won--and thus Poverty, at the door of that hut, became even
like a Guardian Angel, with the lineaments of heaven on her brow, and
the quietude of heaven beneath her feet.

But these were but her lonely pastimes, or gentle task-work self-imposed
among her pastimes; and itself, the sweetest of them all, inspired by a
sense of duty, that still brings with it its own delight--and hallowed
by religion, that even in the most adverse lot changes slavery into
freedom--till the heart, insensible to the bonds of necessity, sings
aloud for joy. The life within the life of the "Holy Child," apart from
even such innocent employments as these, and from such recreations as
innocent, among the shadows and the sunshine of those silvan haunts,
was passed, let us fear not to say the truth, wondrous as such worship
was in one so very young--was passed in the worship of God; and her
parents--though sometimes even saddened to see such piety in a small
creature like her, and afraid, in their exceeding love, that it
betokened an early removal from this world of one too perfectly pure
ever to be touched by its sins and sorrows--forbore, in an awful pity,
ever to remove the Bible from her knees, as she would sit with it there,
not at morning and at evening only, or all the Sabbath long as soon as
they returned from the kirk, but often through all the hours of the
longest and sunniest week-days, when there was nothing to hinder her
from going up to the hillside, or down to the little village, to play
with the other children, always too happy when she appeared--nothing to
hinder her but the voice she heard speaking to her in that Book, and the
hallelujahs that, at the turning over of each blessed page, came upon
the ear of the "Holy Child" from white-robed saints all kneeling before
His throne in heaven!

* * * * *

THE SELECTOR; AND LITERARY NOTICES OF _NEW WORKS_.

* * * * *

ROMANCE OF HISTORY.

_France. By Leitch Ritchie_.

The design of moulding the romantic annals of different countries into
so many series of Tales--is one of unquestionable beauty. It originated,
we believe, with the late Mr. Henry Neele, who was in every sense well
qualified for so poetical an exercise of ingenuity. He commenced with
"England;" but, unfortunately, did not live to complete a Second Series;
neither had he the gratification of seeing his design fully appreciated
by the public. The