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Arislus and Deinus.

motion, descended in profuse soft ringlets from her head, without con- cealing a round slender neck, whiter than alabaster. On our young gen- tleman's name being mentioned, she turned towards him a countenance so majestic, illuminated with a smile so divinely beautiful, as actually deprived him for some moments of his under- standing. The conversation was nei- ther slow in its commencement nor progress; but Aristus was incapable of throwing in a single remark, all his faculties having retired to his eyes. His assistance was not wanted. The fair enchantress set out with an ani- mated encomium on the young Greek officers, who had done prodigious things during the siege, an event which, though several years old, was still re- garded as very respectable news in the absence of more recent calamities. She enlarged on the superiority of their manners, courage, and accoutrements, to those of her own countrymen, and declared herself immensely in love with Alexander, whom she described as the most engaging little man she had ever seen in her life. The other lady, though, as I said, an elderly matron, could, notwithstanding, talk as fast as other people, but as both addressed themselves to Aristus, and often at the same time, she did not receive all that preference of attention her superior years and wisdom seemed to require.

" What a charming lady," exclaimed Aristus, as the lovely visitor retired. " Ah," replied his friend, " had my sweet little Helen come, you would have seen more beauty, and heard less noise." " Who is this, then ?" for he had all this while supposed the inter- esting orphan was before him. " Her name is Lalista, she is the wealthiest ward in Sidon." Though somewhat a- bashed at this discovery, and chagrined at thesinister interpretation the conduct he had already determined to pursue might be subjected to, he went home, however, devising schemes to bring about a second interview. The wards of those times were rather more strictly guarded than those of our days. But, by securing the confidence of the aunt, he soon succeeded in enjoying large opportunities of access to the precious jewel she had in her possession. Aris- tus was a man of fortune, talent, and fine accomplishments; and the per- fect integrity of his heart imbued his

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manners with a familiar simplicity, the great charm, and almost insepar- able companion of superior minds. Lalista, though gay and talkative in public, possessed more valuable qua- lities than a first-sight judge would have been inclined to allow. Pre- paration for uninterrupted exhibitions, which great beauty seems to entail on its possessors, left no time for reflec- tion, and concealed her true character from herself, while her conversation, extempore in the strictest sense, and not unfrequently at variance with the cool dictates of a judgment naturally sound, and a very affectionate bosor i, rendered it as great a mystery to others. The more he discovered of his mistress, the more was Aristus satisfied with the reasonableness of his passion, which he found it impossible any longer to conceal; and lie delighted himself with the idea of snatching her from the dissipating whirlpool of fashion- able life, where the fruit of all her virtues was perishing, from the im- possibility of their acting for a suffi- cient length of time in one direction, and of maturing the noble principles of her nature in the bosom of com- parative retirement. One day, when her looks were even more complacent than usual, and some indistinct sus- picion of a certain rival had made him resolve to hasten an explanation, he ventured to declare his love in the precise language us.ed by ardent young men on such occasions. Though his eyes had expressed the same thing a thousand times, and she had long won- dered at the slow progress his ideas made towards his tongue, Lalista con- trived to listen to this avowal as a young fawn does to an unexpected clap of thunder. At first she was thrown into the most amazing confu- sion, and frowned with fascinating sweetness on the object of her terror. By and by she begins to think mea- sures necessary for her safety, spoke seriously of withdrawing, or of calling in some third person to turn the con- versation on Lss alarming topics, and concluded by permitting him to fold her in his arms, and impress his very soul on her lips.

But this state of matters was too delicious to continue; for as those persons who are acquainted with the extravagant temper of fortune know assuredly, when that goddess puts on too smiling an aspect, and prates in