excess disappeared, and a reign of peace and gentleness descended
upon Kinesma.

In another year another Alexis was born, and lived, and soon grew
strong enough to give his grandfather the greatest satisfaction he
had ever known in his life, by tugging at his gray locks, and
digging the small fingers into his tamed and merry eyes. Many
years after Prince Alexis was dead the serfs used to relate how
they had seen him, in the bright summer afternoons, asleep in his
armchair on the balcony, with the rosy babe asleep on his bosom,
and the slumber-flag waving over both.

Legends of the Prince's hunts, reisaks, and brutal revels are
still current along the Volga; but they are now linked to fairer
and more gracious stories; and the free Russian farmers (no longer
serfs) are never tired of relating incidents of the beauty, the
courage, the benevolence, and the saintly piety of the Good Lady of
Kinesma.



TALES OF HOME.


THE STRANGE FRIEND.


It would have required an intimate familiarity with the habitual
demeanor of the people of Londongrove to detect in them an access
of interest (we dare not say excitement), of whatever kind.