Asphodel, energetically; 'I may now atone for my crime! Know, Friedel, that some twenty years since, I brought a German and his lady from the Rhine to England; on the passage some trivial neglect incenced this German, and he struck me a vile blow, I would have laid him dead on the instant at my feet, but the thoughts of my sweet wife, who then waited my return, flashed like lightning through my brain, and on the instant, I determined to be revenged in a surer way, and one that would be fraught with less danger to myself; his young and beautiful wife had an infant

Friedel recoiled a few paces.

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'Nay, hear me to the end,' continued Asphodel; 'this child, I stole from its mother, while sleeping, and placing it in a basket, made water tight, with the bracelet, also taken from its mother that it might form a clue to the discovery of its family, if found, which I firmly trusted it would be, though not by its parents, I committed it to the tide ; the mother, on missing her child, became distracted; all her servants, all the crew, and myself, were interrogated with a closeness, which, had my revenge been less powerful, or my actions less secret, must have discovered the whole truth; but judge of my feelings when I learned that the lady, who was good and gentle, whom my heart smote me to hurt in any way, had never smiled again-that the loss of her child, added to her husband's unkindness, had, in two short days, killed her; oh, how bitterly, dreadfully was she avenged; on my return to my home, I found my wife, whom I loved better than all the world, my beautiful-she-she was dead! from that moment the world has been a blank-a chaos, from which nothing joyous, or more horrible can spring into being! He was silent, overpowered by his feelings, Friedel sympathized with him, but the excitement this tale had produced, gave his curiosity the spur, and induced him to break the silence. "Then Alfreyd,' he observed; is the child you

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Yes, yes,' answered Asphodel,' he is that same child, and but now his father passed, in seeming excitement and agitation.'

Oh, heavens, burst forth and interrupted Friedel; how was he attired?—what his appearance ?-answer quick.'

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Asphodel described him.

“ Ha! ha! ha!' wildly laughed Friedel; why this is wellvery well; I have fostered the child of one false as water; and of my bitterest foe! Oh, brave world, that makes the dog lick the hand that strikes him.'

"What mean you? asked Asphodel, in astonishment.

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"That I never knew pain, but by name,' bitterly returned Friedel; until that shameless, treacherous villain, Alfreyd's father, forsooth! blighted me-beggared my hopes-made me, from one of God's happiest creatures, the thing I am; but I am revenged !-poor Aldine, thou mightest have shared a happier-

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A scream-long, loud, and heart-rending, so piercing, so wild, that one's hair might have turned grey at the sound: burst upon their ears, and sent their blood rushing back to their hearts. A moment's pause, and it was repeated; simultaneously they rushed to the spot from whence the sound proceeded, and beheld Mary struggling violently in the arms of the German, who was exerting his whole strength to drag her from the place. The instant they appeared Mary shrieked and burst from his arms. Oh, father!-Friedel!' she franticly cried, they have murdered him-Alfreyd, look, see, help him, oh, Almighty God! let him not perish. Hear me, hear me.' Like lightning their eyes followed the direction in which she pointed, and they saw two men masked at no great distance from the shore, cast the body of Alfreyd, covered with blood, into the river; in an instant, Friedel sprung upon the German.- Bloody, remorseless tiger,' shouted he, thine hour is come: see, 'tis I, thy foster brother, slays thee; this, this, for thy goodness; and he plunged a dagger, up to its hilt, in the bosom of the German; who struggled fiercely with him, and who, upon receiving the steel in his heart, uttered a deep groan, and fell upon the ground; while Friedel still kept firmly hold of his throat. See, see,' he shouted, how sure is retribution; thou, whose life has been one long career of villainy; thou, who hast destroyed my peace; broken thy wife's heart; and murdered-aye, foully, cruelly murdered -thine own child!'-The German started fearfully, and convulsively, as Friedel thundered the last sentence in his ear; and with one strong effort, he disengaged his throat from Friedel's grasp, and feebly uttered, 'Nay, loose thine hold; a few minutes and I shall be dust; but say that was not my son; I came but for the maiden, he would thwart me, cross me--oh, hell, this pang,—it is not my son!-I have no son-he died years since. Ha! 'tis false,' he screamed, avaunt see, there he beckons-I -I-curse- the blood gurgled in his throat; his eyes rolled horribly; then became fixed, and he fell back dead!

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"Friedel gazed upon him long and silently: he then exclaimed All is over, my misery has found its end; fate has done its worst; he turned to Asphodel, who sat with his face buried in his hands, in a state of deathlike stupor; while at his feet lay Mary insensible; he lifted her head from the ground, parted her fair hair, and looked sorrowfully on her face; Poor frail flower,' he said, what hast thou done, that thy young heart should be crushed by this load of agony: I had hoped that thou and, and-what, tears! I have not wept for long, long years, 'tis fit I should weep; and now they are gone again, and my eyes are dry as fire; oh, how cold-how dreary-joyless, will this world be to thee; Mary, thou, who wert all trembling gentleness; who hast ever had all the brightness-summer of life glowing round thee; shall suffer now its most terrible reverse; it will destroy thee-thou must perish, the sweet, slight

flower, the sun smiled upon, the dew watered; and the faint wind kissed; that dwelt in a world of light, when the fierce storm has smote the earth, it has broken, destroyed, swept it from home, and it perishes; canst thou survive this storm? No! thou must die, this completes my sum of misery. Farewell, hapless maiden, I may never more behold thee; I did not dream we should sever thus; thou hast twined round my heart with him, like the young, green ivy round the withered oak; thou, and he, the only things that ever loved me-to-but it must be so, I stand alone, a withered, and a withering thing; blighted, and where I come, blighting; why did not this sear my brain ere now? Ha! ha! ha!' there was an icy hollowness of tone in his laugh, that was horrible; he bounded from the ground on which he was kneeling; and letting Mary fall heavily, rushed from the spot, never to be seen, or heard of more.

"Mary was restored to life; but not to her senses, her mind was quite gone; she would wander for hours, days, through the woods and fields in search of Alfreyd: and would enter the boat, and trust herself on the river, in vain search of him; while she sang the song she loved to hear him sing, in so low a voice, a tone so full of woe, of utter anguish, that the tears would force their way into the eyes of stern men, when the sound fell on their hearts; a few months passed away, and one evening, she was seen on the river in the boat, and her song was heard, but the boat was discovered, next morning, some distance up the river, empty-she was drowned!

"When the painful news reached her father, he pressed his hands to his brain, and staggered to a chair, in which he fell stone dead!—his heart had broken.

"Their fate had caused much sorrow to those who lived near them, and known and loved them, and many were the tears, which were shed for Mary, who, it was said, was to be seen in the calm and clear moonlight, floating in a fairy boat, and heard to sing, in a plaintive voice, the melody which sounded sweet, and yet sorrowful, as it was wafted o'er the water, and many a peasant has crossed himself, and offered up a prayer, as in passing the river's edge, he has heard the gentle tones of the 'WHITE LADY OF KEW."

Sprightly was silent, and the party, therefore, supposed the story had concluded; at least, Buoyant said as much; the story teller received thanks of those who were not asleep.

They now reached Blackfriars Bridge, and the gentlemen, nearly all of whom were asleep, were roused up, the whole of the party then landed, shook hands, parted, and in an hour or so, were locked in the arms of Morpheus, being well contented, taking all things into consideration, with their excursion a la PIC-NIC!