head has been imposed upon, and should have known his company better.' 'There, my dear,' cried I, ‘you are wrong; he should not have known them at all.' Hang the idiot!' returned she, 'to bring me such stuff if I had them, I would throw them in the fire.' There again you are wrong, my dear,' cried I; 'for though they be copper, we will keep them by usas copper spectacles, you know, are better than nothing.' "By this time, the unfortunate Moses was undeceived. He now saw that he had been imposed upon by a prowling sharper, who, observing his figure, had marked him for an easy prey. I, therefore, asked the circumstances of his deception. He sold the horse, it seems, and walked the fair in search of another. A reverend-looking man brought him to a tent, under pretence of having one to sell. 'Here,' continued Moses, we met another man, very well dressed, who desired to borrow twenty pounds upon these, saying that he wanted money, and would dispose of them for a third of the value. The first gentleman, who pretended to be my friend, whispered to me to buy them, and cautioned me not to let so good an offer pass. I sent for Mr. Flamborough, our neighbor, and they talked him up as finely as they did me; and so at last we were persuaded to buy the two gross between us.'" Thus ended the story of Moses at the fair. There is a sequel to it in which the laugh is at the expense of Dr. Primrose, who proves himself no wiser than did his son Moses; but I will leave that for him to tell you when you become better acquainted. And now, as we leave the little cottage, let me urge you to visit it again. I have told you only a bit about the delightful family who inhabit it, but I hope that I have said enough to induce you to follow their fortunes further. If you are sufficiently interested to wonder whether or not Mrs. Primrose ever gratified her desire to see her lovely daughters make a figure in the world, or whether the Vicar's life always proved so quiet and uneventful as at first,- if, in short, you wish to know anything more about them, I refer you to that dear old story-teller, Oliver Goldsmith, who has painted such humorous and pathetic pictures of this admirable family, that all the world has laughed and wept over them. LOCH KATRINE. Another favorite of mine comes next. It is a beautiful lake among the Highlands of Scotland. Here and there upon its surface float little islands empurpled bright"; and surrounding it on all sides, are lofty mountains, which stand like giant sentinels to guard this enchanted spot. You are of course, familiar with this picture, and will recognize the famous Loch Katrine, which Sir Walter Scott has painted in such a beautiful manner in his "Lady of the Lake." It is a charming scene: the lake shining in the golden light of the setting sun, the glowing colors of the sky, and the deep, rich hue of the mountains. Let us see if we can point out, in the picture, any of the places that we remember reading about in the poem. That small island near the outlet of the lake must be "Ellen's Isle," where sweet Ellen Douglas lived. Her father, you know, having been banished from the court of the Scottish King, fled with his little daughter |