"What are you going to do to-day, Grant ?" he asked, pushing the table away from him. “Well, you know, I thought of knocking about somewhere till five o'clock, when I mean to drop in at Lady Rumford's, and do a little business with my heiress. It's the best time, you know, for making sure of catching her at home; the women never miss their five-o'clock cup, if they can help it." "What's her name again?" asked Fred. Honourable something, aint she?" "Yes. Hon. Mildred Moorhouse, only child of Lord Banks. It's quite a recent creation, you know. The old boy spent a fortune in backing up Liberal candidates, and standing himself for some ungodly place in Yorkshire, which he managed to get in for at last; so just before the last Ministry fell he reaped his reward, and now signs his letters, Truly yours, Banks,' instead of 'Joseph Moorhouse."" "Much coin?" asked Fred. "A pot of money, they say. It's certain his daughter wont come in for less than a quarter of a million. I'm told the old fellow made it all in calico or flannel, or some civilised fabric of that kind." "Supporters of the new baronial shield-Spinning jenny ram. pant, flannel petticoat fluttering. Crest-Richly laced night-gown, surmounted by coronet-eh?" said Fred. And the two gentlemen laughed a good deal at this manifestation of humour. girl?" Anything to look at?" continued Mr. Grossmith. 'Pretty 66 Oh, rather!" said Mr. Winn. "Deuced nice-looking, I call her.” "Others too; don't doubt," said Fred, philosophically. "Scores probably. Only met her lately, didn't you?" "Last week at dinner at Lady Rumford's. I've met her once since at lunch. A fellow I met there told me all about her. He said she was some connection of Lady Rumford-cousin, you know, or something of that kind,-and was going to stay with her all the season." "She'll be hooked, then, before it's over," said Fred, with a positive air. "You've no chance, Winn. Bet a sovereign, you have not. "Done with you, old man,' said the heiress-hunter, placing his thin and badly-shaped hand in the cushioned palm of Mr. Grossmith. "Hum! No chance, do you say? By Jove!" And he got up and surveyed himself for some moments in the greasy mirror over the mantle-piece, arranging his neck-tie several times, and passing his hand through his emaciated hair. Fred watched him with an amused twinkle in his little eyes, and aimed immense volumes of tobacco smoke at the back of his coat. "Where are you going after seeing the fascinating Mildred?" he inquired presently. 'Stay dinner?'' "Dear, no," said Grantley. "That's to say, of course, I would if I was asked; but I don't believe there's much chance of it. Her ladyship of Rumford and yours obediently are not on such familiar terms yet, don't you know. I was thinking, old fellow, I could meet you somewhere, and we could dine at this new restaurant of yours. Say seven o'clock. I owe you a dinner, you know." "B'lieve your right. ' Pavilion' or "Do you?" said Fred. somewhere else afterwards?" Grantley nodded assent, and then asked, "What shall we do now, old man? Shall we go to Snaggs's and play billiards till it's time for me to tool off to Berkeley Square?" "I'm your man," said Fred, slowly raising his substantial figure from its chair. "Stop a-bit," he said, pausing as they were leaving the room. "I've got it!" "Got what?" said Grantley. "The dodge for raising the wind." "Have you, old porpoise ?" cried Grantley. "I'm enchanted. Out with it." "This is it," said Fred. "I've got some four hundred pounds or thereabouts reverting to me at the death of a venerable aunt. I'm told there's a fellow called Luchars, who hangs out close by in Craig's Court, who lends coin on reversions and things of that kind, or buys 'em, if you like. Devilish odd I didn't think of it before. Well, I vote we slope round to the beggar, and if he's reasonable, either-what d'ye call it ?-mortgage or sell. If we manage to get a hundred or so, of course you shall share the plunder. Come on, my boy! Look sharp!" "Right you are, old cock! D--d happy thought of yours, by Jove!" cried Mr. Winn, rushing downstairs, and nearly laying the maid-of-all work on her back, as she was bearing a tray of empty dishes from the down-stairs lodger's parlour. ALICE! A YELLOW leaf From an infant's tomb, We watched the portent of Death; And we saw, oh woe! its bespoken place, On the fairest breast of our Royal race. The sun's first beam From the eastern gate, Its radiance was spreading bright; Which no ills amate, We traced on her face so white; As the Princess slept we divined her joy, "Oh, Father come, For the sea is calm, I stand by the shore's wild dells; I have sung thy psalm, And gathered there purple shells; So send me the boats, I will cross the bay, On her forehead stood, For the circling blood In her veins was loath to rise; We wept, and she sobbed like a wandered child, Her Father's call, And her infant's hymn, Have guided her up to rest ; In the banquet hall, When the lamps are trim, Shall she, with her charms, be blessed; No more on the earth shall her longing gaze Look up for the light of the golden days. ALFRED HENRY BROMILO W. SAINT VALENTINE'S EVE. A VOICE sang soft in a dream last night, Whose was the call?-for my heart, once light, O dreams, paint stronger A hope that mine eyes are fain to see If an eternity blooms for me Anear the voice that thralled me. O still, the thrill of the voice vibrates Tender, oh tender, as one that waits, For one life's wearing. Is mine the life? Oh, my heart as stone What mother or sister's voice as sweet Could so thrall me-thrall me? Another tone doth their sweetness meet; That knows no ending. Echoes repeat it, again, again!. My heart grows lighter; O love, remain ! E. T. BRIEF AND VARIOUS. OPENINGOF A NORTH-EASTERN PASSAGE IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. THE letter of "Nordenskiold," to Mr. Oscar Dickson, published in the Standard, of December 26, 1878, conveying intelligence of his having doubled Cape Tscheljuskin, or North-east Cape, and of the Swedish Arctic Expedition being fairly on its way to Behring's Straits, has gladdened the hearts of all geographers. We gave full details of the equipment and objects of the Expedition, at the time of its starting from Gothenburg, in THE NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. It is, therefore, with all the greater pleasure that we have to note its full success in achieving the greatest of all the objects proposed,—that of establishing the possibility of a navigation from Europe eastwards by Siberia to Japan and China. Starting from Sweden in the early part of July last, the gallant leader of the Expedition-Nordenskiold-worked his way past the great Samoyede peninsula, past the Obi, the Jenissei, till he doubled Cape Taimyr, the shores of whose bay were visited in sledges by Middendorf, in 1843, and finally doubling Cape Tscheljuskin, neither of which feats has before been accomplished by sea-going vessels, he reached the mouth of the Lena by the 27th of August last, and has thence, from Yakutsk, higher up the river, and whither the Lena was despatched, sent back the first glad news of his success. As it is almost plain sailing from the mouth of the Lena to Behring's Straits, not only has the feasibility of the passage from west to east through the Arctic Ocean, been shown in one summer; but the gallant crews of the Vega, and of her companion and sharer in the honour of the Expedition, the Lena, ought by this time to be safely riding in the China Sea-if the latter does not winter at Yakutsh. The Expedition left Dickson Harbour, which is expected in the future to become an important haven in the Arctic regions, on the 10th of August, making for the most westerly of the Kamenni Islands. There was no ice, but the fog was so dense that they had to anchor off one of the numerous small islands which go to constitute the Samoyede Archipelago. On the 11th, bay ice, very thin and shattered, was met with, and the fog continued so persistently, that they had to resort to fog-horns for ascertaining each others' whereabouts in an unknown way, where islands were numerous, and submarine reefs probably not excluded. At times |