arm to a young lady; other gentlemen were
busied with other fair ones; every one found some one to whom he attached
himself, and they walked towards the rose-encircled hill.

I lingered idly behind, for not a soul deemed me worthy of notice. The
company was extremely cheerful, jocular, and witty; they spoke seriously
of trifles, and triflingly of serious matters; and I observed they
unconcernedly directed their satires against the persons and the
circumstances of absent friends. I was too great a stranger to
understand much of these discussions; too much distressed and
self-retired to enter into the full merit of these enigmas.

We reached the rose-grove. The lovely Fanny, the queen, as it seemed, of
the day, was capricious enough to wish to gather for herself a blooming
branch; a thorn pricked her, and a stream, as bright as if from damask
roses, flowed over her delicate hand. This accident put the whole
company in motion. English court-plaister was instantly inquired after.
A silent, meagre, pale, tall, elderly man, who stood next to me, and whom
I had not before observed, instantly put his hand into the close-fitting
breast-pocket of his old-fashioned, grey taffetan coat, took out a small
pocket-book, opened it, and with a lowly bow gave the lady what she had
wished for; she took it without any attention to the giver, and without a
word of thanks. The wound was bound up, and they ascended the hill, from
whose brow they admired the wide prospect over the park's green
labyrinth, extending even to the immeasurable ocean.

It was indeed a grand and noble sight. A light speck appeared on the
horizon between the dark waters and the azure heaven. "A telescope,
here!" cried the merchant; and before any one from the crowds of servants
appeared to answer his call, the grey man, as if he had been applied to,
had already put his hand into his coat-pocket: he had taken from it a
beautiful Dollond, and handed it over to Mr. Jones; who, as soon as he
had raised it to his eye, informed the company that it was the ship which
had sailed yesterday, driven back by contrary winds. The telescope
passed from hand to hand, but never again reached that of its owner. I,
however, looked on the old man with astonishment, not conceiving how the
large machine had come out of the tiny pocket. Nobody else seemed
surprised, and they appeared to care no more about the grey man than
about me.

Refreshments were produced; the rarest frui