The Heir Of Bendersleigh ; Or , The Freemason's Promise.

ncss . Thc air is pregnant with the perfume of sweet flowers ; the budding hawthorn and the blossom of the honeysuckle , the early summer rose , the woodbine and the sweetbriar , all pour out their treasures on thc stilly air , and make enchanting nature doubly lovely to the enraptured eye . From the rising shore ivhere now we stand , a bright and glowing scene spreads out before the view , bounded by the uneven line ivhich marks the distant mountains on the horizon ' s verge .

Near to the spot which ive have just described , a cottage lately stood , commanding in its front a view of the bright river and the fertile land beyond : and on its other side , the distant mountains of North Wales , and the bright verdant undulating land between . The little cottage had its lower storey ornamented by close trellis -work , into ivhich ivere twined the woodbine and the rose . The entrance ivas in the middle , being

supported by two bay windows , which reached down to the ground and opened into the front garden , which was variegated by a thousand different flowers , in thick profusion . Beyond this little garden there was a grass plot which looked like verdant velvet , stretching right down '' to the water ' s edge , and at the time of high tide , being level with it . It was a lovely spot , and Nature might have chosen it for her throne . Within , the elegance of art contrasted with , and ivas set off by , the horticultural glories which shone outside , and pressed , in their profusion , against the windows of the little house .

There were five inmates of this fairy dwelling , well suited to the spot in which they lived . These inmates consisted of a mother and two daughters —one a widow , and the other ' blooming in the freshness of nineteen , ivith all the luxurious loveliness ivhich perfect womanhood at such an age disjikys . The other two of the quintette , ivere a male and female servant , who , at the very moment of Aidiich we Avrite , arc engaged

in ihe well whitewashed kitchen , ivhose walls were crowded with clean Ai'ooden shelves , which , in turn , ivere laden with all those articles ivhich the proper mode of keeping house requires , in packing two extensive hampers with various substantial edibles in the shape of a ham , a tongue , two or three couples of fowl , several dishes with paste coverings , sundry bottles , in different sizes ; knives , forks , spoons , glasses , and various other things and substances which good people provide Avhen they have the desire and the means of taking care of themselves .

' Well , this will be something like a pic-nic , " said the female servant , as she pressed down a large pound cake into an unoccupied corner of thc largest basket . "Ah , " said her fellow-labourer , "if this is what you calls a pick-lick , it ' s just tlie lick I likes . " "Pick-lick ! " exclaimed Eachel , who prided herself upon her

grammatical accuracy , " pick-lick ! How often am I to tell you of them uiigrammatical expressions ? Pic-nic , it is . " "Why , it stands to sense that it ' s pick-lick , " replied Jacob , as he brushed his forehead , after the exertion of fastening doivn the lid of one of the baskets ; "What ' s all them things for but to pick and lick ?" This cogent argument seemed to stagger Eachel in her grammatical