scriptions placed over the clay cold. remains of mortals who had once played an active part in the scenes of life. The generality of the individuals interred were of a rank too humble to make his employment interesting. He therefore soon quitted it, and waited until the arrival of the steward. "How is this?" said Sidney, "you have brought neither keys nor sexton." ""Tis no fault of mine, sir," replied Evans, "I made the best of my way to his house, and on arriving there, his wife, an impudent hussey, informed me that her husband had stepped into the village on business, what part of it she cou'dn't tell, and when he would return she didn't know. The keys, however, were not in the house, and the jade swore bitterly that her husband had taken them with him. Yet if my sight is correct,'

added Evans, glancing his eyes to the windows of the church, left open for the purpose of ventilating the interior, "he is now inside, for, knave as he is, he would never leave the casements so unguarded."

The steward continued to talk and reason upon the conduct of the sexton, whom he denounced in severe language, and threatened with vengeance for being absent at a time when the lord of the manor required his attendance. Enthusiastic in his notions respecting the homage due to hereditary dignity, Evans held that the sexton had committed an unpardonable crime, in being out of the way at an improper time, and deserved a severe punishment in return for such culpability. In the heat of his invectives, the old steward never missed the form of his master, until

his eyes, glancing upwards, made him sensible that Sidney, following the bent of his inclination, had successfully climbed up one of the buttresses supporting the wall, and was safely perched on the seat of a window, on which he now rested himself to recover the breath he had expended in his exertion.

Evans, at this unexpected sight, lifted up his hands in the utmost wonder. He was lost in amazement at the activity displayed by Sidney, who had conceived and executed his design of obtaining admission into the church, even at the peril of endangering a limb by a chance fall. He could scarcely restrain a laugh at viewing the astonishment expressed on the steward's face. The latter earnestly entreated him to desist from all further prosecution of

the mad scheme; but as Sidney had overcome the worst part of the attempt, he resolved not to relinquish the remainder. A look inside the church assured him that the descent into a pew below was practicable with ease. He consequently bade

Evans remain where he then stood, until he should join him. This the old man promised, though not before he had offered up a prayer for Sidney's preservation from plots, papists, and jesuits.

"Ah! youth, youth!" exclaimed Evans, on the disappearance of his master, "how little dost thou care for the reckoning scored up by folly! Ah! well-a-day! but young blood was never known to be over cool."

The steward cast a wistful eye to the window of the church, as if he expected the reappearance of his

master; but as no confirmation of this hope seemed likely to follow, he began to loiter about the ground until it should happen in another way. He endeavoured to beguile

a

the time by conning in his mind the best species of reprimand to bestow on the unlucky wight of a sexton, who, he resolved, should feel the whole weight of his anger.

Sidney, with youthful strength and agility, had effected a safe lodgment upon the seat of a pew, and opening the door, found himself in one of the side aisles of the church. The extreme age of the building was evidenced by the date of year affixed to several of the monuments fixed against the wall. Modern improvement had gone no further towards the embellishment of the interior unless it was visible in the new cushions