rr. » xr AS GOOD AS GOLD. 'i CHAPTER XI.ni. â- • ^ - AVh»t Henchard saw thus' early was,' naturally euougli. Been at a little lutor dale by cAbex pwjple. TUat ilr. Far- frae 'wmlked willi that bankrui)'' Heu- obard'* stepdsugbler, of a", women,' be- oouie a oouuuuu topic in the \.ovra. ''"Perli«4)8 the uuly inhaljiiania to whom this looming ciioioe of the Scotch- man's gave uumixed salisfaettijn were the nvenibers of the philosopbiu party. Mr». Staonidge, boving rolled into' the large parlour on« eTening, and said that his »IbowB ojt It, sod gave way to a oonvuIsilTre t/wit^h,. 'which was worse tluiii a sob, lje<'aiuw it was aohard and BO dry. "If I hod only got her with me â€" if I (inly bad I" he said. "Hard work wouJd lje notliing to ran then 1 Uut IJint waii n«jt to Tie. 1 â€" Cainâ€" go alone a« I d&icrvelau ou'tca.tt and a vaga- bond. Uut my punishment is not great- er Ijian I can bear I" He stpmly subdued bid anguiah, fibtmldered bin basket, and went on. Elizabeth, io the meantime, bad brea- thed, bitn a sigh, recovered ber equan'> imity and turned ht-r face to Caster- briilge. Before she bad reached, the It was a wonder suoh a man as Mr. Far- (irsi house she was met. in ber walk by frae. "a piJlow of the- town," who might Donald Karfrae. This was evidexitly . . , ,, ..„„i,t„r» nt not their first meeting that day; they have chosein ooe of the daughters or . .^^ ^^^^ without ceremony, and the profeasionai men, or private resid- i.'artrae amiously asked, "And is lie ents should stoop so low. Coney ven- ' gcmeâ€" and did you tell bitn?â€" I i mean tured to disogtee with her. °f„lh« .""^^ "natter-not pf pura." ^ uu»«>^ I .,jj^ 1^ goine; and I told him all ' 'No, ma'am, no wonder at all, 'Tis die that's a atoopimg to he â€" that's oay opinion. A widow-man â€" w"hose first, wife w«e no credit to hloiv â€" what is it for a young peruBi.ng woman, that's her own miBtress and weJl-liiked f liuX as a neat patuhing up of things I see mubh good in it. AVhsn a man have) put up a totab of best marble-stone to the other one, as he've done, and weep- ed liis (ill, and thought it all over, and said to biDutelf, "T'other took die in; 1 knew this one first) she's a sensible piece tor a partner, and there's no (aUhfuil wotnen in high life now;" â€" well, be may do worse' than not taike her, U afae's tender-inclined." i Not • hint of the matter was thrown out to her step-father by Elizabeth her- self or by Farfrae eit^her. • Reasoning on the cause of their reticence he con- oltided that, estimating him, by bis past, the throbbing pair were afraid to broach the subject, and looked upon him OS a lion in tbel path whom they wimid be heartily glad to get out of the way. Embittered as be wa.9 against •ociety, this moody â- view of i liimself toolt deeper and deeper boUli of Hen- ohard, till the daily aeoeasity of facing â- natilund, and of them particularly Eliz- abeth-June becajne well-nigh more than be could endure. Uut what if he were mietaJcen in hie views, andi there ware no necessity that bis own absolute sep- aration frotn her should be involved in the incident of ber marriage I Elijiahetih often took her walks on the Budmouth Koad, and Farfrae aa often made It convenient to create an accidental meeting with her there. One day Uenctbard was at this spot when tt masculine figure came along the roud from Budmouth aiid lingered. Applying his telewcope to 4bis oye, Uen- chard expected that Farf rue's features woold be disclosed as usual. Ilul the lenaeci revealed that to-day the man was not UlizalieLh-Jane's lover. The face was New.s'ou's. (Hencbard dropped the glaas and for some seconds made uo other movenieut, Nowson waited, and Henchard waitedâ€" If that could be call- ed a waiting which was a trunsfixturu. Out Klizabethr-Jaue did not come. Me'M'Bon did not se« imy thing of her that uioming. KVaiting in vain hei at lost retraced him steps, and Henchard felt liike a cundeimned man wIkv has a tew liuura' respite. When he reached bis own bouse he found her there. "Ob, father," .she said innocently, "I bave had a letterâ€" a strange oneâ€" not •igned. Somebody has asiked me to meet him, either on the Hudmouth Koad at nuon to-day, or 'va the eveninu at gone: know of your frltod. DonaJd who he ?" "Well, well, dearie; you will know soon about that. AaA Mr. Henohard wUl hear of it if he goes not go far." "He will go farâ€" he's beint 'upon get- ting out of sight and sound I" 8ne walked tieside her lover, and when they reached the town pump turned with him into Corn' Street, in- Ktea<l of going straight on to ber own door. At Farfrae's house they stopped and went in. , Farfrae flung open the door of the ground-floor sitting-roctn, saying, "There he is waiting for you," and Elizabeth entered. In the arm-chair sat the l)road-face<l gejiial man who had called on Henchard on a memorable morning between one and two years be- fore this time, and whom the latter had seen mount the coach and depart within half-an-hour of bis arrival. lb vraa Richard Newwxn. Newson 8 pride in what she had grown up tu \>e was morei than he could ex- press. He kissed ber again and again. "I've saved you the trouble to come and meet meâ€" ha-ha I" said Newson. 'The fact is that Mr. Farfrae here, he said, "Come up and stop, with me for a day or two. Captain Newson, and I'll brinjf her round." "Faith, says 1, so I will;" and here I am." "Well, Henchard is gone," said Far- frae, shu*'ing the door. "Ue has. dona it all voluntarily, and, as 1 gather from Elizal>eth-Jane, he has been very nice with her. I was got rather un- easy; but all is as it should Ije, and we will have no more difficulliea at all." "Now, that's very much as 1 thought," said Newson. lookmg into thei face of each by turns. "I .said to myself, ay, a hundred times, wbilft I've been living on in my Budmouth lodging, and I said it when I sent her without signature a ten-pound note to buy books and clqthes; and I have said it when I have tried to get a peep at .her unknown to herselfâ€" "Pepend upon it, 'tis Iwstthat I should live on quiet like th-s till some- thing turns up for tlie. ftjetter." I now iknow you are a31 rigihit,' and what can 1 wirih for moref I cihouJd not be hap- pier if I wiere residing with, ye public- ly; and Henciiurd, after all, has mora legal claim upon ye." "Yuu sent that ten imunds f" said she amilmg. "Well, I kept it set^ret, as you requested. Hut Mr. Henchard wonder- ed about my puroliasei*." "Weil, Captain .Newson, I will be glad to see ye here every day now, since it cam do no harm,". said Farfrae. "And wllrat I've been thinking is, tliat the wedding may ae well be kept under my own roof, the house being large, and you being in lodgings yourselfâ€" so that a great deal of trouble and expense would lie saved yeâ€" and "tiis* a conveni- ence when a ooupJe's married not to hae far to go to get home I" "With aJl mjr heart," said Captain NewBon; "since, as ye say, jt can do no harm, now poor Henchard's gone; thinigh 1 wouldn't have done it other- wise, or put niyseilf in his way at all; for I've already iin, my lifetime been an intruder into his family quite as far as polilejje.ss can bei expected to put up w'Wh. llJut what do the young woman N»y herself about it? Klizabetb, my of the mjstery. and that it is a relation \^^l^,'^ I'.lizaU^th, still keeping up a of bis who waaxia to pass an opinion 1 1^'^'JV"'^'."^ P^« »' »"â- "« small' object DO-hls choice. Ihit 1 did not like to | *^„,,, „""''*^- go till I had seen you. 3hall I goK" We.l, fih«»n," continued Newton, Henchard replied heavily, "Yes; i?o." turning ane^v to Farfrae with: a faoe ' 'He surprised the young woman, whom ' exprrssiing thorough entry into the »\i\>- he bad looked upon a.«i his all in this ! .j?^"-'' "'''"'"s huw we'll have. And Mr. world, by saying to her, *•< if he did : f arfrae, as you provide so Cmuoh, and not care about her more^, "1 am going ! â- â- ^'"'"e. roojii, and alt tliat, I'll do my to leare Cnsterbridge, Elizabeth-Jane." P^r' '"' '!'« drinkabke." "Leave Oslerbridge I" she cried, "and 1.,'^^' """^ â€" â- **â- * shan't want mueb of leavieâ€" taueYf lUialâ€" oh no!" said Farfrae, shaking "Yes, this lltle shop nan be managed i *â- ''•• "^'Wl "ilh respectable gravity. "Do by you alone as wi'll as by u.s both; I [ y"". leave all to me." r don't care about shops and streets and |. ^\ ben they had gone a little farther â- folkâ€" I would raiher get into the coun- I'.''* JJieisu purticaiars, Newaon, leaning try by myself, fiul of sight, and follow '•''*'* '•> ''*8 chair and smiling reflective,. my own ways, and leave you to yours." '^ "' 'he ceiling said, "I've never told '•I Boi sorry you have decided on this," i y^- "f •"i^" 1. Mr. Ii'arfrae, how Hen- she said with difficult firmness, "h'or I'burd put uw off the silent thot timer" I thought it probableâ€" passibleâ€" t hat 1 "« expressed ignorance of what the might marry Mr. Farfrae some little taptain alluded to. time hence, and I did not know that "Ah, 1 llumght 1 hadn't I resolved you disapproved of the step!" that I wimid not, 1 remiomber; not to "I approve of anything yoi* dejiire to hurt llw man's name. Uut now he's do, Izzy," said Henclkard hu.sfliily. "If gone 1 can tell ye. Why, lea.me to I did not approve, it would be no mat- Ciieterhridge nine or Hen mimtlia be- ter. I wish to go away. My pres- : fore that day that 1 found ye out I ence might make things awkward in hxwl l)een hero twice before then 'i'he the future; and, in short, it is best that j first time I paused through the (own *,?,''â- " „ , .. , „ ,„ I "P ">y way westward, not knowing Kliz- Ihen, she said at last, "you will al>eth'l ived here. Then hearing at some not Im al)le to come to my wedding; , piivueâ€"1 forget whereâ€" that a man of and tbat is not as it ought to l)e." I the name of Henchard had been Mavor •" I,.^*"' '° *i*^ ''"' ''on't want I here, 1 C4rtne baok, and called at bis to see It I" ho exclaimed; adding more ' houise one morning. The joker Iâ€" he softly, "Init think of me .sometimes in anid Elizttl)etSi-Jane had died vears â- our future lifeâ€" you'll do that, Izzy} ago/' ' eaid, atter all," Netwson pleaded. "And 'hoyv couiid he know thai I should be such ii silDpleUm it^ to believe him.f "I was as much my. fault as bia, poor fedow 1" "No." said Bliiabetb-Jane firmly, in her rev;ulsion of feeling. "Ue knew your dispositionâ€" you always were so trusting, father ; I've beard my mo- ther say so bunilreds of times â€" and be did it to wrong you. After weaning me from you these five years by sayiivg he was my father, be ahcnild not have done thia." "Well, wellâ€" never miodâ€" it is all over and past," said Newson good-na- turedly. "Now, about this wedding again. y . . -__,. think of me when you are living as the wi.fe of the richest, the foremost man in t.he town, and don't let my sins, whejn vou know them all, cause ye to ?uit« forget that though I loved 'ee late loved 'ee well." "It in l»<i!Wi»B of Donald 1" she sob- bed. "I don't forbid you to marry him" said Henchard evasively. "Promise not to quite forget me when- " He meant wlieii NewBon should come. , 6he promised inecha,nically, in her ag- itation; and the same evening at dusk Henchard ieft the town, to whose de- velopment he had been one of the chief stimulants for many years. ( He w»nt secretly and alone, not a â- oui of the many who had known him being aware of hi.s departure. , He went on till he cjiine to the first milestone, which stood in the bank, half-way up a sleep hill. He restod his bauket on the top of' tha stone, placed Klizat)elh now gave earnest heed to bjs Dtory. "Now, U never crossed my ,mind thak the man was selling me a packet," con- tinued Newson. "And, if you'll be- lieve me, I MTM that mwet, that I went back to the coa<-.h that bad brought me and took passage onuard without lying in the town hadt-an-bour. Haâ€" haâ€" 'tw:48 a good joke and well carried out, and I give the man credit for't I" l":iizail)eth>Jauo was amazed at the intelligence. "A joke ?-l>h, nol" she cried, "rheo he kept you from me, faither, all those mimtba, when you might have been heref" 'J'he falhev admitted tbat such «-aa the ooso. "He ought not to have done it I" said Farfrae. Elizabeth bighed. "I said I would never forget him. But, oh! I tb'ink I ought to forget him now I" "Well, 'twas not ten words that h« CHAPTER XLIV- Meamtvhile, the man of their talk had pursued his solitary way eastward till weariness overlook him. and he looked about for a jjilace of rest. The bright autumn sun shining into his eyes across the stubble awoke himi t,be next morn- ing early. Be oi>ened bis basket, and ate fc(r his breakfast what he had packed for bis supper ; and in doing so overhatiled the remainder of his Kit. Although everything he brought ne- oessitated carriage at his own back, he bad secreted amungi his tools a few; of Elizabeth-Jane's cast-off belongings, in the shape of gloves, shoes, a scrap of ber handwriting, and the like ; and in bis pocket he carried a ourl of ber hair. Having looked at these things be closed them up again, and went on- ward. It now became apparent that the direction of bis journey was Wey- dan Priors, which he reached on the afternoon of the sixth day. > The rencAVaed hill, whereon the an- nluai fair bad been held for so many generat iuais, was now bare of human beings, and almost of aught besides. He deposited his basket upon the turf, and looked about with sad curiosity ; till be discovered the road by which his wife and himaelf and entered on the upland so memorable to both, two or tbree-and-twenty years before. "Yes. •ve came up that way," be said, after ascertaining bis bearings. "She was carrying the baby, and I was reading a ballet-sheet. Then we orossed about here â€" she so sad and weary, and I speaking to her hardly at all, because dl my cursed pride, and mortification at being poor. Then we saw the tentâ€" that must have stood more this way." He walked to anoth- er spot; it was not rea/lly where the tent had stood, but it seemed so to him. "Here we went in, and here we sat down. I faced Ibis way. Then I drauk, and committed my crime. It must have been just on that very pixy- ring that she was standing when she said her last words to me before going off with him; I can hear their sound now. and the sojBnd of her sobs: 'Oh, Mike, I've lived with thee all this while, and had nothing but temper. Notw. I'm no more to 'eeâ€" I'll try my luck elsewhere.' " And thtis Henchard found himself again on the precise standing which he had occupied five-and-twenty years l>e- fore. Externally there was nothing to hinder his making, another start on the upward slope, and by his new lights achieving higher things than his soul in its half-farmed state had been aide to accomplish. But the ingenious ma- chinery contrived by the gods for re- ducing human pcesibiJities of ameliora- tion to a minimum â€" which arranges that wisdom to do shall come pari possia with the de|)axture of zest fur doing â€"stood in the way of all that. He had no wish to make an arena a second time of a world tbat had become a mere painted scene to him. Very o(ftpn, as ha wandered on. he would survey mankind, and say to him.self. "Here and everywhere are folk dying before their time like frost- ed leaves, though m anted by the world, the culintcy, and their own families, at) badly as can be ; while I, an out- oast; and an inctunbrance. wanted by nolwdy, I live on, and can't die if 1 tjy." Had be been able to extend his vision through the night shades as far as Casterbridge that evening, Henchard would have seen that the door of his odd bouse was wide open, that the halt was lighted extravagantly, and that people were going up and down the stairs. It was the wedding-day of Klizalwth and Farfrae. Sach an in- novation on Ca.s(erbrid^e customs as a flitting of bride and bridegroom from the t«vvn immediately after the cere- money had not l>een thought of. and at that hour Mr. and Mrs. Farfrae were entertaining a hcluseful of guests at their hctue in Corn Street. Donald himself was taking a leading part in the festivity, hLs voice being distinctly audible in the street, giving expression to a song of his native coun- try. Idlers were standing on the pave- ment in front, and presently it could b«i perceived tlnit a dance was proposed Mr. and Mrs. Farfrae joining in the figure, , She wan in a dress of white silk or satinâ€" the oljservers were not nean emtigh to say whichâ€" snowy whiter witbctit a tinge of milk or cream; and! the expresMiim of her face was one of nervous ploriBure rather than of gaiety. Presently Farfrae came round, his ex-< uberant motvement making him con- spicumis in a moment. The pair were not dani'ing together thi.s time, tnit it was apparent that there was a word- less speech between them; and thab whenever the interchanges of the fig- tue made theui the partners of a mo- ment I heir emotions breathed a much' subtler essence than at other timesj By degrees the idlers Iwcame aware th,it the measure was al.so trod by some one who out-Farfraed Farfrae in sal- tatory intenseness. This was strange, and it was stranger to find that the eclipsing pereonage \\'as Elizabeth- Jane's partner. The first time that they saw him he was sweeping grandly round, his bead qiuivering and low down, his legs in the form of an X. and his back towards the door. The next time be came round in the direction, his white waist- coat preceding his face, and his toes preceding his white waistcoat. Thab nappy form was Captain Nen'son's, CHLMPTEB XLV. It was alwiit a month after the dayt which closed as iB' t'.ht) last chapter. Elizal>eth-Jane had groi\vn accustomed to the novelty of ber situation, and. the only difference between Donald's movements now and formerly was that he hastened indoors rather more quick- ly after litisineas hours than he had been in the habit of doing for some' time. I Newson had stayed in Caaterbrldge three days after the wedding party, and was stared at and honored as be- canre the returned Crusoe of the hour. Ou the fctirth morning ha was discov- I ered.climbiiig a hill, in bis craving to get a glimpKe of the sea from some-, srerp or other. The contiguity of salt water proved! to be slioha necessity of his existence that he preferred Budmouth as a place of residence, notwithstanding the .so- ciety of bis daughter in the other town. .Thither.he went, apd settled in lodg- ings in a green-shuttered cottage which had a bow-window, jutting out sufficiently to afford glimpses of * vertical strip of blue sea to any one opening the sash, and leaning forward far enough to look through a narrowl lane of tall intervening hou.ses. In exploring ber new domain during the first week of residence, Mrs. Eliza- beth Farfrae had been reminded c>ften of her stepfather, whose hoii.se this of hers had formerly been. He was now homelessâ€" possibly penniless. From tbat hour ber heart softened towards the self-alienated man 'till at length she begged Frafrae to help ber in finding ott as soon aa possible, whether Henchard had banished him- self, tbat she might try to do some- thing to make his life less that of an, dutsaot, and more tolerable to him. A:lthaugb Farfrae had never so pas- sionately liked Henchard as Henchard ha dliked him, he had, on the other ha<nd, never so passionately hated \vt the same direction as his former friend had done ; and he was therefore not the least indisposed to assist Eliza)>etb- Jane in her laudable plan. (To Be Continued.) â- ITEMS OF INTEBEST. Tkese Few Parasraplu May rrsve laler- esling Eeading, Unlicensed dogs are put to death in Lamed, Kan., and the owner is fined. Eating matches are common among the villages of Alaska. Ue who eats the most is considered the most accom- plished man. The air is so clear and dry in the arctic regions that conversation can be carried on when the speakers are two miles apart. It is said that William Waldorf As- tor owns 1.000 houses in New York City, and that hia annual income is nearly 96.000.000. At Jasper, Fla., a dog chased a rab- bit, which dashed into a gopher hole. The dog followed, and a rattlesnake killed lx)tb of them. Spain's agricultural implements are the same as those used in the time of Caesar. This is one reason to account for that country's wretched condition. An open-top tbimlde containing a wet sponge, to tw used in moistening en- velope flaps, and thus fi;.sUitaliug the sealing of letters, is the invention of an Oregonian A musician in Hermon. Mo., wanted a tip top zither, and be sent to Europe fur one. Ue was disgusted when he re- ceived one tbat had been in his own Stale. Hunters in Kansas earn about %i a day slaying jack-rabbits. The skins are sold for three cents each to Eastern batters, who use the hair in the manu- facture of soft hats. Excessive tea drinking shutters the nervous system, weakens the broan. in- jures the appetite. dislurl» the diges- tive organs, and causes cold feet. So says a New York physician. A New York barber advertises to teach the tonsoriul art in five weeks. Ue permits the novices to practice on his own face, and is frequently lath- ered and shaved twenty times a day. A handsome man in Vanoeburg, Ky., thirty-five years of age, has four wives and three families. He was lately di- vorced from bis third spouse, ami the next morning was married to the fourth. A man in Kansas City makes himself square with the world once a year. He burns his account books on the first of Januaj-y, pays none uf his del>ts due and refuses tu collect those that are due him. After forty years of constant court- ship a worthy couple in Trenton, Mo., agreed tbat it was about time to wed. and they were accordingly made man and wife. They are lioth over seventy years of age. A revolving palace, 3(i2 feet high, is planned for the Paris Exposition of 1900. 11 will be divided into several floors, to be used as restaurants, theatres, etc., and will revolve continuously on a cen- tral pivot. INicola Tesla, the famous electrician, says that nearly all loug-lived people hove been great sleepers. He believes that if a man could sleep eighteen hours a day. without the aid of narcotics, he might live 'JOO years. Patriok AUiger, an old bachelor, sup- ported himselt chiefly by begging in the streets of Duldin. He became ill, and insisted on wearing his wig and a nightcap. Ait«r his death the sum of Jt:i,035 in bank-notes was found un- der his wig. Coffee derives its name from Kaffa, East Africa, where the Iwrry was first raised. Mocha coffee is so iiaiued from a port on the Red Sea, in Arabia.where it was collected and shipped. The first coffee house in England was opened in Oxford in Itel. In San Francisco there are two rival druggists |vho occupy opposite cor- ners. Their rivalry is shown even in the sale of postage stamps. One of them has this sign displayed: "Thirteen two- cent stamps for a cent and a quarter." The purchaser soon discovers that the quarter must be of silver. THE CHIN AS AN INDEX. t'aa Ion Tell a Pmoa'a 4'banicl«r bj (k« Shape af ma Lower Jaw. . Protrudi'ng chins characterize med and women of t|be get-'thsr^ type. Suiv cessful people usually carry their china tltfuft for^'ard. with compressed lips, 'nuis chut, if heavy, with broad rami and swelling ma'sseters. indicates fight- ing blood. A retreating nhiai shows lack of force, mentally, morally, and phfyai- caJly ; usually of the yielding sort ; soon discouraged; desires protection; small executive force. The developh menic of other fatuities often make4 up for this defect. A small, well-rounded ohan, with mo- bile and red cuabiion of flaih upon in- dicates a pleasure-Iowitng own.er. U dimpSed, all the more so, for dimpled ohinB beloog to coquettes. People witU dimples love to be petted and loved) like admiratioti and praise, (jenerally fickle. Usually thin ohin is healthy, recuperative an>l long-liived. Broad chin^ signify nobleness and large dignity, unless vertically thiil| when; if with it there be thin lipe ok bloodless kiod you filnd cruelty. Square chlnfi wiith little fle<ib donota firmneas and executive ability, 'rhesa make good bakers. Drunkards U'sually have a circulail line alxni/t their ohiiia. Slovene have wrinkles about thelfl chins. Hjotig thin ohiins are poetical, unstat- bfle and delicatte in constitution. Suoll people are subject to bowel derange- ments. If tlhln thjough the angles ol the mouth, too, they are prone to tUf beroulosis. Geuierally Bhort^llved. jMedium obinji with a suggestive bi- furcation In the center, with small mounds of flersih on eit<her side, char^ aoterize genjerosity, ImpulsiveneMt oheery natures. (The same-sized chini. with a dab of fle^ just under the oenlter at tlhe lower lip, indicate mean* zifsen, selfishness, brutality.) No onp feature can be taken in Jud^ ing chnraoter. Often development ol ot'her faculties of mind or feature en- tirely governs. In each case take tha "totality o( i(itli«atioD8" befooe jud9> ing. DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH. The Duchess of Marlborough is sel- dom seen at any grreat function with- out her jeweled belt. At a very eweU affair recently, the beauteous girdle glistened arcund the bodice of he> white velvet gown, sable trimmed, • spray of mauve orchids across the shcut- ders. With those magnificent ropes of pearls and collar, as well aa the diamr ond "crown" so much admired, the reg- al parure was completed to a oharm. An American lady who bos just return- ed from the old country had a peep at fine old Blenheim,. She states that there is an exquiiiitelv equipped chap- el and ohime of bells. Aiuoo^ the rooms in modem furni^ings is a lovely "plant room," three loungins rooms, fitted up by Duchess I.ily ia Moorish. Indian and J.ipauese fashion. The suite occupied by the young Duch- ess comprises eigdit apartments, each mtMt luxuriously fitted. The "court ing-chair," at Blenheim, was some days ago removed to the big oooBcrvBtory. It was a birthday gift from Queen Anne to the great hero, the first Duke of Marlbonough. Over the water on the grounds ia built a facsimiUi of Ix>ndon Bridge â€" strange and fantastic; and in the arob are a number of small summer rannu^ one of which is decorated with frescoea and commanding a lo>'eIy view. In this one the Durheas spends most of ber time on fine days. The young Dulke, speakin;^ of his home mot long ago. described it as a building "so large, so homely, so Irregular and so little ian posing." VENEER IRED fX>R WRAPPING PURPOSES. Wood veneer is used to some extent for doing up bundles, instead of paper. Curtain poilB manufacturers, for ins- tance, when shipping ur delivering pedes in small lots w^ap them up in veneer. It costs a little more thaa paper, but not much, and it is much better tor the purpose. Poles thua wrapped up are leas likely to be creased by the coft-ds tied arokind them, and the veneer is a better protection from bruises in handHing. The veneer used for this purpose is u.sually of elm wood and made in the same factories where the pdea aire made. Veneer ia also used foir wrapping up picture mould- ings. ANCIENT TUamLERS. Tumblers of nearly the same shape and dimensions as those employed to- day have been found in great niunbers in Pompeii. They were of gold, silver, glass, agate, marble ' " precious stones. CONSOLATION FOR PLAIN GIRLS. The girl who is not flattered by her looking-glass should read the follow- ing from the pen of Mr. RiLskin. and take heart of grace:- "No girl who ia well bred, kind and modest is ever of- fensively plain ; all real deformity means want of manners, or of heart. I may say, in defense of my own con- stant praise of beauty, tbat I do not at- tach half the real importance to it which is assumed in ordinary fiction, above all in the pages of the periodical which best represents as a whole the public mind of England. As a rule, throughout the whole seventy-volume series of Punchâ€" first by Leech and then by Du MJaurierâ€" all nice girls ar«! represented as pretty; all nice womeai as both pretty and well dressed ; and if the reader will compare a sufficient number of examples extending over a aeries of years, he will find the moral lesson more and more enforced by this most po|)ular authority, that all r^al ugliness in either sex means some kind or hardness of heart or vulgarity of education." SONUS IN THE NIGHT. Very many of the sweetest feys of Christian hearts are songs which have been learned in the bitterness of trial. It is said of a little bird that he will never learn to sing the song his mas- ter will bave him sing wbllei it is light in his cage. He learns a snatch of every song he bears, but will not learn a full separate melody of his own. And the master covers the cage and makes it dark all about the bird, and then he listens and learns the one song tbat is taught him. until bis beart is full of it. Then, ever after, he slags the song in the light. With manv of us it is as with the bird. 'Ibe master has a song he wishes to teach us, but we learn only a strain of it, a note here and there, while we catch up snatches of the world's song, and sing them with it. Then he comes and makes it dark about us, till we learn the sweet mel- only he would teach us. Many of the loveliest aoufis of peace and trust sung by God's children in this world have I and other semi- l,eeii taught in the darkened chamber I of sorrow.â€" Ex. mm