

His language in reply to this was not fit to mention, but he ran out of the room to fetch the whip, and, to make the punishment and the disgrace the greater, he insisted that his sister should come and see the operation.

I absolutely laughed at the idea of being whipped by a man not quite so tall or so strong as myself, and Miss Wormwood immediately saw how ridiculous the attempt would be.

"Charles," said she, “you are mad to think of such a thing— don't make yourself so silly."

"Ha!" he bawled out," who taught you to be a judge?-Leave the room, or I'll horsewhip you for your insolence-you are a fair match for each other."

"I shall not leave the room, Charles," she replied, "I'll stay, to prevent mischief between you."

"Take that then," said he, cutting her with the whip; but, in a second, the instrument was wrenched from his hand, and I had possession of it, before he could repeat the blow. He snatched up one of the chairs, and dashed it at his sister, just as she contrived to escape from the room. Fortunately it missed her, and his rage and disappointment were so great, that he dashed the offending chair repeatedly upon the ground, until not a bar of it remained unbroken. He then retired to his own private sittingroom, and applied a dozen leeches to his temples, to allay the excitement he was laboring under, excusing this conduct to himself, by pretending that it was occasioned by a determination of blood to his head.

ST. JANUARIUS' TO ST. CONSTANTIUS.

On the 1st of May we were to take possession of our house in the Island of Capri. Our place of embarkation was close to the Posilipo end of the Villa Reale. This royal villa is not a house, but a strip of gardens between the Chiaja and the sea, about three-quarters of a mile long, and eighty yards broad. Why it is called "The Villa" is a state mystery, into which it might be dangerous to inquire.

The beach was crowded with amphibious ragamuffins, who pressed inconveniently upon us to stare and beg and gabble; so we took refuge from the fleas, and the larger vermin on which the fleas fed, in our boat, which lay a few yards beyond the breaking ripples, very nearly full of chests, trunks, boxes, birdcages, portmanteaus, bags, bookshelves, &c. though we were only waiting for the rest of the baggage to arrive.

A stout little marinaro, with his trowsers rolled up to the uttermost limit of possibility, took me on his shoulder, and balanced me there in rigid helplessness like the upper member of the letter T, and discharged me feet foremost on to the forehead of the boat, which was painted to represent some indefinite sea-monster with huge, red-pupiled, blue-rimmed eyes, and a grinning range of yellow teeth in a crescent-shaped mouth, with bright green lips.

After an interval filled up with a sketch of Capri's bold outlines, clothed in hazy purple, which rose beyond the blue horizon, at the mouth of the bay-our effects and crew were all aboard, our cable was loosed from the shore, and the measured murmur of our oars was echoed by the rock-perched suburb as we skirted along to the point of Posilipo.

Here they hoisted the long antenna of the lateen sail, whose peak rises three times higher than the mast, pointed and flexible as a sea-bird's wing. It swelled with the fresh west wind: the boat heeled over, and began to cut her foamy way through the deep blue water.

The shining range of palaces, crowned by Sant' Elmo's rockbuilt fortress, slowly sank into indistinct distance, while Capri's beetling cliffs and jags and ridges, and staircase terraces of slender cultivation, grew gradually more distinct; and white specks of habitation peeped out among the climbing verdure of the steeps; and lastly, the long white line of town, stretching somewhat like an old-fashioned street-built bridge, along the saddleback which unites the two loftier ends of the island, began to articulate itself in grotesque forms of semi-barbarous architecture.

The sailors, who had made a capital bargain with us, and been saved from all trouble by the fair wind, were in excellent spirits, singing snatches of songs, and strumming on the guitar, with much talk and laughter.