ys
responsively.

He bends his steps toward Shadynook, where he arrives as the matutinal
meal is smoking on the board; and this Sir Asinus partakes of with
noble simplicity. One would have imagined himself in presence of
Socrates dining upon herbs, instead of Sir Asinus comforting his inner
man with ham and muffins.

After breakfast, Aunt Wimple, that excellent old lady whose life was
completely filled by a round of domestic duties, banished her visitor
to the sitting-room. To make his exile more tolerable, however, she
gave him Belle-bouche for a companion.

Belle-bouche had never looked more beautiful, and the tender
simplicity of her languishing eyes almost made the poetical Sir Asinus
imagine himself in love. He found himself endeavoring to recollect
whether he had not been induced to pay this visit by the expectation
of beholding her; but with that rigid truth which ever characterized
the operations of his great intellect, was compelled to come to the
conclusion that the motive causes of his visit were the hope of a good
breakfast, and a morning lounge in country quarters, unalarmed by the
apprehension of invading deans and proctors.

In a word, our friend Sir Asinus had coveted a cool morning at
pleasant Shadynook, in company with Belle-bouche or a novel; and this
had spurred him to such extraordinary haste, not to mention the early
rising.

"Ah!" said Belle-bouche, as she sat down upon a sofa in the cool
pleasant apartment, whose open windows permitted the odors of a
thousand flowers to weigh the air down with their fragrance, "what a
lovely morning! It is almost wrong to remain in the house."

"Let us go forth then, my dear Madam Belle-bouche," said Sir Asinus.

"I see you retain that funny name for me," said the young girl with a
smile.

"Yes: it is beautiful, as all about Shadynook is--the garden most of
all--yourself excepted of course, madam."

"It was very adroitly done, that turn of the sentence," Belle-bouche
replied, smiling again pleasantly. "Let us go into the garden, as you
admire it so much."

And she rose.

Sir Asinus hastened to offer his arm, and they entered the beautiful
garden, alive with flowers.

Sir Asinus uttered a number of beautiful sentiments on the subject of
flowers and foliage, which we regret our inability to report. After
spending an hour or more among the trees, they returned to the house.

Just as they entered, a gentleman was visible at the gate--evidently a
vi