erected, as in the olden time, an ox is roasted whole upon the lawn,
tables are spread out under the shade of the great elms and sturdy oaks,
foaming barrels of mighty ale, such as Guy of Warwick drank, ere he
encountered the dun cow, are seen with taps ready in them,--the children
are dancing round the May-Pole in wild glee,--and now a scout posted on
a rising ground comes tearing towards them as though life and death
defended on his speed,--the carriage is coming,--a cheer arises,--it has
passed the gates, and is coming up the avenue. Johnson is full of
nervous excitement, the maidens cease giggling and pinching and all
those endearing little amusements, the young men try to look solemn and
only succeed in causing a burst of laughter from the sly girls, some of
whom draw down their faces in imitation. They are nervous, too--what if
the great man should see their dresses in disorder, and he a young man,
too; the elder matrons and the farmers stand nearest the house, all is
expectation, he has come, the carriage has stopped at the very extremity
of the line, a cheer, thrice repeated, peals through the air, as he
descends from the carriage, and it is a heartfelt one, for this they
know has been among themselves, and shared their hopes and fears. He is
followed by Captain Williams, in the full uniform of an American Naval
Officer; he is whiter headed than when we saw him last, but he looks
able to wrestle any man upon the ground, a cheer bursts forth for him
also, though none recognize in him aught but the brave sailor who had
shown such sympathy at the grave of Mary Waters. They are received by
the Curate, Mr. Johnson, the Lawyer and the Clerk. The young Earl waves
his hand, and every door and window, in the spacious edifice is thrown
open. With a kind word for every one, a merry joke with one fair maiden,
and a laughing glance at another, a cheerful nod to the young men, and a
hearty shake of the hand to the old, and as he decorously salutes each
old matron on the cheek, he fairly rushes into the arms of his quondam
aunt, who nearly goes into hysterics with joy, (which would have been