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"As you come here," said the prince, "in the character of an envoy, you shall not be molested. Feast with us here to-night, and rest tomorrow. The next day return to your infamous master, and tell him that we will give his carcase, and those of his allies, to the beasts of earth and fowls of air, unless he immediately sets his captives free, surrenders the castle, and betakes himself to some other land.”

This speech was loudly applauded, and by none more vehemently than by Edred and Mohammed; the former of whom, having read Sir Hildebrand's challenge, returned for answer that it was the first wish of his heart to run his weapon into that of Sir Hildebrand. Mohammed now began a series of fearful accounts of the bravery, strength, and remorseless cruelty of the Avars, expatiated on the great military talents of their present khan, and hinted the propriety of obtaining some brave knight as leader.

"It is singular enough," added he, "that I chanced only a short time since to be in somewhat similar circumstances. The country of Utopia was menaced by a fearful invasion of the Ukontes, a savage and almost irresistible race; the sovereign at this juncture was a beautiful girl of the name of Phantasia. For a time the Utopians defended themselves bravely against the enemy, till at length they were worsted in three successive battles. The people began to murmur. They demanded a king, and spoke even of choosing one for themselves. The young queen, having taken counsel with her father's oldest and best friends, at length devised the following plan. She obtained a truce of three days and three nights from the enemy, and made a proclamation that on the third day a tournament should be held, when the victor should receive her hand as his reward. The mutiny immediately ceased. The tournay was held in due order. The bravest knight won the day and the lady into the bargain. He headed the forces of the Utopians; fell upon the Ukontes just as the sun rose next day, and made such a slaughter of them that, for some years, no one could sleep within five miles of their quondam camp without catching a malignant fever, arising from the stench caused by the dead bodies. I myself had several very severe cases, though, blessed be the prophet, I cured them all."

"The subjects of the Princess Alethè," said a clear, manly voice, "require no such incitement to do their duty by their princess."

stant.

The alchemist turned in the direction from which the words came, and his eye met for the first time that of Arnold of the Brocken. Sternly, steadily, piercingly that eye encountered his, as though it would dive into his soul. He assumed that haughty aspect before which even disembodied spirits had quailed; but all to no avail; the only discernible effect was a slight curl of the minstrel's lip. His eye-that clear, calm, pure blue eye-remained fixed upon the Arab, without wavering even for an inThe stranger felt that he at last met with a spirit of equal power to his own. He smiled graciously to the minstrel, and, turning to Sir Reginald, asked whether that very striking-looking person were really Arnold of the Brocken, whose fame he averred had reached as far as Bagdad. The old prince was gratified as he replied in the affirmative; not so Arnold. Sir Reginald perceiving that something was wrong, and not seeing what was the matter, requested the Teuton harper to sing. Edred looked greatly annoyed. Mohammed was, however, not disconcerted; but making the best of a bad case, he declared his high satisfaction, and expressed to Arnold the intense delight which he should feel at hearing

the first minstrel of Christendom sing in the hall of the noblest of the Franks. Thus invited, with a slight sarcastic smile, so slight as to be perceptible to none save the alchemist, the Teuton began :

THE BOWL.

The bowl, the bowl, the glorious bowl,
It heeds not, recks not Fate's control;
Though breezes roar and waters roll,
It fires the heart, it nerves the soul-

The bowl, the bowl, the bowl!

Still shines the bowl as when it shone
Our guileless, griefless youth upon,
Ere care a single thought had won,
Or memory's sorrow had begun—

The bowl, the bowl, the bowl!

The bowl can summon back the hours
When, breathing nought but sweetest flowers,
The breeze stole softly through the bowers,
Whilst health, and youth, and hope were ours-
The bowl, the bowl, the bowl!

Yet still the bowl, the glorious bowl,
Must ever serve, and ne'er control,
Lest its resistless surges roll

O'er shatter'd mind and ruined soul

The soul, the soul, the soul!

Then drink the bowl; yet wisely drink,

For danger lurks upon the brink.

Too late, alas! to turn or think,

When once beneath the waves we sink

The soul, the soul, the soul!

Having concluded this song, Arnold bowed lowly to the prince and courteously to the physician, and then, without waiting for any further orders, immediately left the hall, followed by his brethren in song.

"Methinks," cried Sir Reginald, "that it is high time to close our revel when a harper thinks that we have already sat too long."

"Your highness is right, as you always are," replied Mohammed, in his most honeyed tones. "Yet would I fain crave a few minutes' delay. I have heard so much of your good alimeth, that I am anxious to taste it. I wish, also, to know on good authority whether it surpasses in excellence the best mareotic. Let, then, a cask of each be brought; let the company take a glass of each all round, and let them decide which is the best. You need not fear my mareotic; I saw it myself dug out from a cellar of Cleopatra, which had been blocked up from the time of that queen by the fall of a large body of masonry."

The proposal was received with such rapturous approval by the whole assembly that the prince yielded against his better judgment, not very much averse, it must be allowed, to the Arab's proposal.

"Sir Gideon and Sir Gerhard!" cried he, "be it your part to convey the alimeth to our presence, and mind that ye let none of it leak by the way."

The alimeth was duly brought, and, Mohammed having proposed the health of the Princess Alethè, was rather more than duly done justice to, especially considering that most, if not all, of the revellers had already drunk more deeply than usual. How they cheered! How they shouted! How they stamped! How they made every possible noise that they could, in every possible way, to the utmost possible extent! thus express

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ing how deeply they felt, how fully they appreciated, and how entirely they were impressed, influenced, and absorbed by the gentle grace and witching beauty of the princess. The reader must imagine all this for himself, for it beggars all our powers of description.

"And now," said Mohammed, "we will try my liquor."

So saying, he broached the cask, and, after handing a goblet to the prince, he called on all those who wished to taste the finest mareotic to bring their drinking-vessels. Up they rushed, some quite drunk already, some half drunk, some merely gay; and on flowed the cask as they filled and refilled their goblets. And now they began to show the effects of their draught. Some began to dance; others threw themselves into indecent postures; others sang ribald songs; some were affected with immoderate laughter; others cried with delight; others shouted and screamed. Some few seemed to be driven furious, and attacked each other, till a glimmering of reason shooting through their minds, they rushed at Mohammed with daggers drawn. He quietly received them on his arm, which was invulnerable, and they retreated abashed and confounded. And now the late so joyous revellers began to moan piteously. Anon they sank exhausted upon the ground, and their groans became fearful to hear, till at length, utterly worn out, they fell into a deep sleep.

"Now is my time!" cried the alchemist; and having looked carefully round to see that no one was stirring or watching, he drew a magic circle around his victims, and proceeded at once to business. The first on whom he operated was Sir Reginald, and great as was the advantage which Sir Edred expected to accrue, he could not help shuddering at what he heard and saw. Placing a golden tube in the prince's ear, and carefully stopping up the rest of the orifice, the Arab began to chant, in a low deep voice, words which belonged to some language of which the Frank had no knowledge. As he proceeded, the body of the prince was seized with violent convulsions, and exhibited every sign of agony. At last a deep sigh denoted the departure of the spirit, and in less than an instant it was received into one of the small mysterious bottles, and hermetically sealed. The reanimation of the body with the dark vapour was apparently a work of no trouble; and as the spirit escaped from its prison, and entered its human abode, it emitted a crackling sound and a corruscating light. The same process was repeated with fifty of the bravest knights and most influential chiefs. When these had been, as the Arab styled it, doctored, he told Edred that he could not spare any more disembodied spirits; and as soon as he had undone the spell, which he had cast on the magic circle, the friends separated without further parley.

In the morning, as had been agreed over night, Sir Edred came to breakfast with his friend. He was at first astonished to find Sir Reginald already on the ground. Mohammed observed his mistake, and laughed.

"We have arranged everything," said he; "his highness has reconsidered my arguments, and is now quite of my opinion. I wish, however, to have a little private conversation with you ere we proceed further in the matter."

His submissive highness took the hint, and departed.

"We are now sure of triumph, my dear Edred," said the alchemist, as soon as his thrall had retired. "The prince will call a council; its decision we already know. You must enter the lists, and then success is certain. The only things in our way are the princess and the minstrel.

There is something about your ladye-love, sir knight, which almost awes even me; and I feel sure, too, that she is under the protection of some superior power. That ROSE of which you told me, and which she still wears in her bosom, is not the gift of a mortal."

"Not the gift of a mortal! Then I have wronged both her and my rival," cried the Frank, a pang shooting through his heart.

Mohammed marked the tone and look, and anxious to avoid even the remotest possibility of losing his master a good servant, the deeper villain proceeded without replying to Edred's interruption:

"As for that harper, from what you have told me, and from what I have observed and gathered since I came here, he is one whom we must must get rid of."

Sir Edred entirely concurred in this suggestion; and having made an excellent breakfast, they repaired to the council-chamber, whither they had been summoned by a special messenger. They found the prince seated in state, with the principal chiefs and knights around him, as well those who were guests of the festival as the subjects of Alured. Intelligence had just arrived that a large body of the allies lately summoned by the king had determined to await the Avars on their own frontiers, instead of marching to Arlstadt, lest those barbarians should find some other path over or round the Alff Mountains, and invade their territories during their absence. An envoy, too, had arrived from the great khan himself, demanding a free passage through Alured's dominions, on pain of laying them utterly waste with fire and sword.

The council was greatly agitated when these tidings were brought, and yet more so when Sir Gideon with the wall-eye, looking twice as frightful as ever, arose and proposed that, in the hour of their extremity, they should imitate the example set them by the Utopians.

"What objection," asked he, "could be made to the plan? Was it not in the first place right that marriageable virgins should marry? Was it not especially desirable that heiresses of important kingdoms should enter early into wedlock? And how could a husband be more fitly chosen for the princess than by the tournay? The brave deserved the beautiful, and the beautiful loved the brave; and the people loved a brave king, and the knights a brave leader; and none other would warriors follow, or chiefs obey. It was, indeed, to be expected in the present case that the princess would at first appear somewhat coy; but this was not the time to think of maiden shyness. Ladies only wanted wooing, and if in the present instance the wooing must be short, this arose from the necessity of the case; a necessity," he added, emphatically, "which precluded demur or delay."

He concluded with protestations of intense devotion to the princess and her father, and sat down amongst murmurs of mingled applause and dissent.

He was instantly followed on the same side by Sir Gerhard. The assembly was astounded, and still greater was their astonishment when the prince regent arose, and gave it as his decided opinion, that Sir Gideon's proposal offered the only feasible means of preserving the throne, the people, or the princess herself.

All those there present, whose souls had not been transmuted, had drunk more or less deeply of the mareotic on the preceding night, and were still under its influence. The question therefore being put to the

vote was carried without a division; though it is probable that had the good knight Sir Ernest of Arnheim been present, the result would have been different. So often is it the case that men who know what is right have not the courage either to act or speak, simply because there is no one amongst them bold enough to take the initiative.

However, be that as it may, the motion was carried without a dissentient voice, and it was decided that Sir Reginald, attended by several of the most distinguished members of the council, should inform the princess of the decision which had been arrived at.

"That will do, I think," said Mohammed, as he again sought his tent, accompanied by the false knight.

THE

MOONLIT PATH.

THOU thinkest life a sunny day
Dancing along like bright sea-spray,
Nor giv'st a thought how cold the sleep
Of silv'ry waters 'neath the deep.
Didst never watch by midnight hour
The starry paths of moonlit power?
As softly seen in aërial light,
Glittering o'er the waters bright
Like dewy wings of gentle dove,
Or sweeter light of bright-eyed love;
Or liquid pearls in virgin hue,
Opening fresh in morning dew;
Or sea-weeds by the waters kiss'd;
Or lovers' vows just faintly lisp'd;
Nor ever wish'd those paths to stray,
Tempting as that in milky way?
As there it lies in misty night,
An angel's path! 'midst stars of light,
Those paths so seeming bright to view,
So gem-like in their sparkling hue,
As if they led to blissful lands
Of studded shores with golden sands.
Oft have I stood beside the sea,
Beside those paths of witchery,

And watch'd each setting-sinking star,
Seeking a home of emerald spar,
And wish'd that I a mermaid were,
Taking my rest in caverns fair;
For calmly then my life would glide,
Like that far sea without a tide.
But moonlit paths are as night dreams;
And starry ones are like cold streams;
And dreams of life are colder still,
Giving the heart that weary chill,
To make one wish to sleep the sleep
Of silv'ry waters 'neath the deep.

A. W.

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