not said that he has done it; I only said he, might have done it." The suspicion," said Franz coldly, "is as bad as the other, as bad for yourself as for the old man. Remember, Axel," said he, impressively, laying his hand on his cousin's shoulder, "how long the old man has been, to your father and yourself, a faithful, upright steward! To me," he alded, in a lower tone, "he was more, he has been my friend and teacher." Axel walked up and down, he felt that he was wrong, at least, for the moment, - but to confess, freely and fully, that he had endeavoured to shove off the blame of his own foolishness and untruthfulness upon another was too much, he had not the clear courage to do it. He began to chaffer and bargain with himself, and availed himself of the expedient which the weak and dishonest are always ready to employ,- he carried the war into the enemy's camp. In every age, up to the present time, truth is yet sold, in a weak human soul, for thirty pieces of silver. “Oh, to you!” said he, "he would like to be still more to you." "What do you mean?" asked Franz, turning round on him sharply. “Oh," said Axel, "nothing more! I only mean you may call him 'Papa,' by and by." There was an unworthiness in this speech, in the intention to offend the man who had been firm enough to tell him the truth. Franz flushed a deep red. His deepest, holiest secret was brought to light, and in this insulting manner! The blood rushed to his face; but he restrained himself, and said, shortly: "That has nothing to do with the matter." "Why not?" said Axel. “It at least explains the warmth with which you defend your Herr Habermann.” "The man needs no defence of mine, his whole life defends him." "And his lovely daughter," said Axel, striding up and down, in great triumph. A great passion rose in Franz's soul, but he restrained himself, and asked, quietly, "Do you know her?" "Yes-no-that is to say, I have seen her; I have seen her at the parsonage, and she has often been here, with my wife, and my wife also has visited her. I know her merely by sight; a pretty girl, a very pretty girl, 'pon honor! I was pleased with her, as a child, at my father's funeral." “And when you learned, that she was dear to me, did you not seek a nearer acquaintance?" "No, Franz, no! Why should I? I knew, of course, that nothing serious could come of such an attachment." "Then you knew more than I.” "Oh, I know more still, I know how they set traps and snares for you, and were always contriving ways to catch you." "And from whom did you learn all this? But why do I ask? Such childish gossip could have been hatched in but one house, in the whole region. But since we have mentioned the matter, I will tell you frankly, that I certainly do intend to marry the girl, that is, if she does not refuse me." "She would better beware! She would better beware!" exclaimed Axel, springing about the room, in his anger. "Will you really commit this folly? And will you give me this affront?" "Axel, look to your words!" cried Franz, whose temper was getting the upper hand. "What business is it of yours?" "What? Does it not not concern me, as the oldest representative of our old family, if one of the younger members disgraces himself by a mésalliance.” Yet once more Franz restrained himself, and said: "You yourself married from pure inclination, and without regard for subordinate matters. "That is quite another thing," said Axel, with authority, believing now that he had the advantage. "My wife's family is as good as mine, she is the daughter of an old house; your beloved is the daughter of my inspector, adopted out of pity and kindness, by the Pastor's family." "For shame!" cried Franz, passionately, "to make an innocent child suffer for a great misfortune!” "It is all the same to me," roared Axel, "I will not call my inspector's daughter cousin; the girl shall never cross my threshold !" All the blood which had rushed through Franz's veins and flushed his face, a moment before, struck to his heart; he stood pale before his cousin, and said in a voice, which trembled with intense excitement: "You have said it. You have spoken the word which divides us. Louise shall never cross your threshold, neither will I." He turned to go; at the door he was met by Frida, who had heard the quarrel in the next room: "Franz, Franz, what is the matter?” 66 Farewell, Frida," said he, hastily, and went out, towards the farm-house. "Axel," cried Frida, running up to her dear father-in-law, and now my own wife husband, "what have you done? What joins herself to the company!" have you done?" "I have showed a young man," said Axel, striding up and down the room, as if he had fought a great battle with the world-out-of-joint, and made everything right again, "I have showed a young fellow, who wanted to make a fool of himself over a pretty face, his true standpoint." Frida looked at him, loosened her hands, and, throwing a shawl over her shoulders, said, "If you will not go, I will," and went out, hearing him call after her, "Yes, go! go! But the old sneak shall clear out!" As she crossed the court, they were bringing round Franz's carriage, and as she entered the inspector's room Haber"Have you dared to do that?" said mann had just been saying to the young Frida, sinking, pale, into a chair, and gaz- man, "Herr von Rambow, you will forget ing with her great, clear eyes at her hus-it. You have spent your life hitherto, in band's triumphal march through the room, our small circle; if you travel,- as I "have you dared to thrust your petty should think advisable, then you will pride of birth between the pure emotions have other thoughts. But, dear Franz," of two noble hearts?" said the old man, so trustingly, in his recollection of earlier times, "you will not disturb the heart of my child?" 66 Frida," said Axel, and he knew very well that he had done wrong, and his conscience smote him, but he could not confess it, "I believe I have done my duty." Any one may notice, if he will, that the people who never in their lives do their duty always make the most use of the word. "Ah!” cried Frida, springing up, “you have deeply wounded an upright, honest heart! Axel," she begged, laying her folded hands on his shoulder, "Franz has gone into the farm-house, follow him, and repair the injury you have done! Bring him back to us again!" "Apologize to him, in the presence of my inspector? No, rather not at all! Oh, it is charming!" and he worked himself again into a passion, "my two thousand thalers are stolen, my inspector finds fault with me, my Herr Cousin stands by his "No, Habermann," said Franz, just as the young Frau entered the room. "Good heavens!" cried Habermann, "I have forgotten something. You will excuse me, gracious lady!" and he left the room. 66 Always considerate, always discreet!" said Frida. "Yes, that he is," said Franz, looking after the old man. The carriage drove up, but it was kept waiting; the two had much to say to each other, and, when at last Franz got into the carriage, Frida's eyes were red, and Franz also dashed away a tear. "Greet the good old man for me," said he, "and greet Axel, also," he added, in a lower tone, as he pressed her hand. The carriage drove off. A CORRESPONDENT writes to us as follows: "I am informed that the Dutch settlements on the Gold Coast will in all probability soon be transferred to the British Government, and this arrangement if carried out will be beneficial to our commerce in that part of the world, and will also be attended with results of a higher kind. Since the beginning of the present century the kingdom of Ashanti has continually been striving by war or intrigue to obtain a seaport the natural desideratum of all ambitious inland Powers, whether in Europe or in Africa. The English Government has always endeavoured to preserve the independence of the coast tribes under its protectorate; the Dutch have pursued exactly the opposite policy. This has finally brought about a state of hostility between the English natives and the Dutch natives, which the local Dutch and English Governments have been unable to alter, and the details of which would not read very nicely in print. But happily there is no necessity for giving them. If the Dutch leave the coast the Ashantis will be entirely dependent on us for their munitious of war, and for certain luxuries which have become as much necessaries with them as tea and coffee are with us. They will therefore be compelled to give up their schemes of territorial conquest, leave their neighbours alone, and apply their vigorous minds to the development of the gold mines and other internal resources of their country." Pall Mall Gazette. From The New Monthly Magazine. To what the critics say of most women, that they cannot reason at all, Mr. Herman Merivale replies that at any rate the few who can are apt to vanquish in fair controversy the ablest men; and this he takes to be chiefly because they see distinctly what they aim at, and are apt to argue as the Bourgeois Gentilhomme's maid fenced. Philosophers tell us that women have the deductive intellect, and not the inductive -by which is practically meant that they have "great quickness in suggestion, in the detection of possible consequences, and in hazarding skilful remarks." They do not, observes an accurate analyst of the Intellect of Women, proceed by argumentative conclusions from clearly defined premises, but they throw out observations which they cannot tell how they came by, but which give the discussion a new turn, and open up new lines of thought. A French proverb bids us take the first advice of a woman, and not the second; which proverb Archbishop Trench one of much wisdom; for in processes of reasoning, out of which the second counsels would spring, women may and will, he says, be inferior to men; but in intuitions, "in moral intuitions above all, they surpass us far," having what Montaigne ascribes to them in a remarkable word, "l'esprit primesautier," the leopard's spring, which takes its prey, if it be to take it at all, at the first bound. hails as Hence the "Spare me your reasons" of the sage who had consulted a lady on a matter of moment, and who meant to abide by her judgment. Burke says of men in general that they often act right from their feelings, and afterwards reason but ill from them on principle; and if so it be with the male creature, much more so with souls feminine. When Corneille's Cliton tells his companion that now je puis à loisir te conter mes raisons - the other exdaims, Tes raisons! c'est-à-dire autant d'extravagances; and the note of exclamation may well find echoes through all space. As another persona dramatis says, in another act of the same comedy, "Tais-toi, tu m'étourdis de tes sottes raisons." - not the ultimate secret of logic." At any rate, so far as the better half of Mormonism is concerned, he may spare them his reasons, and welcome. Pedgift Senior's counsel to Allan Armadale is suggestive: "When you say No to a woman, sir, always say it in one word. If you give your reasons, she invariably believes that you mean Yes." The cynical old attorney's estimate of the sex would ill square with that of their laureate, in the Angel in the House: How quick in talk to see from far To prove, her reasons to persuade. Coleridge appends to his remark on the mind acting intuitively sometimes, just as the outward senses perceive immediately, without any consciousness of the mechanism by which the perception is realized, an assertion that this is often exemplified in well-bred, unaffected, and innocent women. And he cites his knowledge of a lady, on whose judgment, from constant experience of its rectitude, he could rely almost as on an oracle. But, he adds, "when she has sometimes proceeded to a detail of the grounds and reasons for her opinion, then, led by similar experience, I have been tempted to interrupt her with 'I will take your advice,' or 'I shall act on your opinion; for I am sure you are in the right. But as to the fors and becauses, leave them to me to find out.'" It is like Lord Mansfield's advice to the newly appointed Governor of Jamaica, a naval officer, who mistrusted his own competency to preside in the Court of Chancery: "Trust to your own good sense in forming your opinions; but beware of attempting to state the grounds of your judgments. The judgment will probably be right; the argument will infallibly be wrong."* We can never, it has been said, feel that an opponent is quite at our mercy so long as he insists upon holding his tongue, and is wise enough to give no reasons for a foolish action. A skilful debater, again, never assigns too good a reason for any measure which he is anxious to carry. One is reminded An idle reason, remarks Dean Swift, of Captain Absolute's caution to Fag, when lessens the weight of the good ones you that mendacious varlet, or valet, declares gave before. It has been noted of Brigham a lie to be nothing unless it is backed, Young that, according to unfriendly critics, on which account, whenever he draws on he never rises into the dignity of an arguhis invention for a good current lie, he ment in addressing a body of devotees who have given the best possible proof of faith in his doctrines. 66 Perhaps the Prophet may have discovered that verbal logic is To at least half a dozen other judges of note has this dictum been ascribed. Only the other day a leading journal confidently fathered it on Lord Campbell. makes a point of forging indorsements as well as the bill. "Take care you don't hurt your credit, by offering too much security," is the captain's advice. An essayist on Strong Wills observes that any body quite confident of his own line, and keeping to it, contemptuous of opposition, serenely and stolidly certain, is accepted as a guide by men worn out by too wide an embrace of every question: “Only he must not be too clever, and he must never give reasons." For these they can dispute, but to certainty and will they bow as to powers mysterious and divine. Moore declares of Byron that it was impossible to lead him to any regular train of reasoning; that he was, if not incapable, impatient of any "consecutive ratiocination on his own side," and in this, as indeed in many other peculiarities belonging to him, may be observed striking traces of a feminine cast of character; "it being observable that the discursive faculty is rarely exercised by women; but that nevertheless, by the mere instinct of truth (as was the case with Lord Byron), they are often enabled at once to light upon the very conclusion to which man, through all the forms of reasoning, is, in the mean time, puzzling, and, perhaps, losing his way: And strike each point with native force mind, While puzzled logic blunders far behind." of As before, the explanation he offers is, Doctor Aubertin, in White Lies, tells the ladies of Beaurepaire how often he has seen science baffled, and untrained intelligences throw light upon hard quest o is: "and your sex in particular has luminous instincts and reads things by flashes that we men miss with a microscope." Probably a multiplicity of parallel passages might be cited from the opera omnia of Mr. Charles Reade. Here is one from Griffith Gaunt, referring to Catherine's conviction of there being a duel afoot: "and indeed the intelligent of her sex do sometimes put this and that together, and spring to a just but obvious inference, in a way that looks to a slower and safer reasoner like divina tion." Mr. Carlyle affirms of "female intellects when they are good," that nothing equals "You were always a prodigious rea- their acuteness, and that their rapidity is soner," retorts one of Mrs. Gore's fine la- almost excessive. The most obvious chardies, on a discursive companion: "I am acteristics of the feminine intellect, acapt to jump at my conclusions, and seldom cording to Mr. Caldwell Roscoe, are delfind them worse than those to which other icacy of perceptive power and rapidity of people climb on their knees." Schleiermovement. He asserts that a woman sees macher affirms women to be even our best a thousand things which escape a man; teachers in cases requiring quick judg; that physically even, she is quicker sightment. In another place he exalts and ed; that mentally she takes in many more magnifies the value of that power of judg-impressions in the same time than a man ing through the imagination which "wo- does. Moreover, that women differ from men possess in a pre-eminent degree." men in having far more varied, subtle, and Hazlitt asserts women to have often more numerous inlets to knowledge; upon of what is called good sense than men which they rely-not caring to rememhaving fewer pretentions, being less impli- ber and arrange previous experience, as a cated in theories, and judging of objects man does. The female intellect "walks more from their immediate and involun- directly and unconsciously, by more delitary impression on the mind, and, there- cate insight and a more refined and more fore, he contends, more truly and naturally. They cannot reason wrong; for they do not reason at all." Elsewhere, again, he insists on the pre-eminence of women in tact and insight into character on their being quicker than men to find out a pedant, a pretender, a blockhead.* chant, a preference, a falling in love, as mere observers, not as principals. Mr. Trollope somewhere remarks that just as men hunt foxes by the aid of dogs, without in the least comprehending how the dog's sense of smell can work with such acuteness, so is the organ by which women instinctively, as it were, know and feel how other women are regarded by men, and how also men are regarded by other women, equally strong, and equally incomprehen* Quicker too, by a great deal, to find out a pen-sible. A glance, a word, a motion, is enough. as trusted intuition, to an end to which men's Trust a women's opinion for once. learn, Women By an instinct men never attain, to discern only to the innocent- quite distinct from the tact of experience. "If, therefore, ladies without experience attempt to judge, to draw conclusions from premises, and give a reason for their sentiments, there is nothing in their sex to preserve them from error." To Schiller's Thekla, Max, in the Wallensteins Tod, has recourse for guidance in a matter where he feels that pure instinct, and instinctive purity, must be the best guide: What other angel seek I? To this heart To this unerring heart, will I submit it. And Thekla's answer is prompt: Oh, thy own Hath long ago decided. Follow thou Is it possible that that can be the right, Samuel Rogers testified, saying, that woman Love, then, doth work in you what Reason doth Men are deceived in their judgments of others by a thousand causes, Hartley Coleridge has remarked; among which he enumerates their hopes, their ambition, their vanity, their antipathies, their party feelings, their nationality, but above all, their "presumptuous reliance on the ratiocinative understanding," their disregard of presentiments and unaccountable impressions, and their vain attempts to reduce everything to rule and measure. Women, on the other hand, if they be very women, are, on his showing, seldom deceived, except by love, compassion, or religious sympathy. "The craftiest Iago cannot win the good opinion of a true wo- In the opinion of the Autocrat of the man, unless he approach her as a lover, an | Breakfast-table, women are not the first to unfortunate, or a religious confidant. But see an author's defects, but are the first Hartley would have it distinctly remem- to catch the colour and fragrance of a true bered, that this superior discernment in poem. Fit the same intellect, says he, to a character is merely a female instinct, aris-man, and it is a bow-string- to a woman, ing from a more delicate sensibility, a finer and it is a harp-string; she is vibratile tact, a clearer intuition, and a natural ab- and resonant all over, so she stirs with horrence of every appearance of evil. It slighter musical tremblings of the air is a sense, he maintains, which belongs about her. THE question of killing deadly snakes at Gov-| ernment expense in India is again under discussion. The Government is losing its subjects at the rate of above a hundred a day, or 40,000 a year by snake bites, but it fears losing rupees in the crippled state of its treasury. The last enforcement of the law was under Mr. Commissioner Plowden, many years ago in the Banco rah district, one of the smallest portions of the Burdwan division. Deadly snakes were brought in at the rate of some 1,200 a day, and although the scale was only from threepence to sixpence apiece, in about a couple of months 10,000l. was drawn out of the treasury, and the Government ordered the snake crusade to be stopped. Nature. |