, and one might say
antiquarian. Modernized and transformed in many respects, it still has
the old-time fragrance of sandalwood and incense when the chests in the
old garrets are turned over for fine things that came from India a
century before.

Cousin Giles aged more rapidly, but then he was considerably older than
Chilian. He did adopt young Anthony, and insisted upon his taking the
name of Leverett, and a share of the business burthens. And he married
quite to the approval of the elder man, though not such an heiress as
Cynthia.

And no one was dreaming that the little boy born in Union Street in 1804
was to add such interest and lustre to his native town that the scenes
of his curious wizard-like romances were to be settled upon by those
interested in them and handed down as actual occurrences. Do we not all
know Hester Prynne and Mr. Dimmesdale, Phebe and Hephzibah and Judge
Pyncheon, and weird old Dr. Grimshawe, and many another that have
flitted through the pages of Hawthorne's strange romances, leaving Salem
the richer by the memories?

There was another little girl who was to grow up and take a great
interest in all these things, and finally to see the old Leverett house
pass away, after its more than two hundred years. But it was a new and
doubly interesting Salem then, with its several evolutions that have
passed and gone.

She lived a long and happy life, this little girl who came back to her
birthplace consigned to Chilian Leverett's care, and won his love that
never changed, or grew any less. Her sons never tired of the old
reminiscences. Many of the old houses were still standing. Here
President Washington had been entertained; here the artist Copley had
lived and painted portraits that are heirlooms; Justice Story and his
gifted son, poet and artist; Prescott, the historian, and many another
of whom the country is proud to-day, and civilians whose fine thought
and noble work have made the city a Mecca for intellectual tourists, and
a beautiful and interesting abiding-place for her citizens, a town of
three striking epochs that linger not only in tradition but in history.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors were corrected.

Table of Contents, the final "VIII" was changed to "XVIII".

Page 41, "spinnet" changed to "spinet". (a thin-legged spinet)

Page 148, "exlaining" changed to "explaining". (fond of explaining)