of the writer's life, some sweet
melodious murmurs at fortune. For the rest, they were characterized by a
vein of sentiment so elevated, that, if written by a man, it would have
run into exaggeration; written by a woman, the romance was carried off
by so many genuine revelations of sincere, deep, pathetic feeling, that
it was always natural, though true to a nature for which you would not
augur happiness.

Leonard was still absorbed in the perusal of these poems when Mrs.
Fairfield entered the room.

"What have you been about, Lenny,--searching in my box?"

"I came to look for my father's bag of tools, Mother, and I found these
papers, which you said I might read some day."

"I does n't wonder you did not hear me when I came in," said the widow,
sighing. "I used to sit still for the hour together, when my poor Mark
read his poems to me. There was such a pretty one about the 'Peasant's
Fireside,' Lenny,--have you got hold of that?"

"Yes, dear mother; and I remarked the allusion to you: it brought tears
to my eyes. But these verses are not my father's; whose are they? They
seem in a woman's handwriting."

Mrs. Fairfield looked, changed colour, grew faint and seated herself.

"Poor, poor Nora!" said she, falteringly. "I did not know as they were
there; Mark kep' 'em; they got among his--"

LEONARD.--"Who was Nora?"

MRS. FAIRFIELD.--"Who?--child--who? Nora was--was my own--own sister."

LEONARD (in great amaze, contrasting his ideal of the writer of these
musical lines, in that graceful hand, with his homely uneducated mother,
who could neither read nor write).--"Your sister! is it possible! My
aunt, then. How comes it you never spoke of her before? Oh, you should
be so proud of her, Mother!"

MRS. FAIRFIELD (clasping her hands).--"We were proud of her, all of
us,--father, mother, all! She was so beautiful and so good, and not
proud she! though she looked like the first lady in the land. Oh, Nora,
Nora!"

LEONARD (after a pause).--"But she must have been highly educated?"

MRS. FAIRFIELD.--"'Deed she was!"

LEONARD.--"How was that?"

MRS. FAIRFIELD (rocking herself to and fro in her chair).--"Oh, my Lady
was her godmother,--Lady Lansmere I mean,--and took a fancy to her when
she was that high, and had her to stay at the Park, and wait on her
Ladyship; and then she put her to school, and Nora was so clever that
nothing would do but she must go to London as a governess. But don't
talk of it, boy! don't t