together, but that he discovered that he had come to the end of his silver, and felt that Aunt Reddish's sovereigns were inviolable. Added to this, one of the party had for some time past been regarding him with a pair of black and glaring eyes, that reminded him startlingly of the Lyceum gentleman; and not knowing that the gazer was inwardly resolved upon favouring his friends with "The Wolf,” and that he was meditating the lowest bass notes he could descend to,-but, on the contrary, suspecting that the stranger had an evil design upon him, he was too glad to be gone, and took his hasty and disconcerted departure. "Got clear of him, at any rate," said Dick when he was well on the road. "It must be precious late. That rum and water was rather stiff. I'm half lit up. Well, what's the odds! How terribly peckish I am, to be sure! Ah! there's Garton's. There are the lions, full sprawl." And there they were, sure enough, flanking the street-door, sculptured objects at once of ornament and convenience,—of ornament to the general eye, of convenience to the butcher's boy and the baker, whose tray and basket had often reposed upon their backs. Just as Dick had ascended the steps, and was holding forth his hand for the knocker, the door opened, and a gentleman hastening out nearly knocked him backwards on to the pavement. "Well, good night, Prater. God bless you!" "Garton, my boy, good night. I'm last, as usual. Never spent so happy an evening in my life." By this time the two gentlemen had recognised Dick. "Leave him to me," said Garton, with a look at the other. "Good night, Prater. God bless you!" "Good night!" said Prater, and with a glance of scorn and contempt at Dick, he went his way. "And what brings you here, sir ?" cried Garton fiercely. "You got my letter?" "No, I didn't. What was it about?" answered Dick; then, to himself, "Old Garton's well lit up, anyhow." "You must have had it," said Garton, "by the six o'clock delivery." Dick remembered the postman with the letter at his nose, just before he set forth. 'Well, never mind the letter," said he. "Bother the letter! You've put off the party. Nimport. What d'ye look so for at me? I'm very late; but I'll tell you all about it. Let us come in. I'm so peckish-so hungry, I mean." Hungry, are you?" cried Garton savagely, and at that moment a servant came out of the parlour with the tantalising remainder of a sirloin, with which she walked off into the kitchen,-" hungry, are you? Perhaps you'd like a rasher of Dunmow bacon?" and while the horror caused by this interrogatory was wreaking itself upon Dick's countenance, Garton called out, Mrs. G., just step this way. Here's that impudent rascal, young Sparrow, come to pay his respects to you." "I've heard him," said the lady, making her appearance from the parlour, with a tongue in one hand and a roast fowl in the other; "and so we're always at it, hammer and tongs, are we?" and so saying she wheeled off with her attractive burthen towards the kitchen. It's But his "For Heaven's sake, don't go! Come back, Mrs. Garton. all a mistake. That Prater's one of the cussedest liars-" speech was cut short by the apparition of Miss Maria, who, walking up to him, tossed her head, grinned, said in measured cadence, "Oh -you-puppy!"-and tripped away with one of the most soul-entrancing pigeon pies that ever showed upturned claws in the centre, -and Dick almost went into hysterics. "And now begone, sir!" exclaimed Garton, and he gave Dick a good shaking; "we've done with you. Don't come near us again, or you'll repent it. Be off, sir!"— and the door was shut in his face. Might this be a dream? Could it be a vision? Was it a joke? Dick waited for the chance of their relenting, till lights appeared in the bed-chambers on the second-floor, and then conscience told him he deserved no lenity, and sitting down on the top step, cheek by jowl with one of the lions, he wept. "Well," said he, at length, rubbing his nose with his kid-gloved hand, "if I set much longer on this cold step, I shall get a jolly cold. If I don't give it that Prater!-a spy, an informer, a traitor! Never mind. I'll go home now. Maria and me's cut-clean cut. Well, I hope she 'll meet a more deserving object." And at the paternal home in Cannon Street, weary and woe-begone, did Dick Sparrow at length find himself. His Aunt Reddish answered the door. "Why, you're very late, Richard, — very late," said the old lady somewhat reproachfully. "Yes; but never you mind," answered Dick sharply; for he felt that the sufferings he had undergone might justly exempt him from idle and frivolous indications of displeasure, "yes, I am late; but that's not the worst. Is father a-bed?" "Yes." 66 Anything eatable in the house, for I'm so hungry. Oh, Aunt Reddish! you may look; but I've had no supper." "No supper!" cried his aunt, who was only too fond of her hopeful nephew. "Poor fellow! There's a bit of hock o' bacon.” "That'll do, if it ain't Dunmow. And, I say, aunt, if I bone one of father's bottles of Guinness, he won't miss it?" These needful restoratives being placed upon a small tray, were carried silently up stairs, and Dick fell to, while his aunt looked upon him with mingled interest and curiosity. "Oh, aunt!" said he, taking another draught at the stout, "I've gone through such things to-night as a book might be written about. I'm so precious done up! Why do people pray in their hats when they first get into church? That they may always have somewhere to put their heads into, I suppose." (Dick had heard this before.) "But shan't I pray in my night-cap before I get into bed, — that's all!" Dick now recounted his adventures, softening down such details as might haply tell to his own disadvantage, and suffering his aunt to draw off Uncle Reddish's ring, which she did while he was in the middle of the hackney-coach scene. "And you've spent all your money, have you ?" asked the aunt when he had concluded. Every fraction. Six or seven bob," said Dick, to whom the stout had given new life. "Ah! you're very young and foolish, my boy. You've suffered a good deal to-night; but if you'd read the letter (I've broken it open here it is,) you'd have been spared the last trial. I was in hopes you had made it up with Mr. Garton; and have been sitting on thorns all the while you've been away. But now, just give me back those four sovereigns, that's a good lad; for you're not fit to be trusted with money,-indeed, you're not." "Ain't I, though?" cried Dick with animation, and he drew out with a flourish, and slapped upon the table four bright yellow medals, bearing the date of 1837, and commemorative of the accession of her Majesty to the throne of these realms. At this miserable spectacle the eyes of poor Aunt Reddish assumed the orbicular form, with a kind of fish-like projection; but the direful metamorphosis of her nephew's visage caused her to bury her particular grief in silence, and to bestow her best care upon Dick, who, shaking his shoulders, and kicking out his legs, went forthwith into hysterics. "That prig it was that boned 'em!" said he, when he came to himself; but it was long 'ere he would be comforted. At length an idea struck him. "I'll get Prater to swear it was all his nonsense, and make it up with Maria. Why, I meant no harm,—did I? and you shall have your money back as soon as the nuptials are solomonized." "Solomonized!" repeated the aunt several times slowly, lighting a chamber candlestick, placing it in his hand, and giving him a gentle thrust at the skruff of the neck towards the door. "Solomonized! when you're married, Richard, there 'll be very little of Solomon in the business." And Dick sneaked up to bed, wondering what on earth his Aunt Reddish could mean by such a speech as that. How solveless is woman! How tender is woman! The watcher at night, Who leaves not the blossom On account of the blight. An angel of mercy, She soothes us in pain, And smiles in her gladness When health comes again. How lofty is woman! Deep, deep is her ire, When light words enkindle The spark on the pyre; WOMAN. Majestic she towers, Man quails from her view, How loving is woman! How fragile she clings No shade can annoy; EARLY YEARS OF A VETERAN OF THE ARMY OF WESTPHALIA, BETWEEN 1805 AND 1814. And now another anecdote in reference to my tobacco. At the last halt before Mojaisk, Lieutenant-Colonel Von B- was in command, -a great original, who knew how to gather together from the Russians whatever he took a fancy to, without speaking one word of their language. When he reached a quarter in the evening, he summoned the hostess, and demanded from her all sorts of provisions by their German names, affixing to each the syllable "watsch," which he conceived to be perfectly explanatory, but to which the frightened hostess only replied, "Rosumi? ni rosami pan!" "You heard," said he, "how clearly I expressed myself, and yet this savage of a woman cannot comprehend me." I knew this officer to be in possession of a capital herd of sheep, and would willingly have had some of them for my hungry fellows, and spoke to him upon the point. My Croesus turned a deaf ear to me; but I had a bait for him. I knew his passion for tobacco, and let him, as if accidentally, fill his pipe with some of mine from Turkey. Scarcely had he exhaled two puffs when, springing up in a transport, and holding me fast by the arm, he exclaimed, "Where did you get that delicious tobacco?"-"In Moscow," answered I coyly." Could you not let me have a little of it—a very little of it, my dear fellow?" he inquired eagerly.-"Oh !" I replied, "that is intended for my friends at Mojaisk: I brought a whole cask with me."-" Nay, then, but I hope you will give me some of it."-" Undoubtedly,-in exchange for sheep." And finally I obtained two of the best sheep for a moderate portion of my tobacco. At Mojaisk there was a like avidity for my tobacco. I conceded as much of it as I could spare, and among others to an old serjeant-major, named Altmann, who, in grateful remembrance of this gift, saved me, at an after period, from dying of hunger; which incident, though it occurred much later, shall be noted in this place. During one of the dark, cold, and frightful nights of the retreat, I was separated from my companions, and wandered disconsolate, with a sinking spirit, from fire to fire, without being able to come up with them. During the last two days I had eaten nothing; uneasiness about my companions deprived me of all power of reflection, and I was on the point of throwing myself, weary and half-dying, upon the earth, from thence probably never to rise, when I thought I perceived Altmann in the confused multitude which environed me. With a last effort of my remaining strength I called his name aloud. He heard me, fortunately, and divided with me a hot cake, just out of the ashes, saying, "Here, captain, take this: my bread in return for your tobacco." My readers may surmise how quickly the cake was demolished: it restored to me not alone my physical, but also my moral strength; and this unhoped-for aid revived in me a new latent confidence in a good Providence, and imparted to me courage for a fresh search after my comrades, whom I was scon lucky enough to find. I must now, after this digression, go back to Mojaisk, where, until the 25th of October, we led an undisturbed, and I, through General Schulz's friendship, a very gay and agreeable garrison-life, in which tea-parties, card-parties, and excursions to the field of battle succeeded each other. All at once we were surprised, as by lightning out of a bright sky, by tidings of the ordained retreat, and to this news followed so closely its accomplishment, that, before we could look about us, the general staff of the Emperor entered, and called out in front of our handsome quarters, "Make way! make way!" We were obliged to forego our superb dwelling for a miserable bivouac; and already on the following morning, in all imaginable haste, the retreat commenced. We had provided ourselves with as much food as possible; we had abundance of salted meat and brandy, and I had plenty of both in my carriage, in which also was one of my comrades, wounded at Mojaisk, Lieutenant Brand. The regimentsthat is to say the remains of them, marched in perfect order. Their hopes and ours pointed to Smolensko, which it was promised should be our resting-place. As we drew near on the 26th to the battle-field of Mojaisk, we could not pass along by the usual road, but were obliged to make a circuit, in order to avoid the sickening, pestilential stench which the wind from thence wafted to us,-as may be easily credited, when it is recollected that the forty thousand victims of that bloody day (besides a crowd of dead horses) lay yet unburied. On the field of battle remained about a thousand of our ammunition-carts, for which we had not any horses; and thus we had here our own first terrific and grievous spectacle, yet at the same time one of a grand species, that of the explosion of the ammunition, which flew into the air with a noise of thunder, and wrapt the whole country round for a long interval in impenetrable vapour. We were not aware of the enemy being in pursuit, as we were too far in advance. However, we had soon enough to suffer from the approaching severity of the winter; and the provisions taken with us had meantime also much diminished. Our hope rested on Smolensko. That, however, was not confirmed; for, alas! when we reached it, we found the gates shut, and they were only opened to those corps which marched in close column, which was no longer the case with us. Of food, which we had quite depended upon obtaining, there was none for us; the country round Smolensko having been totally laid waste. All and everything then took the road to Orsza, near which little town is a passage over the Dnieper. But now insubordination increased in an alarming manner with the increasing destitution. All ran as fast as they could to escape Kutusof's artillery, who had placed himself near the road for the purpose of surrounding our right flank. The Emperor, who was already on the advance, with part of the guards turned about, led his old, well-tried soldiers, under Bessières, in aid of the menaced Davoust, and obliged Kutusof to give way, so as to leave a space free for the regiments coming up; nevertheless, Ney was unfortunately, with the rear-guard, intercepted. So marched we on, our courage declining with every day; and when we lay down at night on bivouac, we could only form conjectures how long it might yet be before our complete annihilation,-since that was inevitable we inferred, from the entire failure of provisions, from the perfect knowledge we had of our already travelled road, and from a thousand other |