An Old, Old Story.

old gladiator as he was , " is mighty offensive . " Pardon the digression , but accept the truth . Well , the « maids of the mallet " and the "heroes of the laAvn" soon gathered together and were hotly engaged in their mimic Avarfare .

Lucy , who arranged the sides , had put Mr . Mamwaring and Mr . Carruthers , with his friend , Miss Emily Monckton and herself on the one side , and had carefully placed Mr . Herbert Monckton and his good-looking sisters , Sophy and Ellina , together Avith Mr . Williams , to make up their combative four .

But somehow or other , neither Mr . Monckton nor the Misses Monckton cared very much for Mr . Williams , and the consequence Avas , they Avaged " the desperate strife" Avith little animation and no interest . The Curate ' s someAA'hat insipid conversation and equally unpolished jokes

, innocent as they Avere , did not chime harmoniously somehoAv or other Avith the sentiment and sympathies of tAvo hi ghlyeducated young ladies , and they thought , moreover , that they saAV quite enough and heard quite enough of Mr . Williams in

his proper sphere , while Mr . Herbert Monckton , AVIIO Avas a " sAvell" in the vicinity , had Avhat young men commonly entertain sometimes , a supercilious opinion of the clergy generally , and curates in particular . I need hardly add that this is a grave mistake ; but the lay mind is a little

touchy on such matters . And Avhile on the one side all Avas laughter , and all Avas sympathy , the saying of pleasant little " nothings , " Avhich meant a great deal , the interchanging of kindly glances , and the glad offering and ready

acceptance of numerous little attentions , on the other all Avas distance and distrust , the sense of " ennui" and the hope for "tea" to put an end . in their opinion , to a most uninteresting game . But how Ave do all deceive one another , and

misunderstand and misconstrue each other ' s plans and proceedings in life . It is amusing often to note' thast the old saying is not always true after all , " Avhat is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander . ' The things we dislike , others highly admire ; this little matter Avhich does not suit us at all , suits our fair neighbour very well .

An Old, Old Story.

As that summer afternoon went on under those shady trees , the old Thames meandering by , Lucy and Mr . Main waring , and I may add Mr . Carruthers aud Miss Emily Monckton , had proceeded a considerable distance along that journey which is always pleasant in its progressthough

, not ahvays uniform in it results . If you might judge IIOAV Colonel Mackintosh felt , as he sat smoking his cigarette , ( the old Colonel Avas very particular about his cigarettes , )—he Avas intensely pleased Avith all that Avas going on .

It carried the old boy far aAvay to other scenes , and fairy forms , and laughing eyes , and gentle hopes ; and in his geniality and unselfishness—though for him all these things Avere but of the past , never , never

to return—he could and did warmly sympathise Avith the dawning of youthful anticipations , those bright dreams Avhich lend such a grace to the experience , such a poetry to the prose of life , such an animating and ennobling sentiment to every human aspiration .

But all this time Miss Margerison did not seem quite at ease , and she ajspeared , for some reason or other , to Avatch that croquet party Avith anxious looks , and a certain expression of subdued dissatisfaction on her lacid and kindly countenance .

p Whether Colonel Mackintosh observed his companion ' s " mood , " is not " for the moment" needful to say ; but if he did , he did not mind it , and that is Avhat I advise my readers to do .

An American Vindication Of Americans.

AN AMERICAN VINDICATION OF AMERICANS .

From the " NEW YOKK H EKALD . " THE interesting book of the Marquis de Talleyrand-PSrigord , of which we gave some account a day or two since , challenges a kind of attention AA'hich is not often

bestoAved on a mere literary production . The marquis has had his work printed m America , not , we suppose , because he expects a Avork in the French language to find many readers in this country , but because