"IF you had your choice, Harry, what would you wish to see next?" said Lucy.

"A mountain," said Harry, who was faithful to his old wish for a mountain to measure with his portable barometer. While he had been taken up with the cotton manufactory, and the steam-engine, and the gas lights, this wish had slept in his mind; but it was now awakened with fresh eagerness. As they journeyed on he eyed the outline of every hill on the horizon. But he observed a discreet silence upon the subject. Even when Lucy exclaimed, "Here's a mountain coming for you, Harry!" he replied soberly-"So I see, my dear, but it is not near enough yet; I will speak when I think it is time.'

وو

At last, when they came into Derbyshire, and into the hilly parts of that county, Harry spoke, for he thought it was time.

"Father! here are plenty of mountains! will you be so good as to stop the carriage, and to let me get out, that I may measure this one which is almost close to us. I will

not detain you above twenty minutes, mother, if you could be so good as to wait

in ten minutes I would run up, in ten minutes I would be down again! May I, father?"

No, Harry," said his father, "we cannot stop for you now. It would detain us much longer than you imagine. Your eye deceives you, in judging of distances, and of heights to which it is unaccustomed."

"For your comfort, Harry," added his mother, "we are going to Matlock, a place where you will find yourself surrounded by fine mountains, upon which you may try your own and your barometer's measuring powers at leisure, for we shall stay there two or three days.'

Delightful!" thought Harry, "Thank you mother," said he.

Presently they entered a narrow but beautiful valley, a stream ran through it, and there were hills on each side. Their banks were covered to a great height with trees of the softest foliage, and of various

shades of green, tinged here and there with the brown and yellow colours of autumn. Above, high above the young feathery plantations, and the scrubby brushwood, rose bare, whitish rocks. Sometimes stretching in perpendicular smooth masses; sometimes broken in abrupt craggy summits, huge fragments from which had fallen into the river below. The river flowed tranquil and placid till when opposed by these massy fragments, it foamed and frothed against their immoveable sides; then, separating, the waters whirled round them in different currents, and joining again, the stream ran on its course, sparkling in the sun-shine. The road now lying beside this river, brought them soon to the pretty straggling village of Matlock.

The morning after their arrival, they went out to walk, At a little distance from the hotel, where they lodged, was a walk up Masson-hill. It was a zigzag path, cut through a wood of fir trees, reaching to the summit, called the Heights of Abraham. They went part of the way up this path,

and Harry was eager to go to the very top, but his mother was not able, she said, to go quite to the Heights of Abraham; she, and his father, and Lucy, went to see a cave in this hill; but his father told Harry that he might go on by himself, if he liked it, to the top of Masson-hill, and take its height with his barometer, and compare this with the reputed height, which is said to be about 750 feet.

Harry, to Lucy's surprise, stood hesitating, with his barometer in his hand, instead of going on with the alacrity she expected.

"What is the matter? would you rather come with us to see the cave?" said Lucy. No," said Harry, "that is not the

thing."

"What then?" said Lucy, "Do you want me to go with you; I should like it: but you know mamma said, that I must not go running about everywhere with you here, as I do at home; I must stay with mamma. But you look afraid to go by yourself," added Lucy, laughing.

"Afraid! my dear, I am not the least afraid to go by myself anywhere in the world," said Harry, proudly: "I am not going to do any thing wrong: what should I be afraid of?"

"I do not know," said Lucy, "that is what I want you to tell me. I am sure there is something you do not like, or else why do not you set off?"

"There is something I do not like," said Harry," that I acknowledge. I do not like to meet those people who are there, farther up on the walk."

“What harm will they do you, Harry?” said his father.

"No harm, father; only I do not like to meet them, because they are strangers."

"But since, as you observed, Harry, you are not going to do any thing wrong, you need not be ashamed I will not say afraid, to meet them!" said his mother.

"That is very true, mother," said Harry, "I know it is very foolish; well, I will conquer it; I will go on by myself," added he, resolutely.