Dug was not listening. To Wull, knew a nobler, you do not need to be low on the slope, it seemed he towered told that even in that great sorrow it above him like a rock-his legs apart, was Dug she thought of. It is beyond and seeming to grip the earth. His my understanding how any one can conhat had fallen from his head, and his jecture what fell out between the surfair hair lay round his dark face, on vivors of that tragedy. I cannot. I do which his eyes shone like lights at sea. not wish to. I do know, however, that He held the girl in his arms, and he when Margrédel said that France was held her tight; and Wull could see him her home, and that it was in her native raise her up and down, till he held her village that she ought to spend her high above his head, as he might have days, Jean acquiesced readily, and was done a fox to cast it to the dogs. It glad that in some measure the tongues was done calmly, deliberately, without of the country-side would be kept from effort; and Wull knew that it was mur-wagging against her husband. If you der. Margrédel hung in Dug's arms are inclined to respect her less because for a second, and in that second Wull, measuring his height with his brother, had a hold of her, and looking into his eyes, said,

"Dug, boy!"

Margrédel fell from his brother's arms into his, so that he staggered under the burden.

"My Jean! my Jean!" cried Dug, and stumbled across the dark field.

Wull left Margrédel in charge of the two lads, who had come up; and, bidding them remain and watch, he ran down the path, and round to the foot of the rocks. Disfigured, mutilated, clasped together in their dreadful death, the professor and Willy lay in the road; and Wull separated them, lest any, coming up, should guess the truth.

of this, let me tell you also that she bore Willy's death meekly, charging it against herself because, for his sake, she had held her tongue, and would have wronged Margrédel if she could, by leaving her in ignorance.

Years ago she and her husband were taken far beyond the wagging of tongues. To-day I climbed the hillpath at Kemback, and stood beside the ripening grain upon the plateau, within cry of where they were laid. On some such afternoon they buried the younger Jean. I could mark with my eye the line which the watchers must have taken through the barley-field to the rocks which echoed Willy's cry. The ivy kirk is a ruin, and a newer building stands farther up the hill. Near by it they have planted a school, set against a blaze of scarlet rowans; and through its open windows, as I stood beneath them, came the hum of lessons, mixing with the voices of the birds as they called to one another in the woods. As I walked round by the Hetherwicks'- whence a blue coil still issued, but not from the hearth of Rab and Marg'et-and down the hill-path to the saw-mill, and along the river to Eden Braes, where a stranger door is shut upon me, the click-click of the reapers in the fields around seemed to say, eloquently, that to-day is everything, and that the dead are soon forgotten.

That is the story of the Oliphants of the High Street house. Perhaps you think that there should be more to tell. It may be that some of you have heard more; for I am aware that there are many people who profess to know, for example, what Douglas said to Margrédel. No one knows what passed between the two-not even Mrs. Oliphant. These same people have told me that Mrs. Oliphant's hair turned white when they brought home her boy to Eden Braes. I could have told them how it had greyed through long years before that; but I did not care to correct them, lest, on that account, I do not think that that is a very they might think that her grief was wise reflection. There are no Oliless. If I have led you to any knowl-phants now in the old town by the edge of a woman than whom I never Forth. When we buried Wull, we

buried the last of that family. Yet it | things. Or it may be that if you know seems to me that its memory is fragrant this town by the Firth to-day, with its still. Down by the harbor, even now, new industries, new ways, new hopes, you will hear Wull's name often; and to compare it with the home of Dug that is something. Oliphant, you may realize once more, as Wull realized it, that the world wags on. That is the greatest of all morals.

And if, as may well be, you care for no moral, it is as I should wish it, inasmuch as the story was not told to point one, but because it is the story of people whose memory is dear to me, and of a country-side that I love.

From The Nineteenth Century. THE SHAH OF PERSIA IN ENGLAND. BY PROFESSOR VAMBERY.

"And Margrédel?" perhaps you say. I am coming to that. At Wull's death I went over his papers. It was by his own instructions that I did so. Among piles of bills of lading, of lists of ships, and all the remnants of the man's activity, I came across some of the letters that passed in later years between Margrédel and Mrs. Oliphant. I may not divulge their contents even if I would; I can only say that if a man were not humbled in presence of the spirit that they breathed, he is not worthy to know the love of women. Besides these, there were many other WHATEVER may be said of the perletters. When I fell upon a rough sonal qualities and of the rule of the draft of that one which Beatrix never present king of Persia, there can be no opened, I could not but laugh-laugh question about certain favorable feato think of Wull, and all men, and of tures by which he is advantageously the "Polite Letter-Writer" on the distinguished from the rest of Oriental shelf close by, with the page turned princes. He not only made an excepdown on the model it so slavishly cop- tion to the rule and etiquette of Moied. There were letters from Margré-hammedan Asia by visiting Europe del to Wull, and they reflected some three times, but he has always taken of the joys of her later days as well as the sorrows of the earlier; and one of her greatest joys, clearly, was Wull's annual visit to her. Beneath all these were two, clasped together with an elastic band which broke to my touch, so rotted was it; and one had the seal unbroken. I opened it, and found that it was a letter of his own to Margrédel, returned to him from France. With it came the other note, which told how she had caught a fever and died. It was dated a few days before my four-hausted and worn out by continual teenth birthday; and that was the visits and calls, I was asked in his prinews, I doubt not, which made Wull so vate room, sometimes after ten o'clock testy on that night when my curiosity in the evening, to give accurate inwas whetted for the story of Margrédel. formation about things, persons, and "Where is the moral of that story?" places he had seen during the day. some one may say. There are many These he used to put down in Persian morals to your choosing. One is, that writing, but the proper names he gave all the misery in it followed wrong-in European characters, in order to doing; an old-fashioned moral, but avoid misspelling, having been taught perhaps none the less wise on that ac- by experience that the Arabic letters count. Or you may find one, where are insufficient for the transcription of I seemed to find it this afternoon at European names. Kemback-in the hollowness of all

the trouble to note down carefully all that he saw and experienced, and to publish it afterwards for the instruction of his subjects, with the avowed intention to impart the knowledge of the West and to enlighten his readers about modern civilization. During his last visit to Budapest I had the honor of being his interpreter for several days, and I was quite astonished to find that after the toilsome work of many hours, when we were all ex

I suppose he has acted in the same

manner everywhere else, for the copy It need hardly be said that the shah is highly pleased at the splendidly furnished apartments in Buckingham Palace, of which he gives a minute account, not forgetting to mention, as usual, all the princes and princesses, as well as the members of the aristocracy and the ambassadors of the foreign countries who were introduced to him. His first meeting with her Majesty at Windsor he describes as follows:

This nobleman is a Liberal, and belongs to the ministry of Mr. Gladstone, which is the Opposition to the present men in government. Lord Rosebery is a comparatively young man, of middle size and of a handsome face; he has neither beard nor mustachios.

ciety. He has a particularly high opin- | of London amusements and festivities, ion of Lord Salisbury and of Lady the royal author enumerates his excurSalisbury, and of the latter he says sions to the country, and gives us the literally: "She is a lady of middle size, narrative of his visits to the various highly respectable, up in politics, ex- towns and country seats. He begins ceedingly wise and clever." The shah by his call at Hatfield, and full justice anxiously avoids politics. He only oc- is done to this splendid mansion of casionally alludes to the leading parties Lord Salisbury. The garden particuof England, and having accepted an larly attracted his attention, and he invitation to dine with Lord Rosebery, finds the ground so extensive and he says:varied that one unacquainted with the place might easily lose his way. We are favored even with the history of Hatfield, reading that this castle was built three hundred years ago, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and that it has come down to the present owner from generation to generation. From On mentioning the guests of Lord Hatfield the seat of Lord Brownlow is Rosebery, the shah quotes Duke of visited, and next day the park and Chamberlain, a lapsus calami which castle of Waddesdon. The wealth exbut rarely occurs to him. It is really hibited by the Barons Ferdinand and astonishing how this Eastern potentate Alfred Rothschild very naturally called has taken the care to note down every- forth the admiration of the king of thing most minutely, and in reading kings, who, with his ready cash of four the description of his visit to the Crys-million pounds, is rather poor in comtal Palace one can imagine how his parison with our modern Croesuses, subjects will admire the wonders of and in grateful remembrance of their Frenghistan, and how proud they will hospitality the shah tells us that he be on reading that nearly two thousand offered them a golden box with an old unbelievers desperately fought to catch enamel. The next country seat visited one leaf or flower thrown down from is that of Lord Windsor, and on passing the balcony by the shah to the crowd Rugby the shah relates the following assembled to see him. episode: "I noticed here a very handIn order to appreciate fully the im- some child in the arms of a woman, to portance of the shah's last visit to whom I beckoned. She came near, I England, one has only to compare the seized the hand of the child, upon report written by him of his journey which the crowd rushed towards the made in 1873, of which an English railway carriage anxious to shake translation, by the late Sir James W. hands with me. I shook hands with Redhouse, was published in 1874 (Lon- everybody, and such was the throng don: John Murray). This last-men- and bustle that many people nearly tioned diary contains chiefly general got under the carriage." On the way remarks upon England, social, political, to Sheffield a good deal of attention is military, and otherwise; whilst his present book, which deserves to be translated likewise, gives a rather detailed and lengthy account of various towns of England and Scotland and of many mansions and country houses of English and Scotch noblemen; nay, it affords a clear insight into the public and private life of the United Kingdom such as no other Oriental publication can boast of. After a full picture 60

LIVING AGE.

VOL. II.

devoted to the manufacturing district. The shah fully appreciates the importance of this great industrial centre, and very often remarks that the whole world is provided from here with this or with that material. He enters into details in describing parts of the machinery; he is enraptured by the agency of steam-power, and if many more Oriental princes would bestow such minute care upon the wonders of

English mills as does Nasreddin Shah, | governor of Bradford was aware of this there is no doubt the introduction of fact, and it is for this reason that the street Western culture into Asia would be was barred and that police was posted round much facilitated. the town hall, where I took up my lodging.

Briefly the reception I met with in Bradford was unique. The inhabitants have a distinguished look, they have handsome faces and beautiful hair.

In Leeds he meets with a similar reception. Here he is also lodged in the town hall, which he declares to be the largest in England, and this splendid building, erected thirty years ago, he adds, was opened personally by the

queen.

It would be an idle undertaking to report at full length the account the shah gives in his diary of all the places visited and of the leading men of Great Britain he came in contact with. I dare to say he has hardly omitted a single one of the worthies of the day, and not only does he mention every man of note, but he gives us also the family relations of most, and from this point of view the shah's diary is decidedly the most comprehensive guide- Brighton seems 10 have greatly book to English aristocratic, social, and pleased the royal visitor, for he speaks industrial life. Scotland particularly in full detail of all he had seen there. attracted his attention. Glasgow, The Aquarium is a great wonder in his Perth, Aberdeen, Invercauld, Braemar, eyes, as well as the swimming feat Dundee, and Edinburgh are separately performed by Professor Reddish, and sketched, together with the curiosities in mentioning the inhabitants of this seen and the eminent men he met with place he finds that all are well dressed, or from whom he received hospitality. and that the ladies, conspicuously Sir Algernon Borthwick, the Earl of handsome, walk about with loose hair. Hopetoun, and Lord Armstrong are In going through the diary of Nasredparticularly mentioned as hosts in din Shah we are struck by the somewhose splendid houses he enjoyed un- times naïve manner in which he mixes paralleled hospitality. On his return serious and trivial matters. In one from Scotland he visits Bradford, and place he explains complicated machinhe remarks that, in spite of the greateries, historical events, and in arɔther ovations he has received hitherto in he dwells at great length upon the pervarious parts of the United Kingdom, formance of a conjurer, whose tricks it was nevertheless here that he met are fully described and admired, perwith the most extraordinary reception. haps more even than the great naval I shall try to give a literal translation review he witnessed. of what the shah says:

My intention was to give a short extract of the shah's diary referring to England, but I find the task more difficult than I believed. The text is incoherent and exceedingly tiresome to the European reader. In order to give an idea of the style and conception of the royal traveller, I shall conclude with a translation of the passage relating to his farewell visit to Osborne:

The town council, notwithstanding the long and strange dress they wore, went on foot before my carriage and slowly, slowly they moved on through the streets. The multitude of men and women was such an excessive one that nothing could be seen but heads and skulls, and the Hurrah! they raised was nearly deafening. The women waved their handkerchiefs and clapped with their hands. As it happened to rain, I opened my umbrella. The in- Cowes is a small lovely place, and before habitants of this place, being chiefly work-reaching Osborne we passed an avenue. ing men, together with their families, had A large crowd hemmed both sides of the not seen up to this time any Padishah, for their own queen had not as yet visited this place, and the Prince of Wales was only there seven years ago. This might be the reason for their great anxiety to catch a glimpse of royalty and to gaze at me. The

road. We arrived at the gate of her Majesty's park, which is a very private one: we did not see anybody in it. The grounds are spacious and beautiful, with fine trees, which have been brought from America and Canada, and the leaves of which re