"You had better take off your silk handkerchief," said the considerate butler, at the same time removing it from my neck.

"Oh! you hurt me," I faintly exclaimed.

The old man gave a melancholy shake of his head, which seemed to imply that he thought me cross and peevish, and he said in a low mournful tone, "I meant to be of service, Master Ernest, and not to hurt you;" at this moment a sight attracted his attention which completely changed the current of his thoughts-"Why, what have you done to yourself? Mr. Taylor the poor boy has blister on his neck as large as a crown piece!"

A blister!" echoed the tutor, as he turned to John, who had now re-entered the room with the liquor-medicine chest; "a scraped potato will allay the pain: he probably got it in the stinging netties, when looking for a lost ball."

"Run to the still-room, John, and tell Elizabeth to bring some hotwater and fine lint," proceeded the anxious Harry Arthur, "and order a bread-and-milk poultice."

"But first give me a glass of ale," interposed the preceptor; "froth it up, and now bring a jug of scalding water, a lemon, and white sugar."

No sooner was it bruited about the house that "Master Ernest had been burnt,' than the housekeeper, Mrs. Miller, Anne the head housemaid, and Fanny the dairy-maid, rushed into the room. "It's the wasps," exclaimed one; "a horse-fly," said another; "the nettle rash," cried a third. "Why! the darling black-eyed boy's neck is completely scarified, and his collar is singed," remarked Mrs. Miller, "surely he can't have been near the oven in the bake-house."

"But what's this powder?" inquired the dairy-maid.

"It's the ashes of a pipe or cigar," responded the butler; "they are still alive!"

A general silence followed this remark, and all eyes were turned upon the teacher, who had been the innocent cause of my misfortune; for the reader will probably have already discovered that in puffing a cloud of smoke against my face, he had accidentally shaken the burnt end of his "mild Havannah " between my neck and shirt-collar, leaving to this day a scar that would identify me in the same manner the heroes of all the Minerva Press novels, and Coburg Theatre melodramas, aro wont to be identified.

To do Mr. Taylor justice, I must say that nothing could exceed his kindness and anxiety upon this occasion; he had hitherto looked upon me as a weak timid boy, totally unfitted for the profession I was destined for-the army; but when he found that I could endure the greatest of torture with patient resignation, his whole feeling towards me seemed to undergo a wonderful change-"You are a brave little fellow," he exclaimed, "and I regret-.'

"Don't say a word upon the subject," I responded, won by his altered manner; "it was my fault for going to sleep."

In the mean time Mrs. Miller, who had studied Dr. Kentish's work on burns, had applied the usual remedies; as this medical writer recommended generous diet, I was taken to the housekeeper's-room, where I was indulged with every luxury that could be furnished. A message from my tutor that two holidays would be given me, entirely cheered my spirit, while the care and attention bestowed upon me totally

removed all pain of body. The next morning I awoke in high spirits, and as I was to remain that day on the invalid list, my absence from study extended to nearly half the week.

"What say you to a drive to Kenilworth, this afternoon ?" said Mr. Taylor, as he came, before I was up, to inquire after my health. "I shall be delighted," I responded.

"We will start then at three o'clock; and if you like to have a small hamper of wine, fruit, and sandwiches packed, we can have a pic-nic in the Pleasance, drink to the memory of Queen Bess' in Leicester's Buildings, talk over the deeds of your gallant ancestor in the Tilt Yard, and have our dessert in Cæsar's Tower."

Doctor Slow, who had a wonderful knack of ferreting out every event that took place within ten miles of his residence, had been informed of the slight catastrophe that had befallen me, and had lost no time in driving over to Atherley Manor, under the pretext of inquiring after my tutor's asthma, but in reality to ascertain the state of the case respecting myself.

The M.D. was a practitioner of the old school, and so learned and pedantic in his conversation that it was oftentimes difficult to comprehend his meaning. He would discourse of the prehension of food, salivary secretion, deglutition, chylification-he would speak of the dragging of the epigastric region; when suffering from abstinence, of the mutual attrition of the ruga of the empty stomach, and describe thirst as a troublesome dryness of the fauces and oesophagus. He would tell of the action of the parietes of the thorax, and dilate upon necrosis, psorophthalmy, emphysema, and ranula.

The doctor was announced; he was a dapper little man, with a powdered head and pigtail, a black dress coat and waistcoat, continuations of the same, black silk stockings, highly polished shoes and buckles. After complimenting his patient upon his improved looks, he turned to me, and expressed a hope that a whitlow, or as he termed it paronychia, under which I had lately suffered, had not suppurated-"Nothing like a simple cataplasm: but if the arm is swollen, or the lymphatics inflamed, it might be necessary to open the collection."

"Ernest's finger is quite well," responded Mr. Taylor; "but he met with a slight burn last night, which, thanks to Mrs. Miller's remedies, is considerably better."

"In any local inflammation the antiphlogistic treatment was formerly the usual practice; but in modern times the principle of maintaining the action of the part by an adequate stimulus has been resorted to, by applying hot oil of turpentine or alcohol, and then covering the part with a liniment composed of unguentum resinæ flave and oleum terebinthina."

My hair stood on end as I heard hot spirit recommended.

The disciple of Esculapius continued" If vesications do not form, suppuration will probably not take place. At the second dressing warm proof laudanum may be used."

Again I groaned at the thought of having more heat applied to my burning pain.

"At the third, powdered chalk and a plaster of ceratum lapidis calaminaris will prove effectual." At the conclusion of this erudite exposition the physician turned to the dominie, and made particular in

quiries after his supposed malady-“ No tightness across the chest or difficulty of breathing, I trust?"

"Why, no, Doctor Slow, I feel myself better, although I fear during this hot weather the attack may return."

"Should the paroxysm come on," continued the modern Galen, "opium, assafoetida, ether, or other antispasmodics should be administered; to promote expectoration, decoction of seneka, milk of ammoniac, with nauseating doses of tartar emetic, or a preparation of squills, are medicines of considerable efficacy." The patient was all attention. "Warm pediluvia, and the respiration of an atmosphere mixed with hydrogen gas, or any other innocuous air, which might dilute the oxygenous gas, would be useful in spasmodic asthma."

After this gratuitous advice, Mr. Taylor felt himself bound to play into the doctor's hands, so addressing him, he said, "Although Ernest's burn is considerably better, perhaps a little régime might be advisable."

My heart sunk within me, and a vision of parti-coloured drugs floated before my mind-blue pill, grey powder, and black draught.

66

Let me feel your pulse, Master Ernest-no fever," my hopes revived; "and your tongue-a little furred," down went my expectations. "A slight cathartic might be advisable." So calling for half a sheet of paper, the doctor wrote a hieroglyphical-looking prescription, in which the words sulphas soda and sennæ were conspicuous, and which my knowledge of Latin enabled me to ascertain was to be taken early in the morning.

The practitioner having gratified his propensity, which was a ruling passion, that of receiving his guinea, looked as pleased as the man in the farce, who sings

"No hand so fair to me

As the one that holds a fee,"

and prepared to take his departure; before, however, he left the room, Harry Arthur made his appearance to inform us that the gig was at the door, and that the hamper of edibles and drinkables had been placed under the seat. As he enumerated the delicacies, which consisted of cold chicken, tongue, lobster, apple tart, fruit, cake, ale, and wine, the doctor made a face very like the one the inimitable Liston was wont to put on when, in the words of the Scotch pedagogue Abel Sampson, he exclaimed "Prodigious!"

"A FAMILY CIRCLE."

ENGRAVED BY J. B. HUNT, FROM A PAINTING BY HARRISON WEIR.

Hail sweet-scented Spring! for at length that east wind
Has taken his cold nipping blast from our shores,
And the blossoms break out as they joyously find
There is no more occasion to stay within doors.
Oh, you buds and young blossoms, so brave in your youth,
So cosily courting the rays of the sun,

Just attend to Mamma as she tells you in truth
Of how you may do, or how you'll be done :-

"Come around me, I pray you, my sweet little dears,
And keep still as I tell you my hopes and my fears—
My hopes for your future, just dashed with a sigh,
As my fears darkly shadow-your end in a pie!
Papa, he'll keep watch on the top of the mound,
And if danger approaches will echo its sound.

So come round me, my children, my dear little bunneys,
While I point out the evils that threaten young coneys;
And the first rule I'd teach you, as good as 'tis plain,
The first one to keep you from sorrow and pain-
Roam never too distant in search of your pleasure,.
But within your own burrow place each his chief treasure;
'Tis more perhaps than some borough members may do,
But the ways of such members are nothing to you;
Except that as warreners, they count on each soul
As their own at a price,' when they come to the 'poll.'
Avoid that sad race-all their tricks and their wiles,
All that art which in youth but too often beguiles-
For remember that man, who sweet woman betrays,'
Would play ditto to you if beneath the moon's rays.
So beware how you gambol and frisk by her light,
For danger haunts pleasure, when pleasure haunts night.
Then spend not your youth all in riot and waste,
But be sober and careful-above all, be chaste;
And though ours be a people not single to tarry,
I would not advise you too early to marry,
For e'en here may be troubles and cares to confound you,
And 'tis wondrous how soon a young family get round
Still in all life's hard trials mind and aid one another,
Let each one towards each be as sister and brother,
And thus soothe the last-but, oh, look—”

The old buck, he

you.

Gives a jump and a grunt as he turns him around,
Plainly meant to imply he means cutting his lucky
At once for safe quarters, though they be under-ground:
And each brother and sister, all hurry and flurry,
Quickly shows to Manıma just the tip of his crupper,
Leaving shepherd and colley to finish the scurry,

As well as the dear tough old lady for supper.