capital of China. An assize town is a town where the
assizes, or periodical sittings of a court, are held.

17. Locke (b. 1632, d. 1704) was one of the most illustrious of English
philosophers.

CXI. A PEN PICTURE.

William Black (b. 1841,---) is one of the leading modern novelist of
England. The scenes of his stories are for the most part laid in Scotland,
and he excels in the delineation of Scotch character. But his most
remarkable power is seen in those vivid, poetical descriptions of scenery,
of which the following selection, adapted from "The Princess of Thule," is
a good example. Mr. Black's most noted works, in addition to the one
named, are: "A Daughter of Heth," "The Strange Adventures of a Phaeton,"
"Kilmeny," and "McLeod of Dare."

1. Lavender had already transformed Sheila into a heroine during the half
hour of their stroll from the beach and around the house; and as they sat
at dinner on this still, brilliant evening in summer, he clothed her in
the garments of romance.

2. Her father, with his great, gray beard and heavy brow, became the King
of Thule, living in this solitary house overlooking the sea, and having
memories of a dear sweetheart. His daughter, the Princess, had the glamour
of a thousand legends dwelling in her beautiful eyes; and when she walked
by the shores of the Atlantic, that were now getting yellow under the
sunset, what strange and unutterable thoughts must appear in the wonder of
her face!

3. After dinner they went outside and sat down on a bench in the garden.
It was a cool and pleasant evening. The sun had gone down in red fire
behind the Atlantic, and there was still left a rich glow of crimson in
the west, while overhead, in the pale yellow of the sky, some filmy clouds
of rose color lay motionless. How calm was the sea out there, and the
whiter stretch of water coming into Loch Roag! The cool air of the
twilight was scented with sweetbrier. The wash of the ripples along the
coast could be heard in the stillness.

4. The girl put her hand on her father's head, and reminded him that she
had had her big greyhound, Bras, imprisoned all the afternoon, and that
she had to go down to Borvabost with a message for some people who were
leaving by the boat in the morning.

"But you can not go away down to Borvabost by yourself, Sheila," said
Ingram. "It will be dark before you return."

"It will not be darker than this all the night through," said the girl.

5. "But I hope