cations of a spirit of equality as opposed to Would that it were always given us to rea spirit of exclusiveness or monopoly. We flect on questions of this nature, before atsee in these facts, that it begins to be tempting to speak or to write about them. dimly apprehended that the business of The effect we think would be a greater government is not to show favor to one charity among ourselves-a greater charity sect so much as to do justice to all sects. towards such as are without; and a course Its next advance may be, to see that it will of proceeding altogether much more bebe best that all sects should be left to do coming us as Christians, as members of justice to themselves. For the progress of general society, and as men of education self-sustained religion in England, and the and common sense. bound which that principle has made of late in Scotland, are doing much to explode many an old argument in favor of a compulsory policy on that subject. Every day,

BY MRS. TROLLOPE.

From the New Monthly Magazine.

also, is showing how little can be done THE ROBERTSES ON THEIR TRAVELS. to secure the purity of religion by creeds, and formularies, and civil statutes; and if many pious episcopalians, who are just now deeply offended with the divided state and declining religion of the established church, could only see in protestant nonconformity a haven of rest, a home for piety, we are constrained to think that many of the best of that class would fly to us as to a refuge, much as devout men from the same communion have done in former times.

YET, notwithstanding all these favorable appearances, there were some things that did not go quite well with the Robertses. In the first place, Edward, though for some time fortune ebbed and flowed with him so regularly, that the result was not more against him than the half dozen Napoleons he occasionally got out of Lord Lynberry sufficed to cover, at last seemed to become the especial mark of the fickle goddess's ill-humor; for, night after night, the red and the black, and the black and the red, invariably changed sides as he changed his bets, and forever voted against him. After staking his last piece and losing it, he was compelled to whisper to the fair friend (who still faithfully adhered to his side, and failed not to share his luck, whenever, as in days past, it had occasionally brought him in a few pieces, taking care, at the same time, to make him understand that her "odious husband" would kill her, if she ever staked a franc of his money), to her sympathizing ear he was compelled to whisper that he could play no more at present, as he had really lost all his ready money.

But some man will say, 'We desire not such adherents. We wish men to be with us from principle, not from circumstances -to be with us wholly or not at all.' And can it be that the persons who thus express themselves, really mean what they say? You call on men to change their opinions, and refuse to allow any space as due to the process of that change! You determine to receive no man cordially as a nonconformist, who does not become such thoroughly and at one leap, did it never occur to you to inquire whether the man who could leave one set of opinions after that fashion, can be expected to hold with much steadiness to another? Are they not, commonly, persons either of the largest views, or of the most conscientious feeling, who see most reason for hesitancy in regard to very positive opinions on such points-and is there any thing in the nature of our dog-in return. matism, or our upbraidings, that can be expected to decide the hesitancy of such minds in our favor? Has it been by adopting a repulsive policy of this order, with regard to every class of the inquiring and the partially enlightened, or by conduct very much the reverse of it, that the one congregational church in England two centuries since, has given place to the you will succeed." several thousand churches in this country, "I have no more money about me," said which may now be described by that name? | Edward, in his best French, addressing the VOL. V.-No. III. 25

"Borrow of the croupier," she whispered

"Of the croupier, sweet love!" he murmured in reply, for they were now upon very affectionate terms together; "of the croupier, Louisa? He would see me hanged first."

"Try him, mon ami," she returned; we have been such constant attendants here, that for once, at least, I am quite sure that

man with a degree of cool assurance that he, nevertheless, felt a disagreeable dryness did infinite honor to his rapidly improving in his throat, as he prepared himself for the strength of mind, "lend me a few pieces, fourth time within three weeks, to ask his will you?" noble friend to lend him money. But it "How much?" was the man's equally must be done, and. making a strong effort cool reply, stretching out his hand to one of to speak in his usual tone of voice he the little mountains of silver money that stood piled before him.

"A propos, my dear lord, will you have "Oh! five hundred francs," said Madame the kindness to lend me five hundred francs de Marquemont, carelessly.

The hour was already too late to give him any chance of seeing Lord Lynberry that night, and the decidedly very uncomfortable young gentleman went home and crept to bed, as he had often done before, with- However little right the unlucky Edward out any member of the family being aware had to count upon continued supplies from of the hour of his return. But, late as it his young lordship, he felt exceedingly of was when he went to bed, he was up early fended at receiving this rebuff, and turned enough in the morning to catch Lord Lyn- abruptly away, with an air of as much lofty berry, as he was in the act of leaving his indignation, as if he had been refused ashotel to take his first morning lounge to sistance in some great and glorious enterthe library. The audacity of Edward Rob-prise to which he had devoted himself. erts was certainly increasing every day; Something else, however, must be done,

and done immediately, and the sort of des- [to the real state of affairs, confidently perate conviction of this which rushed up- anticipated some interesting intelligence on his mind, gave him the necessary energy for seeking his father and mother, whom he was determined to attack together, with the assurance, unmitigated by any vain ceremony in the manner, that he must have a pretty considerable sum of money, and that directly.

concerning the progress of his matrimonial alliance. This idea put the good gentleinto such high spirits that, contrary to the usual family custom, it was he who spoke first when the door was shut and the conclave opened.

"You are quite right, Edward, to let us know how things go on from time to time, and I hope, my dear boy, from your lively manner, that you have now got something pleasant to tell us. Miss Bertha is a shy sort of a girl, I fancy, and not so easily brought to say 'YES' as some might be, but I don't think when all's said and done, she will have much of a chance against you, Edward, eh?"

"The thing may as well be done at once," soliloquized the young man, as he directed his steps towards the Balcony House; "I know perfectly well that I shall have to pay for all the things Louisa has bought, when she has made me go with her to the different shops-the poor, dear creature, in fact, never attempted to conceal it, and a man must be a brute as great as her husband to refuse her so I had better ask for the "Bertha Harrington is queer tempered whole together-I must ask for two hun- enough, sir," replied the young man with dred pounds, less would be no use to me. a sneer, "but like all the other girls in the Having thus screwed his courage to the world, she will find her master sooner or necessary pitch, he ran up the stairs with later. It is not about her, sir, however, rather a more rapid and decided step than that I now want to talk to you; once for usual, and, throwing open the door of the room where the family were assembled to breakfast, he felt comforted at being addressed by Agatha with a reproach for being so late.

"We have all quite finished break fast," she added," and I don't believe there is any coffee left."

"Never mind the coffee, I don't want I mean I have had my breakfast already, and if you girls have finished, I wish you would all bundle away, I want to speak to the governor and my mother."

"A very polite style of sending us out of the room," said Maria; "but have the goodness, before we obey, to tell me if you have seen Lord Lynberry this morning?"

“Yes, Maria, I have; and now begone, or I will beg him never to dance with you again."

The young lady then departed, with a glance and a nod, sufficiently indicative of the degree of value which attached, in her estimation, to any attempt of separating from her the devoted Lynberry. The two other girls had preceded her in silence.

The anticipations of the father and mother respecting the nature of the communication they were about to receive differed widely. The mother had no doubt whatever that her accomplished son was about to make a bold demand for “ ways and means to carry on the war," as he was wont facetiously to describe his wants; while the father, greatly less enlightened as

all, I am ready to pledge my word to you that she shall be my wife, and that at no very distant time. And that there is no joke or folly meant when I say this, my mother can tell you as well as I, for she knows more about it than most people."

"And very right and proper she should, Edward. She is the very best of mothers, and the very best of managers, and a son that would not confide in her would be altogether undeserving of the name," said the worthy gentleman.

"All true, sir. And now, if you please, we will come to what I have to say at present. I must have money, sir, and that directly-I must have money, sir, and what I dare say you will consider as a pretty considerable sum, but if I do not get it, all the fat will be in the fire, I promise you; and there will be an end of my marriage, which is as certain as if we had been before the parson already; ask my mother else; but there will be an end, once and for ever, to that, and for all hopes about the girls into the bargain."

Poor Mr. Roberts became very red in the face, and looked at his wife, who knew as well as he did (excellent manager as she was) that he had drawn his account for interest with the bank in London as dry as his draughts could make it, and that the last five-franc piece he had in his pocket had gone the day before to pay for the mending of a pair of boots. There was a silence of about a minute, which at last was broken.

by Edward, who, finding his courage rather increase than diminish at sight of his father's dismay, said, rather sternly than humbly, "Well, sir, will you please to give me an answer? Is my name and character to be blown from one end of Baden to the other, or will you advance me two hundred pounds?"

Charlotte, Agatha had not thought it either necessary or proper to say any thing, as to that very splendid connexion, Mrs. Roberts, from a feeling of justice to the admirable judgment of her eldest daughter, could not permit herself to doubt. Agatha, she knew, had not that almost childish expansiveness of heart which distinguished her lovely Maria from every girl she had ever known, but then her very silence was, from the peculiarity of her very superior character, the strongest possible proof that she knew what she was about, and that every thing in that quarter was exactly as it should be. Could she then-could Mrs. Roberts, blessed as she was with a strength of mind not to be shaken by trifles-could she permit herself to be terrified and driven to abandon such glorious hopes, because a little extra money would be wanted to carry them through?

Mrs. Roberts started when she heard this sum named, for it exceeded, at least tenfold the amount of the demand she had expected. But Mrs. Roberts was too good a manager not to have long ago decided in her own mind what must be done if any particular circumstance the marriage of either of her three children for instance-or the unexpectedly finding that she had longer bills against her at the different shops than she anticipated-rendered it absolutely necessary for them to get hold of something beyond their income in order to get on. She started, certainly, at hearing Ed- She waited for the first emotion which the ward say so coolly that he must immediate- words of Edward had produced on the mind ly have two hundred pounds, but it instantly of his father to subside; but, when at length occurred to her, nevertheless, that it would she heard him draw a long breath, and utter be a monstrous good thing to have the first the words "God bless my heart and soul!" difficulty got over, respecting this first she addressed him thus: "My dear Mr. drawing upon capital-by far the greatest Roberts, you look as frightened as if Edobjection to it in her mind being the diffi- ward had told you that the house was on culty of making Mr. Roberts perceive the fire, or that his sisters had eloped with two necessity, without leading him to suspect tinkers! I am sure I shall be as sorry any deficiency of good management on her as you can be if the dear boy has been part. She knew well and practically that, guilty of any imprudent extravgance, though, "c'est le premier pas qui coute," and, the mixed up as he is at present with the first system once begun, she felt as confidently rank of European aristocracy, it must be assured that success would attend all her very, very difficult, indeed, poor fellow, to schemes, as Napoleon did when he decided keep perfectly within bounds. But it is upon his invasion of Russia. That things quite time, my dear Roberts, that we should had gone differently from what she had an- have a little serious conversation together ticipated when she represented the great on the unexpected situation in which we economy of living abroad, as the prin- find ourselves, and I am very well pleased cipal reason for deciding upon it, she was that Edward should be present at it, bequite ready to avow. But had she antici- cause, in fact, the subject concerns him pated such a magnificent revolution in the even more than it does us. You must be affairs of the whole family as that which aware, my dear Roberts, that out situation she now contemplated as too certain to be is at this moment vastly higher, an immense impeded by any thing, save some abomina- deal higher, you know, as to our rank in bly bad management on their own part? society, than ever it was before, or to say The marriage of Edward with Bertha she the honest truth, than we any of us ever had her own private reasons for believing as dreamed it would be. Now this is not to certain (to use her own phrase) as any thing be done for nothing. I never pretended to on this side eternity could be. That of be a fairy, and nobody that was not like Maria and Lord Lynberry, her common Cinderella's godmother could be expected sense (she said) told her was little less so; to transmogrify a banker and his family, and as for that of Agatha with Mr. Mont- who were just ruining themselves by straingomery, whom they had lately had the in- ing and striving to live in Baker-street, into describable satisfaction of discovering was people of first-rate distinction at the most the Honorable Mr. Montgomery, and of fashionable watering-places in Europe, and whose engagements to his cousin, Lady that without paying for it. Such things

may be done easy enough in a fairy tale, | effort for our dear children, and I rejoice but not out of it, and I should be sorry to to tell you, my dear, that they are all of think that you were so behind-hand in in- them likely to be so settled in life as to give tellect as to expect it." them the power in after years of prov

'No, no, my dear, no, no," said Mr.ing to us the gratitude they feel. They Roberts, "I never did expect it, I do assure you: but only you know my not expecting it will not make me one penny the richer, nor one bit the more able to let Edward have the two hundred pounds he talks about." "This is no time for joking, sir," returned his wife, knitting her brows into a very awful frown; we are now talking of business, and of the future destiny of the family, and I must beg that you will not talk nonsense if you can help it."

66

are excellent children, one and all of them; and it rarely happens, I believe, that parents in making this sort of exertion for the good of their offspring can see the reward for it so close before their eyes as we do." Mrs. Roberts then intimated by a glance of her eye to Edward that he might as well be off; and glad enough to escape both questionings and counsel, he obeyed, full of admiration for his mother, and exceedingly well satisfied by the new regulation as to Mrs. Roberts really was, in her own par- money matters which she had so ably ticular line, a very good manager. She achieved, for the pen was already in the knew that her husband could sometimes re- worthy Mr. Roberts' hand, with which he sist pretty toughly, on points of finance, was to make this praiseworthy effort for the when he was in a courageous mood, but she good of his family; but a little anxious, knew also that a little sharp brow-beating nevertheless, as to what he should do to pawas very apt to disable him, leaving him cify his friend the croupier during the days pretty much at her disposal, to goad or to which must of necessity intervene before lead, as she might find most conve- this effort could produce its first results. nient. And such was the case now, In tolerably good spirits, however, notfor this injunction not to talk nonsense, if withstanding this temporary difficulty for he could help it, made him look as meek as a lamb.

the young Edward saw a very easy future opening before him-he immediately re"In short, my dear," she resumed," with paired to the lodgings of Madame de Maran encouraging kindness of manner which quemonte, whom he was sure to find alone showed that she did not intend to scold him at that hour; and no longer oppressed with if he behaved well, "in short there is but the terror of not knowing whence was to one way. At the present moment poor come the fund that was to free him from dear Edward must see what he can do in the very peculiarly pressing claims which the way either of borrowing or putting off weighed upon him, he entered with all the for a few days these claims upon him. His confidential freedom of a tender friendship affairs, I can tell you, will be very satisfac- into a sufficiently clear statement of the torily settled, and at no very distant day, manner in which his excellent father was exactly in the way we most wish. But at that moment engaged, to make the intelin the mean time you must write to have ligent Madame de Marquemont perfectly a power of attorney sent out to you instant- understand that his present distress was only-without losing a single post, remember. ly temporary; and when he mentioned that Of course you will appoint the same good plodding soul who has done all our business for us since we have been away, and this power of attorney must enable him to send out to us whatever money we may want to draw for from the capital in the bank. We need not draw a penny the more, you know, because we make this arrangement. What we must have, we must-there is no good in talking about it, but mere weakness and folly, and nothing else, and I am sure I need not tell you, Roberts, that I am the very last woman in the world likely to persuade you to spend a single farthing, beyond what the welfare of your family demands. We are certainly making a great

he had already asked for two hundred pounds, which demand he meant to double when the power of drawing was fully established, her affectionate temper led her to express her joy at her friend's release from embarrassment with so much gentle kindness, that at that moment he certainly felt himself one of the happiest men in the world, especially when she dismissed him with the assurance that she would undertake to say a word to the croupier, who was a very good sort of fellow, and rather an old acquainance of hers, and that she was quite sure he would not only wait patiently for the trifle he had already lent, but willingly advance more, if they liked to