corsair-they were carried to Algiers, and sold to slavery. The sailor endured the miseries of his unfortunate lot only a few years-death released him from his earthly bondage. Saint Ethelbert, supported by the grace of Heaven, and reserved by its benign interposition for an eventual restoration to happiness in this life, struggled through the hardships of his laborious servitude till the death of the Dey, during whose supremacy he had been made a captive. On the accession of his successor to the throne, liberty was granted to all such slaves as had been in bondage above fifteen years; of this number was Saint Ethelbert. With difficulty he reached England; for the means of his journey were obliged to be collected by him from the hands of the feeling and charitable. On landing, he immediately proceeded to Blackamor, in Essex, which, at his departure from England, had been the residence of Sir Sigismund, and continued so during the life-time of his first wife:

on

on reaching that spot, he found that his weary journey was not yet at an end-his steps being from thence directed to Castle Gower. Here he will at least find a harbour

of

repose from all the storms of life; but the satisfaction with which he enters it is considerably diminished, by the intelligence which meets him of his sister's death."

Lady Blunt and Eleonora sat commenting on the varieties of fortune, which had been experienced by the ill-starred brother of Lady Elizabeth Talboyse, till the hour of retiring to rest, when Lady Blunt went to her chamber, and Gillian entered Eleonora's, to assist her mistress in undressing.

The heads of Saint Ethelbert's history had already reached the inferior members of the household at Castle Gower; and Gillian was not a little disappointed that Lady Blunt had been beforehand with her in communicating them to her lady, as she was now deprived of the pleasure of relating them herself. From her attend

ant

ant, however, Eleonora learnt that a messenger had been dispatched to Framlingham Castle, to acquaint Lord Henry Fitzroy with the existence and arrival of his maternal uncle.

On the following morning, Eleonora breakfasted alone in her closet. At the hour of dinner she entered the castle hall; Sir Sigismund led her towards the venerable Saint Ethelbert, who was seated next to Lady Blunt, at the head of the table. By the words with which Sir Sigismund introduced her to him, she was aware that her name and history had already been imparted to him; and she was not less pleased than surprised at his rising to receive her.

Saint Ethelbert laid his hand upon her, and gave her his blessing.-" You are surprised at my action, daughter," he said, reading on her countenance what was passing in her mind, "because you probably imagine that there are none of my religion that will bestow a blessing on

those

those whose tenets differ from their ownfor myself, and I hope such is the case with others, I would, if possible, convert you, because I believe the faith which I profess to lead by the readiest way to Heaven; but whatever their persuasions, I bless all whom God has created."

In a few faltering words, Eleonora expressed her sense of his excellent disposition, and took her seat at the table. As occasional opportunities offered themselves to her of observing the father, she perceived that he was rather below the middle stature, and proportionably thin. His face was almost constantly shaded by his cowl, which he wore, he said, for the benefit of his sight, which had been materially weakened and injured, by his having been exposed in slavery to the heat and light of the sun. His beard was long and white; and the partial locks which descended from his temples were of the same snowy hue, whitened, not by age, but by grief, and by toil beyond his strength. He spoke

but

but little-when his voice was heard, it was in tones of the mildest melancholy.

When Saint Ethelbert had been a couple of days an inmate of Castle Gower, his time was principally passed in the chamber which had been assigned to his use, and in the chapel, where it appeared an infinite consolation to kneel in prayer at the altar of his own religion.

A short time after the arrival of Saint Ethelbert, Lady Blunt remarking Eleonora's lute which hung in her closet, where they were one evening sitting, requested her to indulge her with touching its chords. Eleonora complied; and as she played, she beheld the tears stealing down the cheeks of Lady Thomasine-she could not forbear supposing that they were produced by some connexion of ideas between the music and her unhappy son Valentine; and it was with difficulty that she could restrain herself from expressing to his mother the sympathy which she felt in his fate; but apprehensive that what she intended