ives of all castes and
denominations as a sort of New Year's Day. Accounts for the past year
are closed, and new books are opened. The dirt and rubbish of the past
twelvemonth is removed, the houses thoroughly cleansed and at night the
city or town is illuminated with lamps, Chinese lanterns, and other
descriptions of lights, and the houses thrown open for general
hospitality.

The Hooley, the most revolting of all Hindoo Festivals, draws together
an immense concourse of people. Large fires are made on the sides of the
public streets and liquid dye stuffs, with every description of filth is
thrown by the Hindoos on each other, and should any unfortunate Hindoo
woman show herself in the street on these occasions, she is assaulted
with language of the most obscene and disgusting nature. These festivals
have of late years been curtailed by the Government, and now seldom last
more than two days--that is, in large cities containing European
communities--but in native towns it is still of many days duration.

Accounts of these and other native ceremonies, together with the horrors
of the black hole, experienced by Europeans, nearly one hundred years
since at the suggestion of the native princes, had been related to Edith
by her Moonshee Ayah, but their dominion, or power for good or evil, has
now passed away, and Calcutta of the present day is one of the
pleasantest and finest cities to the European to be found throughout our
Indian possessions.

And were it not for the great change in her position, from absolute
affluence to becoming the recipient of another's bounty, Edith would
have been, if not quite happy, at least contented. Yet it must not be
imagined that she was ungrateful or the less thankful to her kind
protectors, the Bartons, for she could now well realize what might have
been her situation had she been compelled to act upon the plan that had
first suggested itself to her on leaving Vellenaux--that of becoming a
governess or companion to some antiquated Dowager in Europe.

The repeated assurances from Mrs. Barton that she would, at no distant
period, secure a brilliant alliance, fell coldly on her ear, but she
made no ostentative demonstration of her own ideas on the subject, but
with a gentle and quiet dignity, repelled the advances of certain
aspirants for her hand, who were continually to be found in her train
whenever she appeared abroad. She had a smile for all and a fascinating
and bewitching manner whi