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EMULATION.

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And why not?" said her mother; or if so, my dear, what is there in his disbelief to affect you ?"

"Nothing at all, mamma," she said, laughing; "only I know what he will say; he will talk of the mountain-air, and the roughness of the way, and of the sheep, and the castle; and then he will ask, if all that is not better than seeing fleas washed out of dirty wool."

Every one laughed at this sally.

"You have a happy imagination, Ellen," said her father: "I should never have thought of all the strong points of Edward's case, but for your skill in arranging them. You forget the aqueduct ; surely that is a heavy balance in our favour."

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Thank you, papa; I am so glad you thought of it! How very beautiful it looked in deep shade; and that bright, catching light, running along each projection of the pillars!"

Ellen was destined to be disappointed. Edward returned about an hour after they had reached their inn; and the first words he spoke were in admiration of the aqueduct, which he had seen in every variety of position in his descent from the mountains, and had stood to admire under the magic influence of a flood of moonlight. He was in high spirits, charmed with his excursion, and glorying in having made it.

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IN SIGHT-SEEING.

"Fair and softly," said Ellen ; charmed also."

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She was about to sit down near him, when he started up in affected alarm, protesting that they must have brought home as many fleas as would stock a watering-place.

"There, mother," said Ellen, in a whisper over her shoulder" did I not tell you so ?"

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'I am afraid, indeed, my dear, it is a hopeless case. I advise you to ask him to relate his adventures: perhaps they are not so extraordinary as you imagine."

This appeared very good advice, and she determined to follow it. When she had composed her countenance, she thus addressed him.

"Come, Edward, let us hear your adventures; what you saw, and how you liked the castle."

"I had no adventures at all: I wish I had. It is a fine old palace; and Alfonso the wise began there to construct his astronomical tables. Since the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella it has not been a royal residence. I was shown the tower where Gil Blas supposes his hero to be shut up. The castle has a deserted look, though not very much out of repair; and one wing is used as a prison. What I most enjoyed was the mountainwalk, the beautiful views, the difficulty and sometimes the danger of the way. What did you see ?"

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A FRIEND IN NEED.

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Oh, the aqueduct; and very beautiful it was : and the establishment for washing the wool, where every thing was so well arranged; and the woolsorters showed great skill and intelligence: and then there was such a boiler, large enough, I think, to have boiled us all!"

"That I should like to have seen; but still I set my castle against your fleas."

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They are much upon a par," said Frank, coming to Ellen's assistance.

"How do you make that out?" said his brother. "Why, they are both instruments of punishment."

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'Thank you, good, kind Frank," said Ellen, while every one laughed heartily: and by the help of this lively repartee, the comparisons that had so distressed her were dismissed for the evening.

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ST. ILDEFONSO TOMB OF PHILIP V.-GARDENS OF ST.

ILDEFONSO-MADRID.

THE appearance of St. Ildefonso at a distance does not announce the residence of a great court. The country is barren; and a few wretched hamlets give no idea of a royal abode. Such are the feelings of a traveller as he approaches this celebrated palace: he does not suspect, that in that spacious, and seemingly naked horizon, there are manufactures of various kinds; such as paper, cloth, and glass; or that the environs of St. Ildefonso are decorated with rivulets, cultivated fields, meadows, and clumps of green oaks: yet such is in reality the case. On a nearer approach the country becomes more beautiful: a number of meandering streams beautify the verdure; and the deer, wandering through the copses or bounding on the hills, add life and interest to the landscape. The group of buildings, formed by the castle and adjoining edifices, at the base of mountains rising in naked grandeur, and covered to the very summit

TOMB OF PHILIP V.

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with the foliage of trees, presents altogether a novel and delightful picture.

When they arrived at the gate fronting the royal residence, Mr. Delville observed, that "in planning St. Ildefonso, Philip V. was supposed to have had Versailles in his mind. It is known that he left France with great regret; and he probably wished to embody in his new kingdom, those recollections and associations that were dear to him. A Frenchman has observed, that this Spanish palace, in its resemblance to his own court, is like a diminutive shade in painting, and smooths the passage from one country to another, so as to lessen half the distance: and this I imagine to be the highest praise a Frenchman could bestow.'

"Philip V., then," said Ellen, "was very fond of this place."

"The proofs of his attachment," said her father, (as they followed their guide to his tomb,) "have survived him. His remains are deposited in this chapel."

The young party stood round the mausoleum in silence its very simplicity had in it something awful. The tomb which contains an illustrious individual always excites serious reflection. Their projects and their termination are brought before us in a more impressive manner. How much stronger is this feeling over the grave of a prince,

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