Amabel Vaughan.*

He Avas a great coarse brute of a fellow , who was never so happy as Avhen he was flogging the boys . " Mr K ., the Beverend Mr . K . ( for obA'ious reasons I suppress the name ) , the head grammar master at that time was just as bad if not Avorse . " Many a time I know Fitz , lvho was a delicate lad , then , and very sensitive , was in such a state of abject terror , because he kneiv he would be flogged with a birch rod if he

didn't knoAV his lesson , that the mere dread of the punishment drove it all out of his head , and of course he AA'as thrashed , ancl called a beast and a pig , and all that sort of thing . He Avas only 8 or 9 . I Avas harder grained , I suppose , and didn't care so much , so I got on better— though I know , now , I haven't half his abilities ancl talent ; nor am equal to him in any Avay I feel , " he added humbly . Mabel smiled very kindly at Mark as he thus praised her favourite cousin . Whilst they Avere altogether on the platform before the train started , Mabel was quiet , and just a little tearful at parting , very affectionate in her demonstrations to her aunt , and very kind and pensive to Mark .

" Good-bye , old felloAV , " Fitz said , wringing his friend ' s hand , " I shall be back in a feAV clays . Take care of the old lady , " he whispered , " she looks wonderfully abstracted to-day , and if you don ' t look after her she'll be catechising the cabman on his knowledge of ' Pearson on the Creed , ' or g iving you a trifle of ' Butler ' s Analogy , ' and then end by walking in the way of some carriage ancl getting run over . " '' My dear , " Miss Griss said , " will you ask your uncle if he can get me a ' Locke '; one

can be procured at Woh'erston , I daresay . " ' What kind of lock , Aunt , is it you Avant ? Will a Bramah do ?" " You jest , child ; I do not allude to any of the idolatrous people , Hindoo or otherwise ; but it is a book I wanted , which I do not know precisely , where to get here , ' Locke on the Understanding . ' " " Ohthat ' s itI really beg your pardondear Auntbut I didn't know . "

, , , , " Good-bye ! good-bye !" The bell rings , the passengers hurry into their carriages , the engine whistles , and then snorts its Avay out of the Euston Square Station ; aud Mark stands looking wistfully at the carriage AA'hich contains all he loves in the world . Does she care for me ? he asks himself .

Those last letters of hers were strangely capricious and yet kind . Surely she returned the Avarm pressure he gave her hand at parting . Surely she smiled graciously Avhen he asked permission to Avrite to her . But theu , again , had she not been equally kind to Fitz , and had she not shown sometimes a preference for his societ y ? Did she not ask him to escort her that day to Wolverston , and had he not made it convenient to take her as far as Doncaster ? Yes ; but then he Avas her cousin , and that ivas almost the same as being her

brother . Surely she couldn ' t care for him more than than she did for anyone else ? Cousins do sometimes marry , though , and Fitz had certainly of late shown her more attention than formerly . All these doubts ancl suggestions passed through our young hero ' s brain as they travelled back to the Parsonage ; and he ceremoniously handed out the old lady , and then got in and drove back again to TOAVII . I am afraid Mark Seatou did not go doAvn to the Office during the next few days in the pleasantest oitempers . ( To be Continued . )

Alexander Puschkin.

ALEXANDER PUSCHKIN .

PHE name of this 'Russian Poet is Avell knuAWi in England , though his poety is so -A - far practically but a dim tradition or a hazy outcome to us . We have had from time to time translations of' portions of his writings , but not , as far as we are aware ,