THE PRINCESS ROSE.* ONCE upon a time, there was a king and a queen in a country where all were so good and so beautiful, that everyone therein lived happily, and nothing ever went wrong. Yet with all this, since perfect felicity cannot be hoped for any where, the inhabitants of even this delightful country had occasional intervals of weariness and melancholy. Whether it was, that the very weight of their riches fatigued them, there was always a something wanting to their thorough enjoyment; yet not one of the wise men among them could divine the reason why. Now the King and the Queen of this wonderful country, whose palace was built of diamonds and rubies, who had servants with wings that they might be the better waited upon, who were arrayed in robes of gold and silver tissue, and who, to crown this, had all the most exquisite things in the world at their choice; this King and this Queen, we say, were without any child; and children, we know, are the bright stars of life. Their want of children, then, was a great source of grief to the royal pair.

The Queen, however, having a friend who was a Fairy with a palace in the clouds, prevailed upon her to sympathise with her chagrin; and requested her to use her magic power, that a pretty little baby girl might be added to the royal family. The Fairy kindly replied, that the Queen's wish should be gratified.

So it happened, that some days after, when the Queen was walking among the flowers in her garden, she observed something gently moving under a bush of charmingly-perfumed roses, and, on going near, perceived, lying on a bed of

From LADY GOODCHILD'S "FAIRY RING." A col

lection of new Fairy Tales for the youth of both sexes. Price 5s. London: Houston and Wright, 65, Paternoster Row.

[There can be no doubt that this charming volume will be an especial favourite with the young for many a Christmas to come. The Tales throughout are full of invention and fancy, and yet pointed with excellent morals. Generally speaking, we care not to commend fairy lore as fitting entertainment for the young, but we can make a conscientious exception to this collection, which is excellent in its tone, and very interesting. We should like to see the "Fairy Ring" hung on rising generation could peruse the book without deriving therefrom immediate pleasure and permanent good.]

every Christmas Tree. We are sure no one of the

soft moss, the prettiest little girl that ever was seen; fair as a lily, with cheeks like a blush-rose, and beautiful blue eyes. She hastened to take up the infant, and caress it warmly; indeed, so great was her joy, that she could not help shedding tears, while from the very bottom of her heart she rendered thanks to the good Fairy for the happiness thus bestowed upon her. At that moment a cloud came sailing from the sky, and the Fairy stepped down from it, smiling and radiant with a light, soft, yet sparkling, as the dawn of day; then, addressing the Queen, she spoke as follows:

You

"Fair Queen, I have given you what you asked of me; that gift is the most precious of all treasures; it is yours to guard it with your utmost care. must watch over it, as well as tenderly nurse it. The spirit of this little one I place in your hands, to develop it for good. It is your duty to commit that sacred office to no other person; for a mother who knows not how to fulfil a trust so precious, is greatly to be blamed, and stores up for herself in the future the bitterest remorse. The mother's care is to a child what the sun is to the flower; it develops and cherishes its life. The same prudence which would prevent you entrusting your jewel-casket to the care of servants, should, in a greater degree, prohibit your confiding to such persons a treasure so great as I give you, in this infant. I am willing to take upon myself the office of her godmother, and I now bestow upon her the name of Rose, in remembrance of the charming rose-tree which served her for a cradle. Be thou, fair Queen, a good mother to this babe, and, in return, she will be a good daughter to thee!"

The Fairy then remounted her cloudchariot, and vanished in the far-off sky.

No sooner was she out of sight than the Queen set off running towards the palace, to show this pretty little girl to the King, her husband. All the Court were called in to look at it. A lovely white she-goat was brought in to suckle it; and a cradle of gold, lined with softwadded silk, for it to lie upon, with lace curtains, as fine at the finest cobweb, to

shade it while sleeping. All the Fairies came together to the palace, and vied with each other in the most charming presents. The little girl never uttered a wish that was not satisfied on the instant; and so it went on, until she had reached the age of ten years, without having shed a tear. The King and the Queen were the happiest parents in the world; yet, after all, a serious thought would sometimes cross their minds, at seeing their daughter apparently indifferent to all their wealth, and the many pleasures provided for her. She was happy; nevertheless, she occasionally wore an air of sadness; she seemed to feel a languor, a vague desire of something, which she could not explain.

In a word, in this happy country, where sorrow was unknown, the Princess Rose was seen, all at once, to become languishing and ill. Now, in such a country, as might be expected, there were no doctors; for no complaint had ever been heard of there. What was to be done? The Queen had again recourse to her friend, the Fairy, who came as quickly as possible to the summons; but even the Fairy could not understand the case of the young Princess.

As no one could tell to what cause the wretchedness which hung over the Princess was to be attributed, the Fairy said to the Queen :

"At some distance from here, there are

countries where physicians abound; and, possibly, in them there may be similar maladies to that which afflicts our dear child. I will take her with me in my cloud-chariot, and we will go and consult one of their celebrated doctors."

The Queen, who had never left the little Princess since her birth, was much troubled at parting with her, even for a few hours. However, she at last consented, especially as the journey could not be a very long one; for those who travel on the clouds go very fast indeed.

The Fairy and the Princess Rose traversed a great space before they descended to the earth. The place they landed upon bore very little resemblance to that they had recently quitted. Here were poor people, without food to eat, or clothes to wear; dwelling in wretched huts, built, for the most part, of mud, and thatched with straw; swarming with dirty children, puny, and half famished. It is true there were plenty of palaces as well, and rich people, and princes, and great lords; but these scarcely troubled themselves about their unfortunate fellow-citizens,

the poor receiving from them neither care

nor succour.

Before the Princess and the Fairy could arrive at the house of the celebrated physician whom they were going to consult, it was necessary for them to pass through a great portion of the town. At the sight of the poor children, with naked feet, and scarcely clothes to cover them, asking for bread, and begging an alms, the Princess Rose felt her heart swell, till she was almost choked with emotion: she burst into tears; her gentle sorrows fell down her cheeks like a kindly dew, and each tear was turned into a pearl of beauty as it came from her eyes; for they were tears of pity. It was then she felt a gentle joy penetrate her heart, as the thought occurred to her, how she might employ the immense riches of her parents in warding off starvation and cold from these poor people.

"My dear godmother," said she, addressing the Fairy, "I have no longer any need of a physician; I see already what was my complaint: and I know what will cure it. I was sad, because, if there are fairies, there are also angels; and the voice of one of those angels has reached me. The wealth of my parents could not make me happy while applied to my own use only. I have dreamed although I knew nothing of it-of the wretchedness which I now see; and I feel that it is in acts of charity I must find my happiness."

The Fairy recognised at once the truth of what the Princess said, from the heavenly joy which diffused itself over the whole countenance of the charming Rose. "Come then, dear child," she replied, "and fulfil your mission."

gladly in the delightful task of distributing to all whatever it might be that they most wanted. To the little children she gave frocks and petticoats; but did not forget to add some playthings also; on the old people and their wives she bestowed money. The joy of the children, the happiness of the old people, and the looks of the Princess Rose, radiant with benevolence, formed a scene so touching, that the King, the Queen, and the courtiers, affected by her example, felt an inclination to follow it; nor was it long before the coffers were entirely emptied of their contents.

Desirous of completing the happiness of the day, the Fairy touched, with her wand, all the poor and squalid huts. These, on an instant, were transformed into pretty cottages, surrounded with green turf; each had a poultry-yard full of fine fowls and handsome ducks, with a cow lowing in every shed. After this she turned to the mansions of the hard-hearted rich men, and cast upon them a spell, by which, in an instant, they became covered all over with some black colour, that nothing could rub off; in addition to which, ugly owls came and built their nests under the roof of every house; where they kept up such a perpetual hooting and screaming through the night, that not one of the inhabitants could get a wink of sleep. They tried every means for getting rid of these horrible creatures, but in vain. No one could hit them, although all the vo lunteer riflemen were called out for the purpose. The shots in their guns changed into crumbs of bread; and they found it useless to continue firing.

THE GRAMMAR OF MATRIMONY.-If you are s precise man, and wish to be certain of what you get, never marry a girl named Ann, for we haw the authority of Lindley Murray, and many others, for the assertion that Ann "is au indefinite

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FAMILY COUNCIL.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE COUNCIL.The Conglomerations for Christmas are rather numerous, but of too reflective a character in general to suit the purpose. Chief of these are the contributions of Lily H.-Leila and Eliza S.D. M. R.-Alpha.-Narcissa.

These are all kindly and cordial, and we heartily reciprocate their good wishes personally, as well as on behalf of the Council and the Magazine. The descriptive conglomerations are fair compositions, but the humour is deficient-and that was the element most desired. Illa, as usual, stands in the very first rank. She is on this occasion graphic and inventive, but not lively.

Irene is too trivial, and the President would remind our good friend, that a cultivated mind should never lend itself to satire on "young elderly ladies"-especially at a season like this.

Annie Linton and Snow well merit commendation. Bertha S. is very spirited and picturesque.

CONGLOMERATION.

CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE COUNTRY.

Accompany me. if you please, to the pretty little village of D. Its rustic thatched-roofed cottages are picturesquely situated on an eminence, which slopes gradually down to the banks of a clear meandering river; elegant villas are interspersed here and there, on the slopes of the undulating ground; and, rising above all, in the far

back-ground, stands the "Squire's" mansion. This in summer is partially hidden by the foliage of the trees by which it is surrounded, but now, as stern winter has stripped their branches, this building is distinctly visible, and forms a conspicuous, and at the same time a noble feature in the landscape. Yonder, at the foot of the hill, is like almost the railway station; for to Devery town and village in England, is extended the advantages of this modern system of swift travelling. A train has just stopped, the number of passengers which get out is considerably above the average, and those that get in are equally numerous; all are of course travelling for the and to spend Christmas with their friends and same purpose; viz., to join a family gathering, relatives; while from the luggage-van the por ters are bringing forth a large quantity of baskets hampers contain? Why, an abundance of pouland "hampers." Ah, what do those baskets and try and game, and not a few bottles of wine, over which many a toast will be drank ere the day closes in honour of old Father Christmas.

But hark! the church bell strikes on the ear calling to morning service: the villagers in holiday attire, prayer-book in hand, are wending their way to the ivy-covered sanctuary. The "Squire" and his lady are among the first to enter. Much beloved are they by the poor on their estate, if we may judge by the respectful and hearty salutations which they meet with on all sides-salutations which exhibit not the least sign of fear or distrust, and although given in a somewhat awkward and