ong they glistened in
the pale moonlight, and sad starlight, shining through that high church
window; but in the morning the happy sunbeams came softly down and
kissed them all away.

Hampton Court

THE LADY MARY'S VISION.

How well I remember one pleasant morning in September--more than two
years ago, I declare!--when a merry party of us, English and Americans,
met at the counting house of our noble friend, Mr. B----, to go from
thence to Hampton Court. It was in the city of London that we met.
This is entered from the town, which holds most of the parks and
palaces of royalty and the nobility, by an old, old gateway, called
Temple Bar. When the Queen is to pay a visit to the city, Temple Bar
gate is closed, and she must respectfully ask admittance of the lord
mayor, and he must graciously present the keys to her before she may
come in. The lord mayor is the real king of London, and takes
precedence of royalty in all processions in the city, as, for instance,
the funeral procession of the Duke of Wellington, after it passed
Temple Bar. All lord mayors are elected from the board of aldermen;
they serve but one year, during which time they live in a very handsome
residence, called "The Mansion House," and ride in a splendid, but
rather gaudy and old-fashioned coach--something such as you have seen
pictures of in the story of Dick Whittington.

Each new sovereign attends, with the court, a grand ball, given by the
lord mayor, at Guildhall; on which occasion there is always a
magnificent display, both on the part of the aristocracy and the
citizens.

Guildhall is a large building, where the aldermen and councilmen meet,
to transact business and eat good dinners. In the hall where balls and
great banquets are given stand two gigantic painted figures, called Gog
and Magog, which are very quaint and odd-looking, and I don't know how
many years old.

"But what," you will say, "has all this to do with Hampton Court?"

Well, we started from the city, a social, merry party, of five or six;
and, after laughing and chatting in a comfortable English railway
carriage, for a few minutes, arrived at the station, near the palace.

The old palace of Hampton Court stands on the northern bank of the
Thames, about twelve miles west of Hyde Park, and is situated in the
parish of Hampton, and county of Middlesex.

In the reign of Henry VIII., when the great prelate, Cardinal Wolsey,
was at the height of his power, he le