Tom Hood.

health , and Hood started for Rotterdam , and finally settled down at Coblentz , whither his dear wife followed him . The following sonnet was then written to her . It breathes the very air of loving tenderness : —

Think , sweetest , if my lids are now not wet , The tenderest tears lie ready at the brim To see thine own dear eyes so pale and dim , Touching my soul with full and fond regret ; For on thy ease my heart ' s whole care is set ; Seeing I love thee in no passionate whim , Whose summer dates but with the roses trim , Which one hot June can perish and beget

. Ah , no ! I chose thee for affection ' s pet , For unworn love and constant cherishing ; To smile but to thy smile , or else to fret When thou art fretted—rather than to sing Elsewhere . Alas ! I ought to soothe and kiss Thy dear pale cheek , while I assure thee this .

A letter from Mrs . Hood , at Coblentz , relates how dreadfull y ill her husband was when she got to him there . They were nearly lost in " the gale in their passage over , " and he was in a wretched state of health when he started . " However , he got betterthanks to the aid of an able

, physician and his wife ' s tender care . Food ajipears to have been cheap there , which was a comfort , for mutton is quoted by Mrs . Hood at 3 groschen a pound ( about 3 ^ d ) . Beef and veal the same . Butter 8 d . a pound , 3 rolls a penny , and

eggs about 2 £ d . a dozen . What a grand thing if beef and mutton were a little cheaper here . At first when they got out they seem to have had considerable trouble with their German , or rather their want of it . Hood

gives an amusing description of a scene with the servant , which I cannot do better than give you : — " Our servant knows a few words of English too . Her name is Gradle , the short for Margaret . Jane wanted a fowl

to boil for me . Now she has a theory that the more she makes her English un-English , the more it must be like German . Jane begins by showing Gradle a word in the dictionary . Gradle : ' Ja ! —yees — hiilm — heune .

Ja ! yees . ' Jane ( a little through her nose ) : ' Hum —hum—hern—yes—yaw . Ken you geet a fowl—fool—foal—to boil—bile—bole for dinner ?' Gradle : ' Hot wasser ?'

Jane : ' Yaw in pit — pat— pot— hum , hum—eh !' Gradle ( a little off the scent again ); ' Ja , nein—wasser , pot—hot nein . ' Jane : 'Yes—no—good to eeat—chicken —cheeken—cheeking—bird—bard—beard

—lays eggs—eeggs—hune—heiue—binmake cheeken broth—soup—poultry—peltry—paltry !' . Gradle ( quite at fault ) : ' Pfeltnghchtch ! nein !' Jane ( in despair ) : ' What shall I do !

and Hood wont help me , he only laughs . This comes of leaving England ! ' ( She cast her eyes across the street at the Governor ' s poultry-yard , and a bright thought strikes her . ) ' Here Gradle , —come here- —come hair—hum—hum—look here—dare—you see things walking—hum—hum—wackiug about—things with feathers—fathersfeethers . '

Gradle ( hitting it off again ) : ' Feethers —faders—ah , hah , tedders— ja ja , yees , sie bringen—fedders , ja , ja !' Jane echoes ' Feddars — yes — yah , yaw !' Exit Gradle , and after three-quarters of au hourreturns triumphantly with two

, bundles of stationers' quills !!! This is a fact , and will do for Twig . " Here he made the acquaintance of a young officer—a Mr . de Franch , of English origin , but in the German army—and the two struck up a very warm friendship

, which extended , indeed , to the whole family . Lieutenant de Franch was a great favourite with Hood ' s two fair children , Fanny and Tom . Mr . de Franch , it appears , had a wretched memory , especially for names , and when he left them some

time afterwards to join his regiment at Posen , a letter was written b y Hood , as if from De Franch , as a quiz ujion the bail memory of the latter . It is an amusing jumble of wilful mistakes , and the changes are rung through every variety that can

be thought of . I would give it as a specimen of a forgetful man ' s letter , did space permit , but it does not . There are some very entertaining letters from Mrs . Hood to her friend , Mrs . Elliot , and from Hood himself to Mr . Dilkethe

, father of Sir Charles Dilke ; but the space allowed me in the MASONIC MAGAZINE will not allow of my quoting them at length . Mrs . Hood was proud of her progress in