young persons, who had a love of knowledge, to form a society for general improvement. This was soon accomplished, and the principal regulations of it were, that the members should subscribe to establish a library for common use, and that they should meet once a fortnight: at one meeting, reading aloud some esteemed author, with liberty to remark on the manner of the reader, or the contents of the work; and, at the alternate meeting, delivering, in rotation, an essay on some moral or religious topic, which should also be liable to discussion.

Such was the plan they laid down; and now they combined their energies for its execution. Considering that they had but few hours in the day at their own disposal, it may be thought they proposed too much to themselves; but, is it not better to see youth in the first ardor of feeling grasp at too much, than grasp at nothing worthy of regard? "He who aims at the stars will certainly shoot farther than he who aims at the pebbles beneath his feet;" and our young friends, if

they did not reach all they designed, yet made rapid and important attainments.

Surely all who feel an interest in the progress of the youthful character, must have pleasure in beholding so strong an attachment yielding such valuable fruits. How many who, at this period of life, boast of similar friendships, suffer their affection to spend itself in frivolous enjoyments! They seek to support friendship, by flattering each other's vanity, or the gratification of sensual appetite. They meet together without an object; and, lest they should say nothing, they venture to ridicule, to satirize, and thoughtlessly, perhaps, to slander characters they are not prepared to appreciate. Or, if their pretensions are higher, they content themselves with glaneing at the mere title pages of books; and, by reading a few periodical publications, they catch the tone of literary men, and assert their borrowed opinions with all the flippancy and presumption of ignorance.

Lefevre and Douglas on the contrary, had always a serious and noble object before them. They had no time for vanity

and folly; therefore they were under no temptation to them; and, yet, they have often referred to the hours thus spent, as amongst the happiest of their lives. They had the testimony of their consciences, that they were well employed; they were strangers to wearisomeness or ennui in each other's society; time being occupied, left them no regret but the speed of its flight: and, it may be easily concluded, that the similarity of their labours, their cares, and their enjoyments, had no feeble influence on the bands of their friendship.

CHAPTER V.

ROMANTIC notions are at once the charm and the snare of youth. On no subject are they more freely indulged than on that of friendship. That friendship must exist without the least alloy of earthly motive; that it must be confined to one object; that it must exist without interruption and for ever; are sentiments, more or less, entertained by most young persons of ardent and generous tempers, with little or no experience. If these notions had any undue influence on the mind of Douglas, the following letter doubtless served as a corrective to some of them.

Mr. Lefevre to Mr. Douglas.

"MY VERY Dear Friend,

"You will wonder at receiving this note from me after our usual meeting last evening; but, I must confess to you, I felt

something like disappointment. I thought you seemed very low; and Mr. Russell agreed with me in that opinion. I cannot avoid feeling that you have something pressing heavily on your spirits, and yet you would not say any thing to me on the subject.

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Why should you be so reserved? Do I want affection for you? Am I undeserving of your confidence? You cannot tell how much it distresses me to think you are suffering from any unknown cause! What would I not do to help you! But if you continue reserved, you must excuse me if I become so.

"Trust me, my dear friend; I will prove myself worthy.-How many thousands there are who are no more fitted for friendship than the heathen! I could as soon be persuaded to abandon the walks of religion and literature as to form an intimacy with such. But with you I have formed an entire and indissoluble friendship. Let me, then, have the pleasure of sharing your cares, your thoughts, and your perplexities.