tion.

There were not then Dorcas societies, and visiting societies, and societies for relieving the sick; but, both by individual effort, and by the influence of her example with others, my aunt was an extensive benefactress in all these ways. | She was one of those who will doubtless be recognized at the last day, as having fed and clothed, and visited, and succoured the Redeemer, in the persons of his followers; and also, as having successfully directed some sufferers to the only source of real consolation under the sorrows of time, and to the only sure ground of hope for immortality.

But it is time to break off. I propose to resume my domestic sketches of my beloved aunt, with some reminiscences of her friends and acquaintances.-C.

PIERRINE GASTON.

PIERRINE GASTON, a native of a little village of Beost, in Ossau, a man of respectable, yet humble parentage, was brought up to the life of a shepherd. He obtained, while at school, as most of the peasant men of this neighbourhood do, a sufficient knowledge of the French language for the common purposes of life. In familiar conversation, he and his family still speak the patois of his country. While following the occupation of tending the sheep among the mountains, he amused himself with the collection and examination of plants, and first became distinguished by his knowledge of their medicinal properties. Not satisfied with this, he obtained an old work of Linnæus on botany, and in order to understand it, purchased a Latin dictionary, which he found on a bookstall at Pau, for the price of nine sous. With these scanty means he commenced his botanical career. He was then thirty years of age, he is now thirty-nine; and has in his possession, a valuable collection of plants, amounting to nearly three thousand specimens, accurately designated according to their class and order. All who seek his acquaintance, from a real interest in this science, find him an intelligent and agreeable companion, combining all the delightful simplicity of his unsophisticated life with the dignity of native genius, and the politeness of a true gentleman.

Nor are his talents confined to this

ful musician, and when our friends visited him, which they did at his paternal home, where his venerable parents are still living, they saw a kind of harp and a violin, with other musical instruments, of his own making. His residence is a large farm-house, such as is usually occupied by cultivators of the soil, whose circumstances are easy, and comparatively affluHis house and premises appear to be well stocked with servants and cattle; and on one occasion, when our friends visited him, they saw in the yard the process going on, by which horses are made to tread out the corn, by being driven about in a yard where it is strewn.

ent.

On returning this visit, Pierrine Gaston drank tea with our friends at Eaux Bonnes, when he remarked with great simplicity, that he had never tasted tea but once before, on which occasion he had eaten it dry. We had afterwards the pleasure of meeting him at their house, and a great treat it was; for his appearance, in every respect, equals the idea one would form of such a character. His figure is above six feet in height, thin, agile, and admirably formed. His jetblack hair, which hangs in loose curls upon his shoulders, is cut close in front; and this he told us was the custom of the country, because of the habits the peasants have of carrying immense bundles of straw upon their heads, and the necessity there is to see straight before them. He wore that day, a short blue jacket, with a handsome sash of crimson silk, tied round his body. But his majestic brown cap, which he kept on, even in the house, from a habit he had acquired, in consequence of the keenness of the mountain air, was the most striking part of his costume, and harmonized with his appearance better than any other could have done, by casting a deep shadow over the thoughtful expression of his interesting face. His countenance was entirely one of the valley d'Ossau; his nose slightly aquiline, his eyes quick and intelligent, his eyebrows clearly pencilled, and a good deal arched, and his regular, white teeth, the most beautiful I ever saw. His movements, which were as happy and expressive, were at once dignified and graceful; but the most extraordinary feature in his behaviour was, that seeing the floor half covered with carpet, he could on no account be induced to tread upon that part, until he had taken off his shoes, which he placed

under a chair, and resumed when he went away.-Summer and Winter in the Pyrenees.

GOING FOR TOO MUCH.

A dialogue between John Painter and Thomas Pike. John (by himself.)" I expected to see Thomas Pike here, I want sadly to know how he is going on, but he is always in one trouble or another, altering every thing and satisfied with nothing. I never yet met with his fellow. In every thing that he does he goes for too much. He is not the man to thank God for table crumbs; give him a loaf and he will want two; and were you to let him have the two, he would certainly want ten. What a blessing is a contented spirit! It makes our bits and our drops sweet to us. If we have but a crust of bread and a draught of water, and can only see God's hand offering them to us, they are equal to turtle and champagne. Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith,' Prov. xv. 16. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit,' Eccles. iv. 6. I wish Thomas thought so, but he never can 'let well alone.' As I said, he is always meddling, and changing, and repining, and going for too much. Make him a present of a chicken or a duck, and he would grumble that it is not a turkey. Give him the money in the Mint, and he would not be satisfied without that in the Bank of England.”

Thomas comes in.- "What is that, John, that you said about the money in the Bank of England?"

John.-"Oh! no matter, for it is not at all likely that the money will find its way into your pocket or mine. How are you going on? Are things mending with you? Does the world go round to your

mind now?"

Thomas." Not exactly, and I hardly think it ever will. I have a notion that we do things upon too small a scale; what do you think?"

John. "Why I think that good things are done on too small a scale, all the world over; but as to evil things we do them on a scale a great deal too large. You do not think that we do too little evil, do you?"

too little advantage of one another? or have we too little anger, envy, hatred, malice, and uncharitableness in our hearts?"

Thomas.- "No! no!"

John.-"What is it, then? Do you think we eat too little? drink too little? wear out too few clothes? or pay too little in the way of rent and taxes?"

Thomas.-"No! no! altogether different. If I was in a large way, nobody would get on better; but where is the use of slaving one's heart out for nothing?"

John. Few things can be clearer than this, Thomas: though many men are rich, it is the will of God that the greater part of mankind shall labour for their bread, and better it is humbly to submit to his Almighty will than proudly to resist it, for who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?' Job ix. 4. Do you live in the cottage where you did?"

Thomas." No, for I wanted the landlord to build me another room at the end of it, and he would not, for he said it would take more than the rent I paid him. We quarrelled about it, and he told me I had better quit the premises."

John.-"Did you ever make any use of your garden?"

Thomas." I never got so much as a turnip top from it, for it was sadly too small. I always intended to throw another garden into it. If I could have only had a piece of ground about three times as big as it was, it would have answered my purpose: I would then have had some rare cabbages!"

John. "I remember your telling me that you hoped to have your wages raised. Did you succeed?"

Thomas." I cannot say that I did. I asked my master to advance me a shilling a week, and he agreed to it; but, thinks I to myself, while I am about it, I may as well get two or three shillings as one, so I told him that I expected him to raise me a shilling or two more. Then said he, 'Get about your business as an encroaching, unthankful fellow as you are; for I will not employ you at all.""

Thomas.-"No! that is not what I

mean.

myself in having the agreement drawn up, and that of course, he would settle that little matter himself. He turned red, and went away without speaking another word, and I went off straight to the lawyer. The next morning he sends me a note, and a pretty note it is. If you like, I will read it to you." John.—“ Ay do, I should like to hear

it."

Thomas.—" In my opinion it does him no credit, but you shall hear.

'To Thomas Pike,

'If you can meet with a man who is foolish enough to become your partner, advancing all the money, allowing you to be first in the firm, to take the lead in every thing, "to carry on business on a large scale, hit or miss, win or lose," to let you draw out thirty shillings a week, and to give you a few pounds into the bargain on account of your knowledge of the business if you can meet with a man, I say, who is foolish enough to do these things, the sooner you agree with him the better. I do not know if you will ever find such a simpleton; but I do know that you will never find him in

'Yours, JOHN TRUEMAN.

'P. S. As I could not think of being at any expense myself, in the agreement that is drawn up between us, of course you will settle that little matter yourself.'

"And so you see he shuffled, in this shabby manner out of the concern, and I had to pay the lawyer.'

John." And most richly you deserved it. This was going for too much with a witness. Thomas! Thomas! when will you get the better of this poor, pitiful, discontented, covetous, and encroaching spirit? I once heard of a man of just your disposition, for when a friend sent him a sack of potatoes, he begged the sack in which they were sent; and when another friend made him a present of a goose, he had the conscience to send word back, that he should be very glad if he would please to let him have the giblets."

Thomas. "I am not so bad as that neither."

John.-"Not so bad! I should say that you are ten times worse. You provoke me to think evil of you. I really do believe that you would not much mind plucking a fowl of its feathers for your own bed; nor taking from a lamb its mother's milk if you could get it into your own porringer. I understand that when your neighbours put together a trifle

to help on poor Mary Stanley, who was left a widow with six small children, you were the only one that refused. You did not give her a penny."

Thomas.-"Why should I give away what I get? Money is not picked up so easily." John. "And after undertaking to teach friendless Ned Rogers how to get his bread, you altered your mind, and told the poor lad he might go to the work house."

Thomas. "I had no time to attend to him."

John.-"Time! Why it was when you were out of place, and all your time was your own; but I see how it is, Thomas: you go for too much when it is for yourself, and for too little when it is for others. I never heard of your going for too much in reading your Bible, in keeping holy the sabbath, in prayer and praise to the Most High, in loving the Saviour, and in fearing, obeying, and magnifying the Lord of life and glory. I warrant that you never go for too much in forgiveness of injuries, in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity; and why, then, in an unthankful, miserable, parsimonious, and pinching spirit, do you go for too much in every case when it is for your own benefit? If you must do things on a large scale, let justice, mercy, and Christian-hearted kindness be on a large scale. I love liberality as much as you do, and I know that a peasant may have a princely spirit, and a working-man, in his heart, be as liberal as a lord. 'The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself,' Prov. xi. 25. The liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand,' Isa. xxxii. 8. But your princely spirit and your liberality seem to consist in doing things on a large scale for yourself, and on a small scale for your neighbours."

Thomas.-"You never gave me such a dressing as this before."

John. "I wish you knew, Thomas, the real luxury of doing good to others, and you would never be the greedy cormorant you are with regard to yourself. Again, I say, that your old failing of going for too much is a black mark on your brow. There are many instances in God's holy word, of men going for too much, and being punished for it. Pharaoh went for too much in requiring the children of Israel to make the same quantity of brick