But if thou wilt be constant then,
And faithful of thy word,
I'll make thee glorious by my pen
And famous by my sword.
I'll serve thee in such noble ways
Was never heard before;
I'll crown and deck thee all with bays,
And love thee evermore.

--_James Graham_.

"Well, if there be any truth in the old adage, young Herman Brudenell
will have a prosperous life; for really this is a lovely day for the
middle of April--the sky is just as sunny and the air as warm as if it
were June," said Hannah Worth, looking out from the door of her hut upon
a scene as beautiful as ever shone beneath the splendid radiance of an
early spring morning.

"And what is that old adage you talk of, Hannah?" inquired her younger
sister, who stood braiding the locks of her long black hair before the
cracked looking-glass that hung above the rickety chest of drawers.

"Why, la, Nora, don't you know? The adage is as old as the hills and as
true as the heavens, and it is this, that a man's twenty-first birthday
is an index to his after life:--if it be clear, he will be fortunate; if
cloudy, unfortunate."

"Then I should say that young Mr. Brudenell's fortune will be a splendid
one; for the sun is dazzling!" said Nora, as she wound the long sable
plait of hair around her head in the form of a natural coronet, and