ness, the birth of two sons adding to their enjoyment. It was about this time that Don Jorge, unable to support his exile, and willing to encounter any danger for the sake of seeing again the object of his constant thoughts, returned to Sarragossa, after having traversed Italy, Piedmont, and Flanders. The death of his brother Frederic not having been attributed to him, his guilty fears were his only monitors, and he entered his native city in security. The person who was the least satisfied with his return was Constance. Sincerely attached to her husband, and firm to her matrimonial vows, she felt displeasure at the steps he commenced taking to see her. These attempts, the serenades, and the gallantries practised in open day, caused the inhabitants of the city to murmur. The lady herself also remained deaf and insensible to all his attentions. In this disdain she was encouraged by her sister Theodosia, who felt her own love for Don Jorge revive; but receiving from him in return nothing but the most cruel neglect and scorn, she fell dangerously ill, and Constance-to whom this secret was now confided, and who tenderly loved her sister-desired, if it was possible, to effect the desired union. To save the life of Theodosia, she determined to do violence to her own feelings, and grant an interview to Don Jorge, trusting to his sense of honour to comply with her wishes for the marriage. She accordingly sent for the cavalier, one day when her husband was hunting, and, on his arrival, thus addressed him : "Your departure, Don Jorge, from Sarragossa, after the many assurances I had given you of my attachment, removed from me all hope of becoming your wife, and he, to whom I am now united, is so dear to me, that I return a thousand thanks to Providence for deserving him. But in my place, I offer you a part of myself, my sister Theodosia, who esteems you tenderly, and will perish if she remains any longer the victim of your disdain. Show then, the consideration you have for my family by saving her from destruction." These words troubled the heart of Don Jorge, who could not renounce the fatal influence exercised over him by the voice and charms of Constance. Seeing him obdurate, the Senora continued, in a tone of raillery: "Let us come to terms Don Jorge. If you, who are so skilful in organising fêtes, can within this time and to morrow create, upon the plot of ground before my house, a garden, filled with rich and fragrant flowers, trees and golden fruits, with foun tains flowing from diamond Kiosks; and if you find means, by its shade and magnificence, with birds of every species that must inhabit it, to rival the delicious hanging gardens of Semiramis over the palace of Babylon, I will consent to flee with you; but, if you cannot execute these conditions, you must pledge me your word to marry Theodosia." Having said these words, she retired to her apartment, satisfied with the success of her efforts, and leaving Don Jorge, as she considered, no alternative but the marriage with her sister. With a troubled mind and agitated air, the cavalier quitted the house, and disconsolately wandered into the fields; when suddenly a man, enveloped in a scarlet cloak, made his appearance, and thus addressed him : "What ails thee Don Jorge? why sighing and complaining, when thou shouldst be stirring? The remedy to thy sorrow is not so difficult to be found." The cavalier, surprised to find his secret known, regarded his questioner closely, and replied: "And who are you, who dares undertake to promise me relief? What can you do, when I have been asked to undertake what the demon himself could not perform ?” "And if I am that person himself, what wouldst thou say? Come, take courage, and tell me what thou wilt give me, if I create the garden mentioned by the Dona Constance " "State yourself the price for what you pretend you can do. I am ready to give you anything." "Sign this compact, by which thou wilt become mine hereafter," said the demon. Don Jorge performed what was desired without reflecting on the consequences, and at daybreak the following morning arose, and proceeded to the house of Don Carlos, scarcely believing that the engagement of the previous evening would be effected; but, to his great astonishment, he found, laid out in the highest perfection, one of the most beautiful gardens eyes had ever beheld. Enchanted with the prospect, he traversed the grounds, observing fresh glories at every step. Don Carlos, who had reposed himself after the fatigues of the chase, awaking from his slumbers and proceeding to the window, beheld the marvellous garden, and, struck with amazement, called his wife to admire it. All the household went forth to enjoy the scene; when Constance, suddenly perceiving Don Jorge advancing towards them, remembered her indiscreet promise of the preceding evening, and immediately fell to the ground insensible. By the assis- | tance of her husband, and those around her she soon recovered, but only to the consciousness of her miserable situation. Regarding Don Carlos with a look of love and bitterness, she exclaimed: "Take my life, for my heedless words I have forfeited all claim to your affection;" and she then related all that had occurred from the commencement of her acquaintance with Don Jorge. Her husband listened with tenderness, and compassion to the recital, and then replied, mildly: : "I should be wrong to deny, Constance, that you have committed an error in promising what you considered an impossible condition. But the torments you have suffered, more than compensate for such folly. I, who married you by a deceit, and have subsisted upon your fortune, ought to be the only sufferer in this case, and my life ought to be sacrificed for yours." stream might be overlooked by the traveller. This brook, although so small, was inspired with a proud spirit, and murmured against the decree of Providence, which had cast its lot so lowly. "I wish I were a cloud, to roll all day through the heavens, painted as those lovely shapes are, and never descending again in showers; or, at least, I wish I were a broad river, performing some useful duty in the world. Shame on my weak waves and unregarded bubbling! I might as well have never been, as to be thus puny, insignificant and useless," When the brook had thus complained, a beautiful tall flower, that bent over its bosom, replied: "Thou art in error, brook. Puny and insignificant thou mayest be; useless thou art not-for I owe half my beauty, perhaps my life, to thy refreshing waters. "The plants adjacent to thee are greener and richer than the others. The Creator has pas-given thee a duty, which, though humble, thou must not neglect. Besides, who knows what may be thy future destiny? Flow on, I beseech thee." "Hold, Carlos!" cried Don Jorge, sionately; it is not right that I should be the cause of suffering to a noble heart like yours. Your wife is released from her promise; I declare it solemnly and openly. Carlos belongs to Constance, and Constance to Carlos. Heaven intended them for each other. For me, I am lost, both here and hereafter." Scarcely had Don Jorge spoken, when the demon appeared, holding in his hand the terrible compact. In a loud voice he exclaimed: The brook heard the rebuke, and danced along its way more cheerfully. On and on it went, growing broader and broader. By and by other rivulets poured their crystal waters into it, and swelled its deepening bosom, in which already began to appear the fairy creatures of the wave, darting about joyfully, and glistening in the sun. As its channel grew wider and wider, and yet "I am not to be overcome in generosity other branches came gliding into it, the by any of ye. Don Jorge, thou hast been stream began to assume the importance of foolish and wicked in thy attempts to de-a river, and boats were launched on it, and stroy the happiness of a good and virtuous family. But thou hast gained a victory over thy passions; therefore, take back this deed, which restores thee to independence and reason. With these words he disappeared. Don Jorge and Theodosia were soon afterwards married, and splendid fêtes in Saragossa signalized the event. Never, during the life of the former, was the untimely end of his brother mentioned; but many years after his own death, and that of Theodosia, the narrative of these events was found among their papers. HUMILITY AND PERSEVERANCE. FROM the side of a mountain there flowed forth a little rivulet-its voice was scarcely heard amid the rustling of the leaves and grass around, and its shallow and narrow it rolled on in a meandering course through a teeming country, freshening whatever it touched, and giving the whole scene a new character of beauty. As it moved on now in majesty and pride, the sound of its gently-heaving billows formed itself into the following words: "At the outset of life, however humble we may seem, fate may have in store for us great and unexpected opportunities of doing good and of being great. In the hope of these we should ever pass on without despair or doubt, trusting that perseverance will bring in its own reward. How little I dreamed, when I first sprang on my course, what purposes I was destined to fulfil! What happy beings were to owe their bliss to me! What lofty trees, what velvet meadows, what_golden harvests were to hail my career! Let not the meek and lowly despair; heaven will supply them with noble inducements to virtue." LESSONS IN FRENCH. THE ADJECTIVE. Adjectives which are not susceptible of Comparison.-Grammarians do not agree upon the adjectives which do not admit of the degrees of comparison; the principle which should be admitted as a guide in this difficulty is, that when an adjective expresses a qualification in a very or in the highest degree, it is better not to use it in the comparative or superlative form; such are the following: Charmant, charming; mortel, mortal; éternel, eternal; suprême, supreme; immortel, immortal; because a thing or person cannot be more or less charming, mortal, eternal, &c. Adjectives of Dimension.-There is a difference in the construction of French and English sentences when speaking of the dimensions of a thing, that requires the attention of foreigners. Instead of the verb to be, which is used in English, the verb to have is employed in French, and the preposition of is placed before the word which expresses the dimension; as in, This room is twenty feet long, Cette chambre a vingt pieds de longueur. The word which expresses the dimension may be a noun or an adjective; the noun can always be used, but not so with the adjective; for, speaking of depth and thickness, we would not say: This well is ten feet deep, Ce puits a dix pieds de profond; This wall is three feet thick, Ce mur a trois pieds d'épais. We should use the nouns profondeur and épaisseur. When two dimensions are spoken of in the sentence, the preposition sur, upon, is placed before the second preposition; as in, This room is fifteen feet long and twelve feet wide, Cette chambre a quinze pieds de longueur sur douze de largeur. Finally, if the three dimensions are expressed, the conjunction and, et, is used before the last; as in, This room is sixteen feet long, twelve feet wide, and ten feet high, Cette chambre a seize pieds de longueur sur douze de largeur et dix de hauteur. Sometimes the sentence is constructed in English without the verb to be being used; as in, There is in this house a room twenty feet wide. Then the verb to have is not expressed in French, and the preposition of is used twice, once before the numeral adjective, the second time before the word of dimension; as, Il y a dans cette maison une chambre de vingt pieds de longueur. The other dimensions should be expressed as above, with sur before the second and et before the last proposition. There is still another manner of expressing dimension in French, but as that we have just given is the most elegant and the most generally used, we deem it unnecessary to mention it. In comparative sentences, the English, to express a difference, turn their phrases in this way: She is taller than her sister by a whole head. But, Elle est plus grande que sa sœur de toute la tête, is the French construction, making use of de, of, instead of by. The Adjective with the Article.-Adjectives expressing only modes and qualities are not preceded by the article, except in a few instances, which will be explained hereafter; thus we say, without an article, Men are often good or bad only for the reason that they have received good or bad examples, Les hommes sont souvent bons ou mauvais par cela seul qu'ils ont reçu de bons ou de mauvais exemples. But adjectives used as nouns are, like nouns, preceded by the article, if the case requires it; as, Fools invent fashions, and wise men conform to them, Les fous inventent les modes et les sages s'y conforment. When a noun is accompanied by two adjectives expressing opposite qualifications, the article must be repeated before each adjective; as, The old and the new-raised soldiers are full of ardour, Les vieux et les nouveaux soldats sont remplis d'ardeur; A man who cares for his reputation ought to frequent good and avoid bad company, Un homme qui est jaloux de sa réputation doit fréquenter la bonne compagnie et fuir la mauvaise. The reason of this is, that adjectives opposite in signification cannot at the same time modify the same substantive; a soldier cannot be young and old at once, and company cannot be both good and bad. Then there is an ellipsis, in the two above examples, of the word soldier after old, and of the word company after good, and the existence of two nouns requires the use of the article before each, their meaning being definite. But, if the qualifications expressed by the adjectives are similar, the noun being jointly modified by them, the ellipsis does not exist, and consequently the article is not repeated; as, The wise and pious Fenelon, Le sage et vertueux Fénélon. There being but one individual who is wise and pious. When the qualifications, without being incompatible, are somewhat different, it is correct to repeat the article, although not indispensable; as, The sensible and ingenious Fenelon, Le sensible et l'ingénieux Fénélon. Here one of the qualities belongs to the mind, the other to the heart; but in general the ear must be consulted in cases similar to this, in preference to rules. Before adjectives prefixed to proper names, either to express their qualities or to distinguish the person spoken of from those who might bear the same name, the article is used; thus we say, The sublime Bossuet, Le sublime Bossuet. as the article the, unless the nouns designate two qualifications which belong to a single individual; as in, An Englishman a Frenchman, an Italian, and a Španiard, are easily recognised by manners and features, On reconnait facilement un Anglais, un Français, un Italien, et un Espagnol à son style et aux traits de son visage. A, Un, repeated or not with two or several The adjective preceding the noun shows Nouns separated by the Conjunction Or, Ou. but a distinct quality, but, when following-The adjective, a, un, is repeated before it, points out the noun as a particular one each noun when separated by the conamong others like it. The above examples junction or, ou, provided they have a demonstrate the truth of this remark. different signification; but it is not reWhen a superlative relative precedes a peated if the second noun is but the substantive, the article serves for both; explanation of the first, in which case, if as, The ablest men sometimes commit the the nouns were not of the same gender, grossest blunders, Les plus habiles gens the adjective should agree with the first; font souvent les plus grandes fautes. But as in, When I walk, I always hold a if it follows the substantive, the article Virgil or a Tacitus in my hand, Lorsque must be repeated: Les gens les plus habiles je me promène, j'ai toujours un Virgile ou font souvent les fautes les plus grandes. un Tacite à la main. When two or more superlatives modify a noun, the sign of the superlative, either relative or absolute, must be repeated before each adjective; as, It is equally the custom of the most barbarous and the most civilized people, C'est également la coutume des peuples les plus barbares et les plus civilisés. We have seen, by the preceding rules, that when the article is used with the adjective, it always precedes it; but there is an exception. The adjective all, tout, when employed with the article, always precedes it; thus we say, Everybody says that you are a rogue, Tout le monde dit que vous êtes un coquin. of Adjectives preceded by the Verb to be, être, used impersonally. Whenever an adjective is employed with the verb to be, être, used impersonally, it should be followed by the preposition of, de, althongh in other cases, that adjective might require another preposition; as in, It is difficult to learn French, Il est difficile d'apprendre le Français. It is pleasant to be acquainted with foreign languages, Il est agréable de savoir les langues étrangères; This language is difficult to learn, Cette langue est difficile à apprendre; This wine is pleasant to drink, Ce vin est agréable à boire. In the two first instances, the adjectives difficile and agréable are used impersonally and take de after them; in the two last, they are not, and require to be followed by the preposition à, to. Of the Adjectives A, Un.-A, Un, repeated or not with two or several Nouns united by the Conjunction And, Et.-The adjective a, un, is repeated before each noun, as well A, Un, repeated or not before two Adjectives united by the Conjunction And, Et.A, un, is repeated before two adjectives united by and, et, whenever, on account of their signification, they cannot qualify the same noun, but it is not repeated if the two adjectives are used to qualify the same person or thing; as in, I saw this morning a small and a large house, which pleased me much, J'ai vu ce matin une petite et une grande maison, qui me plaisent beaucoup. A, Un, repeated or not before two Adjectives separated by the Conjunction, Or, Ou. -When two adjectives separated by or, ou, precede the noun, un is repeated before each; but if they follow it, un is used but once; as in, The happiness of a people depends upon its having a good or bad administration, Le bonheur d'un peuple dépend d'une bonne ou d'une mauvaise administration. Remark. In proverbs, maxims, or sententious expressions, un is used or not; it is a matter of taste; as in, Too constant a happiness sometimes becomes intolerable, Un bonheur trop constant devient souvent insupportable. Of A employed in English before a Noun qualified or not by an Adjective as the attribute of the Verb To Be.-Whenever a noun preceded by a is used in English as the complement or attribute of the verb to be, un is not expressed in French, unless the English noun should be qualified by an adjective or a qualificative expression, or the verb to be should have for its nominative the pronoun ce; as in, My father was a general, and my uncle an admiral, Mon père était général et |