new heart for the duties and cares of life, so see, Blanche, how the
stars come out, one by one, to smile upon us; for they, too, glorious
orbs as they are, perform their appointed tasks. Things seem to
approximate to God in proportion to their vitality and movement. Of all
things, least inert and sullen should be the soul of man. How the grass
grows up over the very graves,--quickly it grows and greenly; but
neither so quick nor so green, my Blanche, as hope and comfort from
human sorrows."

(1) In primitive villages in the West of England the belief that the
absent may be seen in a piece of crystal is, or was not many years ago,
by no means an uncommon superstition. I have seen more than one of
these magic mirrors, which Spenser, by the way, has beautifully
described. They are about the size and shape of a swan's egg. It is
not every one, however, who can be a crystal-seer; like second-sight, it
is a special gift. N. B.--Since the above note (appended to the first
edition of this work) was written, crystals and crystal-seers have
become very familiar to those who interest themselves in speculations
upon the disputed phenomena ascribed to Mesmerical Clairvoyance.