HOPES.

had a method, peculiar to myself, of walking withmuch difficulty in the stony path of life; although s obliged, both physically and morally speaking, o it nearly bare-footed. I hoped and hoped, from to day, from morning to evening, from autumn to ng, from spring to autumn, from this year to next ; and thus had I got over, with mere hope, nearly ty years of my journey through life, without suffermuch from any of my numerous privations, exceptthe want of whole boots. I consoled myself easily n for this, when I was out in the open air; but, in pany, it always gave me an uneasy sensation to my heels forward, as the least torn part. It much harder for me, however, to have nothing to e with me into hovels of misery, but words of con.. ation.

comforted myself, as a thousand others have done, h casting a hopeful glance at Fortune's rolling eel, and with the philosophical remark, "With ne, comes counsel."

In the situation of curate to a parish in the country, h a poor salary and meager diet, experiencing a

moral famine in the society of the scolding mistress of the house, of the indolent, self-indulgent pastor, of the strutting son, and of the daughter of the family, who, with high shoulders and feet turned in, was going in and out, and paying visits from morning till night, I was sensible of a quite peculiar emotion of pleasure and hope, when I received a letter from one of my acquaintances, informing me that an uncle, who was personally unknown to me, a merchant in Stockholm, was laying at his last extremity, and had inquired, in a sudden fit of death-bed affection, for his good-fornothing nephew.

Seated in an uncommonly hard and jolting farmer's cart, the grateful nephew soon set out. With a very thin, small bundle, and a million of rich hopes, he rattled up and down the hills, and reached at last, without broken bones, the capital city.

At the inn where I alighted, I ordered a small, only a very small breakfast-a trifle-a bit of bread and butter-a couple of eggs.

The host and a stout man were walking up and down the room, busily talking. "No, I must say," said the stout gentleman, "this great merchant, Mr. P., who died the day before yesterday, was an odd fellow enough!"

"Yes, yes," thought I, "aha! aha! an odd fellow, who had plenty of money! Here, my friend," said I to the servant, "could you get me a bit of beef-steak, or a little something solid? Do you hear? a bowl of hot soup would not be entirely out of place. Get it, if you can, but be quick."

66

Yes," said mine host, "he was pretty strong.

thousand rix-dollars, and more in the bank! ly in the whole city had dreamed of such a thing; thousand!"

Thirty thousand!" I repeated in my triumphant "thirty thousand! Here, young man-waiter! me thirty thou-no, give me bank st-no, give me tle of wine, I say!" and from my head to my , the alternate echoes were ringing within me at - pulsation-thirty thousand! thirty thousand! Yes," proceeded the stout gentleman, "and can really believe it, that, among the mass of debts, are nine hundred rix-dollars due for cutlets, and thousand dollars for champagne ? How the itors are all standing round, gaping! All the gs in the house are scarcely worth twopence; and out it, to make up for this deficiency, there stands igle miserable--caleche!"

Aha! that is a little different. Here, young man ; er! take away again the meat, and the soup, and wine! and, do you hear? take particular notice I have not tasted a morsel of these things; indeed, y should I? for I have done nothing but eat and k since I opened my eyes this morning, (a horrible ehood,) and it just struck me that it was not th while, therefore, to pay anything for such a erfluous meal."

But you have ordered it, sir," answered the waiter, ceedingly provoked.

'My friend," I replied, putting my hand behind my , a place from which persons who are in perplexity accustomed to seek necessary aid, " my friend, was a mistake, for which I am not bound to pay

it was not my fault, that a rich heir, for whom I ordered the breakfast, has become poor all at once-indeed poorer than before, since he has not more than half of his credit for the future. If, then, in such a change of circumstances as you can well understand, he cannot pay for an expensive breakfast, yet that does not hinder me from paying for the egg, which I have eaten, and giving you, at the same time, a penny for a douceur, since my affairs oblige me to go away from here at

once."

By means of my excellent logic and good drinkmoney, I was able, with a bleeding heart and thirsting lips, to get rid of my costly breakfast, and to set off with my little bundle under my arm, to walk round the city looking for a room, which I could hire for a small sum; thinking, in the mean time, by what means I could procure even this small sum.

I had got a bad headache by the sudden shock caused me by the difference between the reality and my hopes. But when, during my perambulations, I saw an elegantly-dressed gentleman, adorned with stars and ribbons, alighting from a splendid coach, and observed his tawny, yellow complexion, and the deep wrinkles on his forehead and over his eyebrows-the characteristic lines of ill-humour; when I saw, also, a young count, whom I had known at the University at Upsula, walking as if he could scarcely hold himself up from premature old age and weariness of life-then I raised my head, drew in a long breath of air, which happened (unluckily) just in this place to be strongly impregnated with the smell of sausages, and celebrated poverty and a good conscience!