think I am right in not listening to Frank's nonsense. I almost fear that he is a downright infidel."

"Oh, shocking!" exclaimed the young nobleman. "Do you hear, Wellings, what your sister suspects you to be?" And then, turning to the lady," I shall not associate with him, Miss Wellings," he added, "if there is the smallest suspicion of his being a character of that description. For my part, I have the highest respect for religion, although I confess (to the shame of my dulness) that I do not comprehend some of its doctrines. Hence, I was about to ask Mr. Bonville's opinion on one question; and I should be most happy to have your's, Miss Wellings. I confess that I do not comprehend the nature of the object of the Christian worship."

"La !" replied Miss Wellings; "why, a'ant you a Christian, Lord F?"

"A sincere, a devout Christian," returned the other; at least, I earnestly desire to be such. But I am still perplexed on this point, viz. the nature of the God of the Christians; in fact, I do not understand the doctrine of the Trinity,-owing, perhaps, to the manner in which it is stated by some of our divines..

Neither can I comprehend how a God could become a man, and yet be a God."

"I fear," replied Wellings, with affected seriousness, "that no one in this place is divine sufficient to solve your difficulty, my Lord. You have fairly carried my poor sister into the land of puzzledom; and Milner there has his eyes in the clouds. What are you thinking of, Mil

ner ?"

"I was trying to look at the sun,” replied Henry.

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Henry," returned Wellings, you will blind yourself, man.-Why, your eyes water as if they had been held over a smoking coal."

"But the sun looks so," replied Henry : "it looks so.-Do look at it."

All the party instantly lifted up their eyes to the blazing star, which was pouring its beams with its full meridian power on the whole glorious landscape, but immediately withdrew them as not being able to endure the glare; whilst Wellings, mocking Henry, repeated his words, "But the sun looks so- -it looks so.-Do look at it." Adding, "What a fool you are, Milner! What a regular thorough-bred ideot!-Didst never see the sun before, child?-was't born and bred in a coal-mine, lad ?" And the whole party

joined in the laugh, till Lord F-, recollecting himself, and apologizing to Henry, said— "Excuse me, Mr. Milner.-Come, Wellings, no more of this."

"I am not in the least offended," returned Henry, "but I cannot think why looking at the sun should hurt one's eyes so much."

Pshaw, Milner!" said Edgar," don't make a fool of yourself—you interrupt conversation. Lord F was saying, that the nature of the divinity, and particularly the doctrine of the Trinity, had always puzzled him. I wish I could remember what Mr. Dalben was saying to me on that very subject a day or two since; I think he told me, that the doctrine was not contrary to reason, but above reason."

"Above reason!" repeated Lord F-; "then I cannot understand how we can be required to receive a religion, the object of which is above our reason. I must confess, that it is necessary for me to understand my religion before I can receive it, or walk by its light."

"I must know what the object of my worship is, before I can render it my adoration."

"What do you think the sun is ?" said Henry." Is it a solid body emitting rays of light, or is it a ball of fire ?"

"There again!" cried Wellings; "there again

-there hur goes, as Jack Reese would say.-You remember Jack Reese, Lord F. ; he was a funny fellow-a rare funny fellow-there hur goes-started again-up in the clouds !-Why, Milner, have you taken leave of your senses?— Come, descend-out of the sky.—What a goose you are!"

"I think," said Miss Wellings, "we have mistaken one of the donkeys for Master Milner, and brought him up the hill with us.-Eh! Master Milner ?"

Very good, Miss Wellings-very good," exclaimed Lord F.

"Do hold your peace, Henry," whispered Edgar. "Don't make such a numscull of yourself before these people."

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"But the sun," replied Henry aloud.

"Surely," said Miss Wellings, "you do not see any thing in the sun that portends a storm, Master Milner; if you do, I beg you will inform us. I would not be on the hill in a storm for a thousand worlds, after what happened here only a few years since."

"No, Ma'am," replied Henry, "the sun, as far as I can see it, looks as it always does."

"Then let us hear no more of this stuff," returned Mr. Wellings;-" I thought you prided yourself on your manners, Milner, and I see no

manners in constantly interrupting profitable discourse with such confounded nonsense."

"Easy man-easy," said Lord F to Wellings; "don't put yourself in a passion with an old schoolfellow."

The conversation was then brought back into the channel from which Henry had diverted it ; and Lord F, particularly addressing Edgar Bonville, declared in such soft, specious, insinuating and courtly language, as entirely wrapped up his meaning from his friend Wellings's honest sister, that he would never worship a God whose nature he did not thoroughly comprehend, and never walk by a light, however specious, which shed itself only upon his own path, and did not reveal the secrets of infinite space and eternity;-in fact, that he would not be saved, unless he could thoroughly comprehend all the wheels and movements of the mighty engine by which his salvation was to be accomplished, and understand the divine dealings with every creature which it had pleased Omnipotence to bring into existence."

The young man ran off this harangue with so much fluency and such command of words, and so much graciousness and ease of manner, that, as I before said, Miss Wellings was not the least aware of the serpent which couched