Lays of a Heart. By GERVASE ROBINSON. London: Houlston & Wright.

THIS little volume gives evidence of considerable poetic power. The pieces are, however, very unequal, but they furnish abundant hope that at some future time we shall meet the writer again, and be able to speak of him in less qualified terms. The poem headed “Entered In" is a fair specimen of the book :—

"ENTERED IN.

"DEAD but a moment! and my Daughter's kiss
Yet living on my cheek;

Dead but a moment! and the Heavens of bliss
Upon my vision break;

"Dead but a moment! and the saintly walls
Agleam with jewelled gates;

The tone of music as from inner halls;
YON FACE which foremost waits!

"Smiling as when at death we stood to part
In the far-faded past;

Dear One, how changed thou art, how new thou art,
Since I beheld thee last!

"I saw thee then; thou hadst thy shroud about thee;
Adieu to me and breath.

And after came the desolate years without thee,

And last my own poor death.

"And now it seems as yesterday the whole,

The bliss, the pang, the tears;

And I have touched thee once again where roll

The shadows of no years.

"How fresh thou art, dear One! how strong and new!

How pure and holy now!

The incorruptible within, the dew

Of youth upon thy brow!

"And what a land is this! what bowers! what hills!

And what a river floweth !

What bands who follow Him through golden stills
Whithersoe'er He goeth!

"Lead me to Him the first, whose love and grace
Made that rude earth seem sweet;

Lead me to Him that I may see His face,
That I may kiss His feet."

Churchman's Shilling Deperzing

& FAMILYGREASURY.

A WOMAN'S CONFESSION.

CHAPTER III.

CHANGES.

THAT Sunday was an eventful day in my life. Sundry changes followed rapidly. The first result was that Mrs. Squires came over to the manor during the following week to pay Margery a visit, and shortly after Margery went over to Deanswood one day, when my uncle was away for a day, and remained to drink tea with Mrs. Squires. Then considerable communication was kept up between the two houses, and, at last, to my unbounded astonishment, when I entered the kitchen one day, I found a stranger established there, and seeming very much at home. I instantly sought Margery, who I found in her own little sitting

room.

"Who is that in the kitchen, Margery?" I asked. "That's the new housemaid, Miss Katie."

"Whose new housemaid?"

"Because I told your uncle, Miss Katie, that I was just getting too old to do all the work myself; so she's to do the housework, and attend to you, and look after your clothes, and master, while I attend to the kitchen."

"Oh, Margery, will she do my hair?"

"Yes, of course she will."

I think that announcement, a few weeks since, would have sent me off to the woods for the whole day; but that short time had worked a change. I had been back to Deanswood several times, and had quite got over my dread of Mrs. Squires, who was very kind to me; and I had come across several other strangers, so I was beginning to be a little hardened.

That night Alice, the new servant, began her attendance on me, and I very soon began to find that hairdressing under her nimble fingers was a very different thing to what it had been in Margery's hands. She did not pull my hair half so much, or hurt my head with the brush. I think the mere presence of the girl in the house did me good too. She and I and the puppy were all young, and I really began to have some idea of what a game of play was like.

I well remember, too, one day going suddenly up to my room, I found her, Margery, and Mrs. Squires busily occupied in a complete examination of my wardrobe,—a somewhat scanty one, it must be admitted; and shortly after sundry additions were made to the same, accompanied by an admonition from Margery to be sure and say nothing to my uncle about it.

Why not?" I asked.

"Because-because-" said Margery, hesitating, "he doesn't like to be bothered about those sort of things."

"But oh, Margery," I said, "it is so kind of him to give me those beautiful frocks and things. Mayn't I thank him?" "No, Miss Katie; you just say

Margery, in a peremptory tone.

"But who chose the things for me?

nothing about it," replied

Didn't uncle?"

"Bless the child, I should think not. Alice and her aunt did.” "Who is her aunt?"

"Oh, I forgot you didn't know. Why Mrs. Squires."

"Mrs. Squires Alice's aunt!" I repeated.

"Yes to be sure. I got her through Mrs. Squires; but you

needn't say anything about that either, Miss Katie."

Accustomed always to obey I did so now without any hesitation, and wore my new frocks in silent admiration, and thought

"I well remember, too, one day going suddenly up to my room, I found her, Margery, and Mrs. Squires busily occupied in a complete examination of my wardrobe."-Page 112.