Literature.

"The abruptness of his entrance completely threw me off my guard , and I exclaimed aloud , very stupidly now , I think , ' It is the Duke himself I ' " He was dressed in full uniform , as lie was about to proceed to some court or military ceremonial , I forget which , held that day . It cannot surely be necessary that I should enter into a description of his appearance ancl features , ivhich countless portraits have made familiar to every man , woman , and child in the British Empire . In

all the infinity of pictures and busts taken of him , sufficient likeness is perpetuated to transmit an accurate idea of him to posterity , ancl the unborn will see the type and fashion of him whose glory ivill last while England herself survives . The only thing that struck me , Ai'hen brought into personal contact with him , was that he seemed much shorter than I had fancied , and than he looked on horseback , where alone I had seen him before . My friend , who ordinarily n'as remarkable for the ease and gracefulness of her

manner , on this unfortunate occasion completely lost all selfpossession ; and , in fact , ivas speechless—unable to stammer out one articulate word . The Duke regarded her for awhile with cold and pitiless gaze , nor sought in the remotest degree to remove or dissipate the confusion ivhich so overpoiveriiigly and really distressingly overcame her . " " Finding she did not speak , he said , in a voice of exceeding sternness , * lvhat paper is that you hold in your hand ? ' She

faltered out that it embodied the petition she came to request in behalf of her relative . ' Give it to me / ho said . He took ifc from her and reacl it attentively over ; ancl then in tones the most curt , most harsh , and inexorably decisive , said , ' I am not fche proper

person to apply to about this . I could not clo ifc it I wished—I do not know that I should if I could . ' " In conveying this cruel negative , not one softening tone of manner—not one transient look of sympathy or admiration in anywise mingled ivifch or mitigated the pain he inflicted on his beautiful suppliant . I was petrified that a man could be so ungentle and uiicourteous to any woman , much less to such a one as then stood before him . Nor can I now account for his severe , I may almost add

ungentlemanly , reception of her , except by the supposition that he was annoyed at her exceeding nervousness—a phase of feeling alike to him unknown—perhaps incomprehensible -. and possibly he thought it was assumed for effect , ii'liich ifc certainly AA'as not ; and as he AA'as known to detest anything approximating to affectation or unreality , resolved , it might be , to punish AA'hat be fancied an exhibition of ifc . " But if I Ai-as astonished at his treatment of Mrs . — , I Ai-as yet

more immeasurably so ivhen , as I had never opened my lips , except to utter the exclamation as he entered the room , he came up to me , took hold of both my hands , and said , in the gentlest aud blandest of tones , ' Is there anything I can do for you ? ' ' No , thank your Grace—I merely come as this lady's friend / was my reply . And so our brief interview terminated ; ancl from the moment we entered the carriage that awaited us , to tho period when wo arrived at my friend ' s houseI was entertained witli nothing but the

, most vehement anathemas uttered by her against the ' brutality ' of the Duke , as she called it , ancl wondering amazement at the cause of his extraordinary urbanity to me . " On the other hand , the authoress had , as is seen from the above , no cause to find fault withher reception , and so we have .

THE CHEAT HERO OP A llUXDHED FIG-HI'S IN A GOOD TEJIl'EH . " He receiveci me most courteously and kindly , himself rising to place a chair for me . He looked at me ivith intense scrutiny , ancl then said— ' So yon arc a friend of Lord Carnarvon . Ah ! he is a good man . Is he better ? I was sorry to hear he hael been ill . ' He then reverted to the subject which had led me to seek the interview , asking me many questions about my military friend—the name of his regiment—bow long be bad been in the & cwinding

army , , up with the remark , uttered ivith a playful smile— ' Tho fact is , I suppose , you are going to ho married to him . Is ifc nofc so ? ' I gave a truthful ausiver to the question . ' Well , never mind , it is no business of mine . But tell me—have I not seen you before ? I am sure I have . ' It was said he never forgot any one he had once spoken to . I then recounted my former interview , ivhen I accompanied Mrs . . 'Oh I I remember ifc perfectly—the little

woman that was so frightened at me . I did not like her ; I thought her artificial . 1 take likings and dislikings in a moment . I thought , after yon ivere gone , of your refusal ivhen I offered to do anything for you . It is not often this occurs to me ; I assure you it is much more frequently that I have to say JS o' —laughing " heartily as ho said it . ' But , eome now , tell me all about yourself . Are your parents living ?—are a widow ?—have children ?—and

you yon any ivlr . it made you literary ? ' These interrogatories were spoken someivhat rapidly . I then gave him a short biography of my then brief , but too eventful life , to the details of which bo ' listened ivith the deepest interest—going into the minutest facts—commenting ivith singular shrewdness and sagacity on some of the events narrated .

He shoived an extraordinary aptitude in discerning truth . A casual AA'ord or expression sufficed for him at once to comprehend a meaning not expressed . When , in the course of my brief history , I had to tell of sorrow suffered , wrong inflicted , nothing could exceed the kindly—I may say tender—sympathy he evinced . Of my father he inquired much . When I told him he had been identified greatly with Wilberforcc and others in writing pamphlets , & c , towards the achievement of that great and noble work , the abolition

of the slave trade , he saicl—* Was your father English ? You are not- an EngtishiA'omaii ?' "' Your grace , I am a Scotchwoman . ' "' Well , yon may be , though you are not the least like one ; but I am certain of this , you have Italian blood in you veins—you are the image of an Italian lady I once took a great interest in' ( I wonder AA'I IO it Avas ) . ' I thought so the instant I saw you some years since . " Had he been a friend of years—one connected hy ties of long

companionship and intimacy , he could nofc have entered with more anxious , eager interest into my plans and projects , nor furnished me with wiser , safer counsel for my future career- After a very long interview , during whieh I had several times offered to depart , all of which proposals were met AA'ith the words"' Sit doivn again , I tell you . I want to hear more . ' " 'But your Grace's time is so valuable / '" I should soon dismiss you if I wished it . ' " I remembered , in the case of my poor friend , how abruptly he

had indeed accomplished this . "' Will you take some refreshment ? Perhaps you will like some tea , you women seem always ready for tea . ' " I laughed , and told him I had breakfasted long since . "AVe then commenced chatting again . "' What time clo you get up in the morning ?' " 'Eight o'clock . ' '" Well , that is not A'ery early—I rise much earlier than that /

" Whilst talking with him , I could scarcely imagine that in the simple , unaffected man before me , the warm and kindly sympathiser with woman's griefs , the familiar adviser in the minor occurrences of a life so different from his , it AA-as the irritable Duke of Wellington I was conversing with , the greatest warrior of the age , the profound statesman and legislator . He , too , who , as rumour had asserted , was entitled to his sobriquet of the Iron Duke , from his stern invulnerability to pity , compassion , or sympathy . Never in

my experience of life had I met ivith a man more gracious in manner . I was as perfectly at my ease whilst talking to him as if he had been one of my oldest , most familiar friends . " At last , for even the pleasantest things must hai'e a termination , the servant entered with a card , saying tbe gentleman was waiting to see him . "' Well , IIOAVI suppose I must really let you go . NOAV clo not bo offended at what I am going to say—you literary people are not always very rich . Do you Avant any money to bring out this book ? —if so , 1 will write yon a cheque for any amount you choose to name . '

"He then took the pen in his hand , and placed the cheque-book I before him . "' Come , what sum shall I write for ?' "I really believe if I had said eC 500 , he would have ivritten it ; but drawing myself up with a terrible air of offended dignity , I anSAverecl" 'Oh , your Grace , I did not come hero for money . ' " He looked at my flashing eyes and kindling cheek , saying in a

good-tempered way"' Come , noAA' , clo not look so angry—I Avould not hurt your feelings for the world but I am so anxious you should let me do something for you . ' " ' Well , let me then , as I asked you , dedicate the book , please , to you , and take a copy of it . " 'That you certainly may clo only put in a paragraph to say I am not responsible for all the anecdotes narrated in ifc . As for a

copy , I will take the whole impression if you like . I should like to sec Captain . If you will name any day when I shall find him at your house , I will call on you . ' " An arrangement for this was effected , and so our interview terminated . " From the above it will be readily perceived what pleasant gossip is to be found in Traits of Character , and as both

volumes are thickly studded with such matter we cannot doubt the work becoming very popular . Who the author is has already been the subject of some shrewd guessing , but taking all that can be surmised on this score , and weighing the evideneecarefniry , wecaniiot como to any other conclusion than thafc these Traits of Character are tho work of a skilful compiler , who has ransacked every available source of information , and clothed the fragment with a thin veil of personality to render them more excitng . Be this as it may ,