There was a providence in this haste; for ere I was half way down the stair, the floor fell with a thud like thunder, and such a combustion of soot, stoure, and sparks arose, as was never seen or heard tell of in the memory of man, since the day that Sampson pulled ower the pillars in the house of Dagon, and smoored all the mocking Philistines as flat as flounders.

For the space of a minute, I was as blind as a beetle, and was like to be choked for want of breath; however, as the dust began to clear up, I saw an open window, and hallooed down to the crowd for the sake of mercy to bring a ladder, to save the lives of twa perishing fellow-creatures, for now my ain was also in eminent jeopardy.

They were lang of coming, and I didna ken what to do; so thinking that the auld wife, as she hadna spoken, was maybe dead already, I was ance determined just to let her drop down upon the street; but 1 kenn'd that the so doing wad have crackit every bane in her body, and the glory of my bravery wad thus have been worse than lost.

I persevered, therefore, though I was fit to fall down under the dead weight, she no being able to help hersel, and having a deal of beef in her skin for an auld woman of aughty; and I got a lean, by squeezing her a wee between me and the wa'.

I thocht they wald never have come, for my shoeless feet were all bruised, and bluiding from the crunched lime and the splinters of the broken stanes; but at lang and at last, a ladder was hoisted up to the window, and having fastened a kinch of ropes aneath her oxters, I let her down ower the upper step, by way of a pillyshee, having the satisfaction of seeing her safe ly landit in the arms of seven auld wives, that were waiting with a cos warm blanket below.

Having accomplished this grand manoeuvre, wherein I succeeded in saving the precious life of a woman of aughty, that had been four lang years bedridden, I trippit doun the staps mysel, like a nine-year auld ; and had the pleasure, when the roof fell in, to ken that I for ane had done my duty; and that to the best of my knowledge, nae leeving creature, except the puir cat, had perished within the jaws of the devouring element.

But, bide a wee; the wark was as yet only half done.

The fire was still roaring and raging, every puff of wind that blew thro' the black firmament, driving the red sparks into the air, where they died away like the tail of a comet, or the train of a skyracket, the joisting, crazing, cracking, and tumbling down; and now and then the bursting cans, playing flee in a hundred flinders from the chumleyheads.

One would naturally eneuch thocht that our engine could have drowned out a fire of ony kind whatsomever in half a second,scores of folks driving about with pitcherfu's of water, and scaling half o't on ane anither and the causeway in their hurry; but wae's me! it didna play puh on the redhet stanes, that whizzed like iron in a smiddy trough; so, as soon as it was darkness and smoke in ae place, it was fire and fury in anither.

My anxiety was now great: seeing that I had done my best for my neibors, it behoved me now, in my turn, to try and see what I could do for mysel; .so, notwithstanding the remonstrances of my friend James Batter, whom Nanse, kenning I had bare feet, had sent out to seek me, with a pair of shoon in his hand; and who, in scarting his head, mostly ruggit out every hair of

his wig with a sheer vexation, I

ran off, and mounted the ladder a second time, and succeeded, after -muckle speeling, in getting upon the top of the wa', where, having a bucket slung up to me by means of a rope, I swashed down such showers on the top of the flames, that I soon did mair good, in the space of five minutes, than the engine and the ten men, that were all in a broth of perspiration with pumping it, did the haill nicht ower, to say nothing of the drawers of water, men, wives and weans, with their cudies, leglins, pitchers, pails, and water stoups; having the satisfaction, in a short time, to observe every thing getting as black as the crown of my hat, and the gable of my ain house growing as cool as a cucumber.

Being a man of method, and acquent with business, I could likit to have finished my wark before coming down; but losh me! sic a whinging, girning, greeting, and roaring, got up all of a sudden, as was never seen or heard o' since Jeremiah raised his lamentations; and looking down, I saw Benjie, the bairn of my ain heart, and the callant Glen, my apprentice on trial that had haith been as sound as taps till this blessed moment, standing in their night-gowns and their little red cowls, rubbing their een, cowering wi' cauld and fright, and making an awfu' uproar, crying on me to come down, and no be killed. The voice of Benjie especially cut through and through my heart, like a two-edged sword, and I could on no manner of account, suffer myself to bear them ony langer, as I jaloused the bairn wad have gane into convulsion fits if I hadna heed ed him; so making a sign to them to be quiet, I cam my ways down, taking haud o' ane in ilka hand, which must have been a faitherly sight to the spectawtors that saw

us.

After waiting on the crown of

the causeway for half an hour, to make sure that the fire was extinguished, and all tight and right, I saw the crowd scaling, and thocht it best to gang in too, carrying the twa youngsters alang wi' me.

When I began to move aff, however, siccan a cheering of the multitude got up, as wad have deafened a cannon; and though I say it mysel wha sudna say't, they, seemed struck with a sore amazement at my heroic behaviour, following me with loud cheers,-even to the threshold of my ain door.

From this folk should condescend to take a lesson, seeing that though the world is a bitter bad world, yet that good deeds are not only a reward to themsells, but call forth the applause of Jew and Gentile ; for the sweet savour of my conduct on this memorable night, remained in my nostrils for gudeness kens the length of time, many praising my brave humanity, in public companies, and assemblies of the people, such as strawberry ploys, council meetings, denner parties, and sae forth; and mony in private conversation at their ain ingle-cheek, by way of twa-handed crack, in stagecoach confab, and in cause-way talk i' the forenoon, afore going to take their meridiums.

Indeed, between freens, the business proved in the upshot of nae sma' advantage to me, bringing to me a sowd of strange faces, by way of customers, baith gentle and semple, that I verily believe, hadna sae muckle as ever heard o'my name afore, and gieing me mony a coat to cut, and claith to shape, that but for my gallant behaviour on the fearsome nicht aforesaid, wad have been cut, sewed, and shapit by ither hands.

Indeed, considering the great noise the thing made in the world, it is nae wonder that every ane was anxious to hae a garment of wear

ing apparel made by the individual same hands that had succeeded, under Providence, in saving the precious life of an auld woman of aughty, that had been bedridden, some say, four years come Yule, and ithers, come Martinmas.

When we got to the ingle-side, and barring the door, saw that all was safe, it was now three in the morning, so we thought it by inuch the best way of managing, not to think of sleeping any more, but to be on the look-out-as we aye used to be, when walking sentry in the volunteers-in case the flames should, by ony mischancy accident or ither, happen to break out again.

My wife blamed my hardihood muckle, and the rashness with which I had ventured at ance to places where even masons and sclaters were afraid to pit foot on, yet I saw, in the interim, that she lookit on me with a prouder ee; keuning hersel the helpmate o' ane that had courageously riskit his neck, and every bane in his skin, in the cause of humanity. I saw this as plain as a pikestaff, as, wi' ane o' her kindest looks, she insisted on my pitting on a better happing to screen me from the cauld, and on my taking something comfortable inwardly towards the dispelling of bad consequences. So, after half a minute's stand-out, by way of refusal like, I agreed to a cup-ful of het-pint, as I thought it would be a thing Mungo Glen might never have had the good fortune to have tasted; and as it might operate by way of a cordial on the callant Benjie, wha keepit aye sma'ly, and in a dwining way. No sooner said than done-and aff Nanse brushed in a couple of hurries to make the bet-pint.

After the sma' beer was putten into the pan to boil, we fand, to our great mortification, that there were

nae eggs in the house, and Benjie was sent out with a candle to the hen-house, to see if ony of the hens had lain sin' gloaming, and fetch what he could get.

In the middle of the mean time, I was expatiating to Mungo on what taste it would have, and hoo he had never seen onything finer than it wad be, when in ran Benjie, a' out o' breath, and his face as pale as a dishclout.

What's the matter, Benjie,what's the matter?' said I till him, rising up frae my chair in a great hurry of a fricht-Has onybody killed ye? or is the fire broken out again? or has the French landit? or have ye seen a ghaist?-or

are

'Ae crifty!' cried Benjie, coming till his mind, they're a' aff cock and hens and a'there's naething left but the rotten nest-egg in the corner!'

This was an awfu' dispensation, of which mair hereafter.

In the midst of the desolation of the fire-sic is the depravity of human nature-- some neerdoweels had ta'en advantage of my absence to break open the hen-house door, and our haill stock o' poultry, the cock alang wi' our seven benstwa o' them tappit, and ane muffed, were carried awa' bodily, stoup and roup.

On this subject, hoosomever, [ shall say nae mair in this chapter, but merely observe in conclusion, that as to our het-pint, we were obligated to make the best of a bad bargain, making up wi' whusky what it wanted in eggs; though our banquet could nae be called altogether a merry ane, the joys of our escape from the horrors of the fire, being damped, as it were, by a wet blanket, on account of the nefarious pillaging of our hen

house.

The county of Lincoln has long been celebrated for the excellence of its parish churches; and a very prevalent saying used to attribute every quality that is opposite to excellence, to the clergymen, to whom was assigned the fulfilment of the sacred duties of religion in that district. This observation, doubtless, had its sole foundation in that love of contrast which has given rise to many other sayings that are but slightly, if at all, grounded in truth; as those that fill the sacred office in that county, are unquestionably as respectable a body of men as in any other district of the kingdom; whilst the general superiority of its religious edifices is allowed by all who have had opportunities of making the comparison.

The village church of Lea, or Ley, about two miles from Gainsborough, is deserving of notice, both as a good specimen of the Lincolnshire churches, and as regarding its own merits; while the care that is bestowed on it. the neatness of the church-yard, and the pleasing appearance of the village, though situated in a country which, from its flatness, is not

favourable to rural scenery, forms altogether a fair sample of an English village.

The Church consists of a tower which contains a clock and four bells, nave, chancel, and north aisle; and some traces may be observed of what may be presumed to have been a corresponding aisle on the south of the present building.

The architecture indicates it to have been in part rebuilt, as the chancel windows and the arch of the church door, are in the style of the thirteenth century; the other windows, and different ornaments, are of the more decorated style of Gothic architecture, prevalent in the two following centuries. In two of the windows are some fragments of stained glass, which in churches has always a pleasing effect.The only ancient monument in it is under an arch in the chancel; it is very perfect, and the figure is what is generally considered by antiquaries as indicating a Knight Croisader, being that of a man in armour recumbent, with the legs crossed, resting on a lion; but there is neither inscription on the monument, nor tradition in the village, as to who was the person represent

ed. In the church-yard is the tomb of a Mrs. Thorold, doubtless of the same family of which the head is the present Sir John Thorold, of Lyston, who was nominated by his friends as a candidate for the county, a few years since, in opposition to Sir John Ingleby, one of the present representatives for it.

The edifice is dedicated to St. Helen; it is a rectory, the patron of which, the Rev. Charles Anderson, bart., a descendant of Sir Edward Anderson, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who purchased the Lordship of Lea, along with other considerable landed property, in the southern parts of the county; to the memory of different branches of which family, are erected several tablets within the church, which in 1811 was cleaned and fitted up with considerable neatness, and an organ was then first erected. Antiquatis.

and you come out of the sylvan prison into a plain of meadows and corn-fields, alive with the peaceful dwellings of industrious men.

Here the bases of the mountains, and even their sides high up, are without heather, a rich sward, with here and there a deep bed of brackens, and a little sheep-sheltering grove. Skeletons of old trees, of prodigious size, lie covered with mosses and wild flowers, or stand with their barkless trunks and white limbs unmoved when the tempest blows; for Glenfinglas was anciently a deer forest of the Kings of Scotland, and the echoes of Benledi answered to the hunter's horn.

THE WIDOW AND HER SON. There is not on this round green earth, a lovelier Lake than Achray, about a mile above Loch Vennachar, and as we approach the brigg of Turk, we arrive at the summit of an eminence, whence we descry the sudden and wide prospect of the windings of the river that issues from Loch Achray, and the Loch itself reposing, sleeping, dreaming on its pastoral-its sylvan bed.

But let us rise from the green sward, and before we pace along the sweet shores of Loch Achray, for its nearest murmur is yet more than a mile off, turn away up from the brigg of Turk into Glenfinglas, a strong mountain torrent, in which a painter, even with the soul of Salvator Rosa, might find studies, inexhaustible for years, tumbles on the left of aravine, in which a small band of warriors might stop the march of a numerous host.

With what a loud voice it brawls through the silence, freshening the hazels, the birches, and the oaks, that care not even for the dews in that perpetual spray; but the savage scene softens as you advance,

it has been possessed by tenants of his own clan, the Stewarts, who, living in this sequestered situation, in a sort of rural village, are connected with one another by intermarriages, and passing their days in ease and comfort, furnish one of the finest examples of patriarchal felicity that occur in these modern times.

Not a more beautiful vale ever inspired pastoral poet in Arcadia, nor did Sicilian shepherds of old ever pipe to each other for prize of oaten reed, in a lovelier nook, than where yonder cottage stands, shaded, but scarcely sheltered, by a few birch-trees.

It is in truth not a cottage-but a shieling of turf, part of the knoll adhering to the side of the mountain. Not another dwelling-even as small as itself-within a mile in any direction. Those goats, that seem to walk where there is no footing, along the side of the cliff, go of themselves to be milked at evening, to a house beyond the hill, without any barking dog to set them home. There are many foot-paths, but all of sheep, except one leading through the coppice-wood to