THE LOVER'S ROCK. "Oh why should fate such pleasure have, This world's wealth, when I think upon't, That he should be the slave on't."-Burns. MOST beautiful, most happy! must there be Is chilled, crushed, and constrained by the cold world That love must draw from the dark urn of fate, And light, and treasure, clings to one from whom Yonder rock Has a wild legend of untoward love, Fond, faithful and unhappy! There it stands By the blue Guadalquivir; the green vines Are like a girdle round the granite pillars Of its bare crags, and its dark shadow falls Over an ancient castle at the base. Its Lord had a fair Daughter, his sole child,→ Her picture is in the old gallery still; The frame is shattered, but the lovely face *Looks out in all its beauty; 'tis a brow Fresh, radiant as the spring,-a pencilled arch, One soft dark shadow upon mountain snow; A small white hand things back the raven curls From off the blue veined temples; on her cheek There is a colour like the moss-rose bud When first it opens, ere the sun and wind By one who loved her-an Italian boy That worshipped the sweet Inez. He was one They had roamed forth together; the bright dew Leandro took his mistress in his arms. Her face upon his bosom, and her hair, (Ill omened tree, two lovers met their death And the broad sun has sunk beneath the river! A shout arose from those who watched: but why Motionless round his neck? The blood has gushed, THE ADVENTURES OF A NEEDLE. [Variety Variety! Such is the cry we hear from all advisers; for, notwithstanding the endless variety of our columns, invention is taxed for new features. A little more original matter, says an Original; a little more poetry, inquires a pseudo Bard; why don't you put love songs in every Number from seventeen boarding-schools in the vtcinity of the metropolis where the air is fine and the Teachers finer; "more extracts" we fancy from our anonymous Perfumery, Apothecary, and Dentist friends; "more mathematics," and "more fine arts," equally from crabbed Geometricians and lively Painters! To please you all (or not, as it may be) take the following Story, which, we believc, will hereafter make one in a volume by the same hand which sketched The Cat and her Kittens, in a former Lit. Gazette.] THE some of the best that had ever been made. He went on describing our several good qualities; said we were equally fit for heavy and light work, being as strong as the Whitechapel Needles, and not so clumsy. I own I was almost ashamed to hear myself 90 praised, especially by one who knew nothing about the matter; but still thought it kind in him to endeavour to raise humble merit, and quell the pride of the gold and silver eyed upstarts.This, however, was not exactly the case, for no sooner had he secured the sale of us, than, before the lady, who was now leaving the shop, could reach the door, he whipped out another drawer, and begged she would allow him to show her the Patent ones.— The lady said she would look at them just out of curiosity, but should not buy any, as those she had already purchased were so good. The shopkeeper, however, had determined otherwise ; and now, like any lawyer, began to turn about. He said it was very true, nothing could be better than those she had bought: still he would recommend her to try the others; every body approved of them; they were a remarkable invention. In short, after declaring that we were the best, he now en leisure that I at present enjoy in the snug retreat of a green satin housewife, induces me to give the history of my adventures to the world. It was in the month of October, in the year, that I and some thousands of my fellows were sent from the manufactory of, to one of the first shops in the famous city of London, where we doubted not but our useful qualities would be properly appreciated: in this, however, we were greatly disappointed; for it happened that a manufacturer had procured a Patent for some fine gold and silver eyed Needles, which were weekly puffed off in the newspapers, with a long list of their perfections. They were upheld neither to cut in the eye nor to become blunt at the point, and, in the end, I believe, were warranted to work of themselves; but of this I will not be positive. The fame of these wonderful performers kept us for months without seeing the light, as nobody thought of purchasing any other than the newly advertised sort, and we began to fear that we should perish in rust without ever be ing of use; when one day a lady came into the shop, and, after purchasing several articles, desired to see some Needles: She said she had heard much of the Patent ones, and inquired if theydeavoured to prove that these were still were as good as they were reported to be. The master of the shop, without answering the question respecting them, pulled out the drawer in which we were kept, and immediately producing us, assured the lady that whatever might be said about the newly invented Needles, if she wanted such as might be useful, he would recommend Us as better; and it appeared that what we thought a generous wish to raise us into notice, was nothing but a contrivance to get us off his hands. The lady accordingly took some of our rivals, and now left the shop with her purchase. We were highly pleased with falling to the care of so respectable a person, and on our way made various conjectures upon our future destination-as to what kind of work we should be set about .whether the lady wore spectacles—and whether we were for her especial use, or for that of any other person. looked; and knowing our consequence, and that all the rest were of little use without us, we could not but wonder at the slight. The only person who seemed aware of our value, was the By this time our mistress arrived at child for whom the doll had been home; where the first thing she did bought. What a stock of Needles !' was to dispose of us in a richly em- cried she, I wish they were mine: I broidered Needle-case, which, along think, Julia, you might give me your old housewife, now that you have got with a new thimble and scissors, was deposited in a fine work-bag. I now such a handsome new one.' 'Indeed, began to suspect that we were intended (said Julia) I shall do no such thing; to make part of a present: and this my Aunt has given you a new doll, and proved to be the case. A short time I think you ought to be satisfied.”— after, the Niece of the lady, a child, for You are a sad little miser, (said her whom the gift was intended, came to mother;) I was myself going to propay her Aunt a visit. The work-bag pose that you should give Emma your İying on the table, soon attracted the old one.' If I do, Mamma, the thread attention of the little girl, which her will be wasted and the Needles lost in less than a week: she never took care Aunt observing, said, 'That is for you, Julia; knowing you to be fond of work, of any thing in her life; however, if and a very good needle-woman, I made you desire it, I will give it her.' 'No, this little purchase, which I hope you (replied her Mother,) I do not desire will like. The young lady received that you should give any thing away the present with much gratitude, and grudgingly; so say no more about it, nor let your Aunt's kindness become a She opened was greatly delighted. and examined it a dozen times in less matter of contention.' Julia looked than an hour; but I was rather morti- very sullen, but made no answer; so fied to see that she admired the bag here the subject dropped. I soon found what her mother had said was true; my young mistress had a great deal of the miser in her disposition. All her playthings were locked up, and nobody indulged with more than a sight of much more than its contents. The only remark she made upon us was, How very neatly you have arranged these Needles, Aunt; it would be quite a pity to disturb them.' I hope you will not think so, my dear,' replied her Aunt, as that was not my intention when I placed them there; they were recommended to me as being particularly good, and I hope you will prove them to be so.' The young lady was then desired to play and sing, which she did with great readiness; and I. thought if her fingers could manage a needle with as much dexterity as they did the keys of the instrument, we could not have fallen into better hands. After she had done playing, a walk was proposed, and we were left for the rest of the day. In the evening, the work-bag, along with a doll, was packed up, (this last being a present for her sister,) and Julia returned home in high spirits. The presents were displayed to the family the rich work-bag was admired, the scissors and thimble came in for their share of applause, but we had again the mortification to be over them. Months had now passed away, and there appeared as little probability of my coming into use as if I had remained in the shop; when I found myself very unexpectedly released. One day her little sister being in want of a Needle, having lost one and broken another, thought it would be in vain to apply to Julia for a third; and happening to come into the room, saw the drawer, in which the bag was kept, left open.The opportunity of helping herself was not to be resisted. This was very wrong; but I must do her the justice to say that she intended to replace the Needle when she had done with it.No sooner had she opened the threadcase, than I guessed my fate, as I happened to be the first on the row; I trembled at falling into the possession of one so careless, thinking how soon she might lose me. My fears were presently realized. She had just drawn me from my station, and before she could secure me in a convenient place, her sister's foot was heard upon the stairs. In Emma's hurry to fold up the thread-case, I was dropped in the crevice of the boards! Julia coming in at this moment, and seeing her sister's confusion, instantly imagined the cause, and accused her of having been at the drawer. The little girl told the truth directly, begged her sister not to be angry, said she had not hurt any thing, had only taken one Needle, which she would return to her. Knowing Julia's mercenary disposition, I was in hopes of being sought for; but here again I was mistaken, for, finding the bag and all belonging to it in proper order, she told Emma she did not mind a Needle, but observed she should take good care in future not to leave her drawer open. They then left the room, and nothing could be more hopeless than my situation. All my prospects seemed closed at once, as it was more than probable that the crevice in which I lay would be filled up with dust, and I should be buried for ever. Though it had not been through any fault of my own that this misfortune had overtaken me, I could not help reproaching myself for my former discontent. A few hours before, I should have thought any change agreeable now the greatest happiness I could imagine was to be once more secure in the needle-case. I began to be hopeless of attracting regard; when, as the servant was sweeping the room one morning, her keen eye discovered me. It is needless to describe the joy I felt on seeing her stoop to pick me up; but this was not so easy as either she or I imagined. The first attempt she made to lay hold of me, pushed me as far again into the terrible abyss; the next trial plunged me so deep, that nothing but my eye appeared. What I suffered between hope and fear, it is impossible to tell; for I expected every moment the girl's patience would be exhausted, and that she would leave me to my fate; luckily, however, the more the difficulty increased, the more she seemed determined to conquer it; and at last was clever enough to think of taking a pin to her assistance, with which in an instant she drew me up! I felt assured, from the pains she had taken to obtain me, that I should be properly valued by her; but to my surprise, after trying my point, and looking through my eye to see that I was perfect, she stuck me carelessly on the side of her gown, that I was in the utmost danger of again being lost; nor was I released from this jeopardy till night, when Mary, (for that was the servant's name,) undressed herself to go to bed, and finding me still sticking in her gown, took the trouble to quilt me into a pin-cushion, for which I was most grateful, as, after being in such imminent danger, any place where I could be safe seemed eligible. I was, however, soon tired of being kept in her pocket along with halfpence, an old knife, and a brass thimble; and indeed my companions in the pin-cushion were far from being agreeable to one who had been used to better society, for they were composed of crooked pins and a couple of vulgar worsted needles. I found, too, there was little chance of my being made use of; for Mary had scarcely any leisure for needle-work. Many times when she was about to take me out for some trifling purpose, such as fastening a string to her apron, or tacking a bow on her cap, an officious pin obtruded its service, which was always accepted instead of mine. Now, though I would not depreciate the va lue of any thing, and know that on some occasions pins may be useful, yet I must say, in general, that they are thought too much of: I have been often provoked to hear the ridiculous exclamations of people, I would give the world for a pin! or, What shall I do for want of a pin!' and then, in this terrible distress, if any one should be kind enough to offer such a rarity, it is received with as much gratitude as if it were a pearl, when it is well known to be worth scarce the sixteenth part of a farthing. I am convinced that the use of pins often makes people idle and untidy, when, for the saving of what they call trouble, they have recourse to the temporary expedient of fastening with pins that which ought to be sewed. It is well known also how mischievous they are to children, scratching and tearing them on all occasions; indeed, I cannot see why some contrivance might not be found to do without them altogether. But to return to my story: Having now for some weeks been buried in Mary's pocket, I began to lose all hope of quitting it; when one night that she was sitting up later than usual (waiting the return of her master and mistress from the Opera,) by the light of a blinking candle I made my first attempt at work. Mary had been dozing over the fire a good while before it occurred to her that she could make any better use of her time; but hearing the clock strike, and knowing it would be near two hours before the family returned, she set courageously to work, stirred the fire, snuffed the candle, and got her working materials together. She then began to turn over a parcel of stockings that wanted mending.Trembling at the idea of the thick cotton I must carry if she used me to darn them, I thought it would be very hard if my first employment should be so little befitting me. After scanning the stockings, which she did not seem much inclined to attack, she dived her hand again into her work-bag, and pulled out a piece of muslin. Hesitating for some time what she should do, the love of finery prevailed, the stockings were tumbled again into the bag, and to my great satisfaction I was employed to hem the muslin. Mary was a quick worker; I was new and glib; so we completed a frill before the return of her master and mistress. Another long interval of time elapsed before my services were required. At length some caps being in request, for the making of which Mary found she had not sufficient time, I was sent, together with proper instructions, to her sister, a little girl at school. Arrived there, my young mistress, presuming to say I was too thick for her use, took the liberty of exchanging me with one of her schoolfellows. This I considered a great affront; but my good-humour was restored by my new possessor, who seemed to have a proper sense of my value, declaring I was the best Needle she had ever used. Lucy Lustre was working a large sampler, for which I just suited her purpose, and from the care she took to quilt me in her housewife when she had done stitching, I felt assured I should have the pleasure of finishing what I had begun. For some time we went on to our mutual satisfaction. There was a fine strawberry-border all round the sampler; the alphabet, in various stitches, preceded the appropriate verse; and having come to the middle, there was a long consultation whether it should be filled up by Noah's Ark, or an orange-tree. The latter was agreed upon, as it could be done the soonest, for Lucy was anxious to see her work completed. Accordingly a fine large tree was placed in the centre. My young mistress had worked very hard for two days to get it done, and it was finished all but the oranges, when a difficulty arose of which she had not thought: this was no other than the want of orange-coloured silk. How Lucy came to forget such a thing I am at a loss to imagine; but so it was. No colours nearer than scarlet and pale yellow presented themselves. All her schoolfellows routed their bags, but in vain; every colour came to hand save the one in request; and the determination was to finish it out of hand. One advised her to hang lemons on the tree, but this did not suit her ideas they were not fit to eat.'Another proposed red silk, and then they would be cherries; this was esteemed a bright thought, and adopted accordingly. The work was going on well, when one of the young critics found out that for cherries they would be of an enormous size. This objection had not occurred to Lucy, who began to fret; when the little girl who had first suggested the plan, now observed,it was of very little consequence, for no person who was fond of cherries would object to their being as large as oranges, and thus the obstacle was removed. And that things might bear a proportion to each other, a bird of paradise, as large as an eagle, was perched on one of the branches. The sampler being more than twothirds done, my anticipation of the asmiration it would excite, and the share |