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cottage which a poor widow in the neighbourhood had long wanted to dispose of; and Peter ended by promising to give Lisette the purchase-money for it, as soon as she had brought about what he wished for.

On the following morning Lisette set to work in a spot past which Conrad must necessarily drive his flock. No sooner did Conrad see her in the distance, than he flew to her accompanied by his favorite ram, and repeated to her all that he had previously told her, over and over again, to gain her consent to their marriage. But to all this Lisette answered him very coollythat she had heard it a thousand times before, and if he had nothing more to say to her about a house of his own to take her to, that he knew very well what her determination was.

Conrad was about to take his leave with a troubled heart, when a half friendly glance from Lisette made him turn round and ask her why she always behaved so coolly towards him, and what he should do to please her? "Well, for the novelty of the thing, let us see whether you will do anything that I ask you," said Lisette. "Will you, then, give me this ram, that I may sell it?"

Conrad's heart fell when he heard this request. Sorrowfully he replied, "Everything in the world besides, but not that. If the Prince were not to feed my ram every evening, I should be sure to meet with some disaster. Take the ten best sheep of the flock; take the whole fifty of them that belong to me, but leave me the ram."

"Well," said Lisette, "what a pattern of a man you are! But begone with your fifty sheep! Well! you are a pretty bridegroom, indeed, to refuse me such a trifle! You would certainly be a very good-natured husband when the honeymoon was over!"

Thus did they contend for awhile together. Conrad wept for very sorrow. Lisette, at last, acquainted him that she had sold the ram for the little cottage which they had both so often wished for, and that she must give it up that day, let it cost what it might, for she had passed her word to that effect, and would not be convicted of a falsehood, be the consequences what they might. She then dropped a few tears to think that anything should have marred the unexpected joy she felt at being able to purchase a snug dwelling, in which both themselves and

their children might live so happily together. She then again inquired whether sheep did not die every day; whether they were never lost or stolen; and whether the wolf never ate any of the numbered flocks?

Love at length gained the victory. Conrad clapped his hands, and promised that before noon the ram should be hers; whereupon Lisette gave Conrad her hand and promise, that in a month's time she would become his wife; and added a kiss to the bargain, as a sort of earnest money.

Lisette made the best of her way back to the village, and Conrad watched her as long as he could see her. The joy of his betrothing was, however, sorely troubled at the thoughts of the inquiries of his powerful, but at the same time, kind-hearted master, in whose service he had hitherto conducted himself with such propriety, and who was so very fond of this favorite beast.

And he stood alone in the field where Lisette had been occupied, with his eyes fixed on the earth. At last he thrust his crook into the ground, hung his cloak over it, placed his bonnet on the top of it, and then began a series of imaginary conversations, in which he was occasionally assisted by the action of the ram.

"God greet you, my lord Prince !"-"Good even to you, Conrad; but where's the ram ?" Ram, lord Prince! why the ram is lost. I mean it has really strayed away." (The beast, just as he was speaking, thrust himself between his master's feet, as if to eye the strange image before which he kept bowing so respectfully). Conrad, Conrad!" with a shake of the head, "he is accustomed to be fed so regularly, I am sure he would not stray away-that won't do!"

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A second imaginary conversation, in which Conrad described the ram as having been stolen, was interrupted by a powerful blow with which the beast returned his master's bow. "You would not suffer yourself to be taken very easily, so that won't do."

He continued for a full half hour conversing with himself in this manner, ending every excuse with a shake of the head, and a "Conrad, that won't do!"

"And yet," added he, "I must part with the poor brute before noon, for I have promised to do so, and if Lisette does not give

him to the person to whom she has sold him, she will be a cheat, and can never be my wife!"

At last he jumped for joy into the air, crying out, "Straightforwardness is the thing! That will do, that will do!" He drew on his cloak, clapped his cap upon his head, and drove forward his herd. And yet, before noon, he handed over his favorite with a deep sigh to Lisette, who exchanged him for the purchase-money of the cottage, without troubling her brains much upon the subject.

The evening was appointed for the trial of Conrad's honesty— a trial of which he had not the slightest suspicion. The Princes were, as usual, seated at their night drink, expecting the arrival in the palace courtyard of the shepherd, who was to decide their wager. They spoke but little, for each was anxious to leave to his friend the honor and expense of constructing the huge winetun.

Peter, the secret adviser, was in high spirits; and, laughing to himself, rejoiced beforehand at the victory and success of his well-laid plan. For he had the pet sheep in his possession, and felt sure that Conrad would never venture to speak the plain truth, whereby he would be certain to draw down upon himself the anger and high displeasure of his all-powerful master, and get dismissed from his service.

Thus thought Peter, the secret adviser. In the meanwhile, Conrad drove his herd into the palace court, right before the Princes. Peter smiled, for he read, or he fancied he read, fear and anxiety in the countenance of the shepherd.

This evening, however, no favorite ram gamboled before Prince Henry, to eat the bread from his hand. "Where is the ram ?"

inquired the bishop, with a significant glance. Conrad answered with a firm voice, "I have sold it!—there, the truth is out!" Peter's face lengthened considerably, but Prince Henry called out, "Why have you sold it without speaking to me? I would rather have paid ten times the sum it fetched. Don't you know that ?"

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"Lord Prince," said Conrad, "pray hear me. Lisette has betrayed me, as Eve before her betrayed Adam; and a knave has betrayed Lisette, as the Evil One of old did Eve. If he will give me my ram again, I will not say who he is. Lisette had sold the

beast without first speaking to me about it, otherwise it would not have happened. But as she had done so, I felt bound to give him up, how much soever I might be grieved at doing so; otherwise she would have told a lie, and would not have been what she is now to be-my wife. That is the real truth, lord Prince; so now do with me as you please. What is done, is done, but do not punish Lisette: a weak head is soon betrayed by a serpent."

Prince Henry would have scolded him, but the other said, with a troubled side-glance to Peter, who was making off from the scene, “I have lost my wager: that was the proof."

And Prince Henry chided not. The pleasure of winning the wager consoled him; but the honesty of Conrad delighted him more than gaining the wine-tun.

THE AMERICAN BOY, AND THE EUROPEAN BOY. ONE morning, as two clever lads, the one American and the other English, were on their way to school, they got into an earnest and spirited discussion. The subject of debate was, whether America or Europe contained the greater natural curiosities; each, of course, contending for the land of his birth.

The English boy first spoke of Fingal's Cave, the Giant's Causeway, the great Maelstrom near the coast of Norway, and of the Geysers, or Hot Springs, throwing up their jets of boiling water high in the air.

As an offset to these, the American boy mentioned the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the Natural Bridge in Virginia, the Salt Springs at Salina, and the Mineral Springs at Saratoga, in the State of New York.

The English boy then spoke of the Alps and Apennines, as being among the highest mountains in the world, the tops of which were covered with perpetual snow. "Besides," said he, "there are Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna-two of the largest volcanoes in the world-sending forth great volumes of fire, smoke, and melted lava."

To these remarks the American boy thus replied-"Well, if your mountains are a little higher than ours, they are not half as

long; and ours, too, are constantly covered with snow and ice, even under the equator. You can mention only two volcanoes of any note, while we have more than a dozen, burning all the time Then as to your great Vesuvius, we have a Niagara that would put it out in a half a minute."

CAUTIONARY VERSES TO YOUTH.

My little dears who learn to read, pray early learn to shun
That very silly thing indeed, which people call a pun;

Read Entick's rules, and 'twill be found how simple an offence
It is to make the selfsame sound afford a double sense.

For instance, ale may make you ail, your aunt an ant may kill;
You in a vale may buy a vail, and Bill may pay the bill.
Or, if to France your bark you steer, at Dover it may be,*
A peer appears upon the pier, who, blind, still goes to sea.

Thus one might say, when to a treat good friends accept our

greeting,

'Tis meet that men who meet to eat, should eat their meat when

meeting.

Brawn on the board's no hore indeed, although from boar prepared ;
Nor can the fowl on which we feed, foul feeding be declared.

Thus one ripe fruit may be a pear, and yet be pared again,
And still be one, which seemeth rare until we do explain.
It therefore should be all your aim to speak with ample care,
For who, however fond of game, would choose to swallow hair?

A fat man's gait may make us smile, who has no gate to close;
The farmer sitting on the stile, no stylish person knows.
Perfumers men of scents must be; some Scilly men are bright;
A brown man oft deep read we see-a black, a wicked wight.

Most wealthy men good manors have, however wealthy they;
And actors still the harder slave, the oftener they play.
So poets can't the baize obtain, unless their tailors choose;
While grooms and coachmen, not in vain, each evening seek the

mews.

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