Susie opened her mother's bundle of work, and took out two that were unfinished. "I'll finish them and take them home, and ask them to give me some," she said. Elfie seized one and examined it. "Well, I shouldn't know how to put all them bits in the right places," she said. This was a difficulty that had never struck Susie. She had helped her mother to make these coarse blue shirts-sewing, hemming, and stitching in turn; but she had never put one together entirely by herself. She looked up in a little dismay. "I don't think I know how to do it either," she said in a tone of perplexity. But Elfie turned and turned the shirt about, and at last she said, "Look here, Susie, you'll have to keep one of these back when you take the others home, and then we'll find out how they're to be done between us.” Susie began to think Elfie almost as wise as her mother. She seemed to know how to manage everything, and before evening came she began to look up to her as a friend as well as a companion. Elfie hardly liked sleeping in the room with that long stretch of whiteness at the further end. She had never seen Susie's mother while living, and would not have raised the sheet now to look at the still, calm face for anything. She would rather have gone out to sleep in one of the holes or corners of the Adelphi arches, even risking an encounter with the rats, rather than sleep there; but for Susie's sake she determined to stay. The next morning she persuaded Susie to sit down to her sewing, while she went out to look for something to eat. Meals taken in the ordinary way, Elfie had no idea of; she was used to look about the streets for any scraps of food she could pick up, in the same way that a homeless, hungry dog might do, and so it was no hardship for her to go without her breakfast. Susie had often had to wait for it lately-wait all day, feeling faint and hungry, but obliged to sew and stitch on still, that her mother might get the work home in time. She had to do this to-day, and then could not finish all. But she tied up her bundle, leaving the unfinished one out for a pattern; and then put on her bonnet to go forth to tell the sad story to another-that her mother was dead, and would never sew shirts any more. As the man counted the shirts over, she said, "Please, sir, I've left one at home, it ain't quite finished; but mother-" "There, there, child, I can't listen to tales about your mother," interrupted the man; "she's always been honest, and I won't grumble about the shirt this time; but it must not occur again. I can't give you so many either this time, trade is getting dull now," and pushing Susie's bundle towards her, he turned to another work woman, and Susie went out wishing she had had the courage to say her mother was dead; for she felt as though she was deceiving him, taking this work to do by herself. As she went back, Elfie met her. "I've got a nice lot of cold potatoes at home," she said, "and a big handful of cherries that I picked up in the market; and I've seen the work-house man, and told him you ain't going with him." "What did you say?" asked Susie.. "I told him somebody was coming to live here and take care of you. It's just what I mean to do, Susie," she added; "for I like you, and it'll be fair, you see, if I comes to sleep here when it's cold and wet; for it ain't nice out-of-doors then, I can tell you." So the compact was formed between these two, and they agreed to help each other and live together, if only the neighbours and work-house people would leave them alone. They need not have troubled themselves very much about this. The neighbours thought they had done enough when they told the man he had better take Susie to the work-house; while he evidently thought the parish need not be troubled if she had some one to come and live with and take care of her. And so, after the coffin was taken out and carried to its lowly resting-place, no one troubled himself to visit the little garret, or look after the lonely orphan. Elfie did not stay in-doors much; but whenever she found anything extra nice, she always ran home to share it with Susie, and faithfully brought in every penny she earned to put into the tin box where the rent-money was kept. Susie succeeded in her shirt-making better than she expected; but life was very hard, and she sorely missed her mother, and shed many bitter tears when she thought of her. THE DIVINE OUTCAST. E. B. "And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." LUKE ix. 58. OT where to lay Thine head!-O'erwhelming When sleep from man, with balmy pinions, stole thought Amidst the splendour of Thy healing power, And yet, when softly fell the twilight hour, Not where to lay Thine head! - Say, were there none, On all the slopes that kissed Bethsaida's wavc, Or, didst Thou find their doors upon Thee closed, Not where to lay Thine head!-By Kidron's rills Why had the Prince of Salem, Lord of Grace, Not where to lay Thine head!—When bowed down Was there not one kind heart in yonder town, The world's broad heart with thoughts of love and grace? | Might cling to Heaven amidst its bitter moan?— Is Bethany alone in all Thy life, With its three loved ones sitting at Thy feet, Not where to lay Thine head!-'Midst Salem's domes, Till break of day, and find Thee kneeling there? Not where to lay Thine head!-In all that throng And there rejoice that they their King had met ?— Why had Thy wail to cleave the midnight air, Not where to lay Thine head!-Amidst the gloom Not where to lay Thine head!-Sweet, only Rest ALEXANDER LAMONT. SKETCHES FROM A VILLAGE IN MOUNT LEBANON. BY MISS M. WHATELY, AUTHOR OF RAGGED LIFE IN EGYPT," " AMONG THE HUTS," ETC. T has been suggested that, though the accounts of tours in Lebanon and Syria are numerous enough, a few notes made during a sojourn in a secluded spot among the Syrian mountains might not be uninteresting to English readers, especially as my familiarity with the language enables me to give more details of the customs and ways of the people than is possible for passing travellers, who (except as regards scenery and the mere outside casual observation) are usually dependent for information on a dragoman, who is rarely an accurate informant. The inhabitants of Lebanon consist, as is generally known, of Christians, Druses, and Moslems, the two former being the most numerous, and almost the exclusive occupants of a large part of the country. The observations I have been enabled to make relate to them only. This village (which I avoid naming, for several reasons) may serve as a fair specimen of its kind; those nearer to the sea-port of Beyrout are more advanced in civilization; those still more remote, and without the advantages of any means of education, are less so. It is a large rambling place, beautifully situated, and only needing more shade to be a very agreeable summer residence for those who can bear a considerable amount of "roughing." The houses are built up and down without regularity, but all are of solid stone, fit to defy the winter storms, flat-roofed, like all Eastern houses, and the roofs rolled smooth with a stone roller, and carefully plastered to serve as a drying-ground for corn, silk, and all manner of things. There is neither street nor market, but the houses are intersected with rough paths covered with loose stones, brought down by winter torrents, so that even a call on a neighbour a hundred yards off demands an actual scramble; and the wear of shoe leather is amazing. Mulberry plantations surround most of the dwellings; and though a few have a pretty vine trellis, or even a plane or apricot tree in front, these are quite exceptions -silk being the staple of the country, and the people mostly poor, every available corner is generally given to the mulberry. Every house has a wooden pillar, and sometimes two, in the centre, to support the rafters and the weight of the roof. They are built in many cases uncomfortably close together; but this was the old cus clay. tom, for the sake of protection. It seems that all belong | simply before the door in a rude fire-place of baked to the occupants, instead of being rented, and this causes them to build more solidly, because each man builds for his children, and not for strangers. The beautiful little river in the valley below the village has only one or two isolated buildings near it besides the mill. In Switzerland the valley would have been the place selected to build in; but probably the higher ground is more healthy, though the fountains are not very abundant, and in summer afford only a slender stream, the women having to spend much time and labour in bringing and filling heavy pitchers sometimes a good distance. The vineyards are all on the higher land; but the little vegetable gardens are all near either to the river or the fountains, as they need irrigation. The potato grows very well, but is of recent introduction; and besides it their variety of vegetables is not great, considering the capability of the climate. It seemed very funny at first making tea at such a primitive kitchen, but use soon reconciled us to it. The dwellings of rich and poor are all in the same style here, the difference being only in superior cleanliness. In our temporary abode the rooms are both furnished, like those of our neighbours, with hollow receptacles in the walls called kowara, and used to hold stores of corn, &c. Curious niches in the plaster serve the place of cupboards, though here and there an enterprising individual has set up a press, and even a shelf or two. A larger niche every house has in its chief room (where two exist), for holding the bedding of the family, which consists of thin cotton or wool mattresses, easily folded and stowed away, and covered with wadded quilts: they are spread out at night, and put out of sight in the niche (shaded by a light curtain) by day. Usually the rooms are large, and therefore capable of containing the household goods without seeming crowded. It is true there are neither tables nor chairs to take up space. A thin long mattress, covered with coloured print, and furnished with cushions stuffed with In this spot there are three divisions of Christians,Greek, Maronite, and Protestant, and Druses; the latter being the most numerous and the poorest, because they are not fond of work, and will scramble for a comfortless living rather than engage in regular labour ; while most of the Christian population are very hard-working and dry rushes, and made quite hard, forms the chief furniindustrious. ture of a country farm-house here; the clay floor is spread with mats, and, if the owner is well-off, a handsome carpet at the upper end of the room. There are no wash-stands; a large brass vessel is held by a servant or young member of the family, and water poured over the hands of any one who wants to wash, this (with soap and towel) being presented after meals, and also after a walk or ride. This all seems, and is, very rude and primitive; but I can say, from experience of both, that the dirty, half-civilized state of things one has met in many of the less frequented parts of the Continent (to say nothing of inns and farm-houses in dear old Ireland) is a great deal worse. Furniture and all the appliances of civilized life need to be kept in nice order and very clean in order to be comfortable; and one is better without them if the owners do not understand this. A fusty little room, stuffed with worm-eaten chairs and sofas, cracked basins and jugs, a venerable four-post bed, &c., with a vulgar paper on the wall stained with smoke, glass windows that need cleaning, and atrocious The want of roads (for there is, properly speaking, only one road in North Syria,-that from Beyrout to Damascus), and, even more, the long centuries of crushing oppression under which the Christian population laboured, kept them in a rough, uncivilized state, and hindered progress. In fact, frequent massacres, and revolutions, and constant fear, reduced them to a condition probably far below that of their ancestors; but latterly more liberal rulers have opened the way for improvement, and great increase of education (for which the people are mainly indebted to the efforts of English and American Christians) has done yet more. But it takes time for education to penetrate, especially in a scattered mountain population; and of course there are plenty of old folks who shrug their shoulders at " ways," wonder why women should learn to read, and why old ways should ever be changed. But the young are very different where they have had any advantage. In one village the few boys or girls who have had good Christian schooling are bright, intelligent, well-man-prints hanging against it, and a mirror that makes you new nered, and every way hopeful, and would never consent to go back to ignorance and superstition. look as if just having a tooth drawn. Who that has travelled has not seen such? and is not But matters are yet in a very infant state in the a large airy room, plainly whitewashed, with a clean mountain villages. The houses consist mostly of a mat, and a mattress covered with white cotton or pink single room, and those which have two have no upper print, better than all this? There is so little to keep story; nor glass windows, wooden shutters being the clean that, except in very slovenly families, it generally substitute. However, for the greater part of the year is kept so. The personal habits of the worthy peasant the climate is so equable and so fine that this incon- women want reform more than their houses; but the venience does not amount to the misery it would be in fact is, they are as a rule too hard-worked, and a drudge our cold rainy islands. Before the door is frequently finds it hard to be tidy. With the first peep of day up a sort of verandah roofed over, which answers as a springs the active matron, who having lain down in her kind of ante-room. The cooking is done out-of-doors, clothes has no dress to put on. She is in her workingeither in a little court, or (with the poorer people) | gown of coarse, dark-blue cotton (or more primitive brown or red cloth, but these are less frequent latterly). | The good woman sits at her door feeding, or rather stuffing, her sheep, which has to be fattened for Michaelmas, and is the great resource of the family in winterits fat being boiled down and kept in jars to use as we do salt butter, but much more largely-being, in fact, the chief animal food of the people. A huge basket of mulberry or vine leaves stands beside the woman, as she fills the great creature's mouth till he can swallow no more, snatching a mouthful of bread for her own breakfast meantime. There seems no regular breakfast among the poorer peasants; but every one gets a thin loaf of coarse bread, and a cucumber or some other relish whenever inclined. The more advanced of the people wish to introduce the plan of getting a shepherd with assistants to fatten all the sheep of a village, instead of letting the mother of a family neglect her children, and be dirty and coarse herself, from the constant rough work needed for at least three months. But it was impossible to convince them that a change from old ways could be good; and even the wives of the priests and of the Protestant minister are to be seen sitting at their doors, cramming a fat sheep like the rest. Every day this precious beast has to be led to the fountain and drenched with water, and its wool scrubbed. I one day asked a good woman, whose little children were all rags and dirt, whether they did not need a daily scouring more even than her sheep. She laughed at the novel idea, and replied, "The sheep-yes, yes! We wash him; but the children-there is no time for that!"-" What! because you can't eat them must they be dirty?" I said. She laughed more heartily than before; but voilà tout. I have, indeed, seriously argued the point of children versus sheep with some of the more sensible women, and they allowed it was a pity things should be so; but they said, truly, that unless there were a company large enough to pay a shepherd, one alone could not afford to change the old custom. Before the sheep are the silk-worms. In the spring and early summer, if the house is uncomfortable, the woman untidy, or the little ones neglected, the answer to everything is "the worms!" And these voracious little things do really require such attention, that the poor woman has to rise in the night to go and gather fresh leaves and feed them; but only for a short time. Meanwhile the men are not idle. Clad in the picturesque garment of goat's hair, dyed crimson, between a coat and a cloak in shape, loose trousers of blue cotton descending just below the knee, and a coloured handkerchief bound turban-ways over the red cap or tarboush, the sturdy farmers, whether owners of the plot of wheat or barley, or labourers employed by the possessors (receiving half the produce as payment), are to be seen at daybreak going forth to their work, ploughing up the land where the corn has been reaped, or threshing it with the primitive wooden machine, which the little mountain oxen draw round and round on a space prepared for the purpose. At busy seasons they will work till long after sunset; but a rest in the heat of the day is usual. And as workmen are paid not by the time but by the work, there is a more independent, cheerful way of going about their business, and sometimes there appears more leisure, than one would expect; but this arises from the men being able to choose their own time for doing things. The people of Lebanon are eminently social and generally of a cheerful turn. I have heard them called the French of the East; but this is not a very correct expression, for they are not so light and merry as the French, and much quieter in their amusements. Instead of seeking excitement, they appear especially to relish the calmer pleasures. Dancing and diversions of that class are never seen in the villages; but the men assemble in groups for quiet though lively chat after work is done, or in its intervals, and need no absinthe to enliven them, or pots of beer to stupify their heads, like too many Europeans of the workingclasses. The women mix less freely with men than with us, but among the Christians more so than the Mohammedans; and they move about without hiding the face. They wear a veil, usually of white muslin, large enough to answer as a shawl; and when strangers are present, they will sometimes draw it slightly over the lower part of the face, but habitually they go about without any concealment. The Druse women, on the contrary, always cover every part of the face but one eye when outside their doors, or when men not of their family are present. These strange people are often on familiar terms with their Christian neighbours, but do not assimilate: like oil and water, they may approach, but not meet. They are of much more modern origin than the Christians of Lebanon, and are quite a mixed race, made up of several tribes, some of the country and many others from a distance, as Kurds and Algerines, who joined the sect and formed one body. Their warlike habits, and the strength always given by a secret faith, enabled them to wrest most of the Lebanon from the Christians, and for many years they were lords over the whole of the mountains. Now, when their power has, happily for the country, been considerably reduced, many of the Christians continue to show to the chiefs among them an almost cringing deference of manner, painful to see. especially as it is often accompanied by secret dislike. On the whole, however, there is more friendliness than could well be expected, considering how recent and how terrible was the massacre. In our village, several of the poorer Druse families have been indebted to the chief Protestant family for assistance, and have received from their liberal hands provisions in scarce winters, as well as numberless acts of kindness; and in consequence, they, I believe, sincerely respect these friends. One day I was seated near the fountain sketching, and a Druse woman, with whom I had a slight acquaintance from previous visits to the place, came up, and after saluting me, began to bewail the recent loss of a highly-esteemed member of the family I allude to. "Never," she said, wiping her eyes, "never shall we see his like again! Who that saw his life could help loving him?"-" Do you believe he is with God now?" I asked, knowing that the Druses excluded Christians from their heaven, and indeed all but themselves. "Ah yes!" replied the poor woman, weeping more than before, “I feel sure of it. He served God and helped every one, Druse and Christian-he must be with God now." What a testimony! I went on to ask her if her people did not think that the blessed among themselves went to China after death (a very odd paradise, certainly, but such is their idea). "Yes," she said, "they say so; but I am ignorant--I don't know much about China."-" Well, I have read a good deal about it," I told her, "and the people there are clever in making cups and in cultivating tea; but crockery and tea do not constitute paradise. Ah no! my dear friend; our Book tells us that the blessed go to a far better place, where sin and sorrow and tears cannot follow them." And I told her of Jesus and his love, and of our hopes in him. She seemed much interested; but the hard part of speaking to Druses is, that they are too ready to acquiesce and please at the time; while the awe in which they are brought up of the secret tenets, which only the asleh or initiated among themselves know, keeps them from daring to think steadily and seriously on religious subjects, or avowing it if they did. They will often listen, especially to English people, and this is always some advantage. We know not where the seed may, by grace, be enabled to take root; but words of acquiescence mean nothing with them, because their curious tenets permit that, for political ends, they should please strangers, and say that falsehoods towards them are no sin. A little while ago a very agreeable and handsome , Druse chief visited us. I was asked afterwards by one of my friends if I noticed him clear his throat, as if he had a cold, on entering. I replied, "I suppose he felt hoarse."—"Not at all; this clearing or hemming is a ceremony among his people, and means to convey twenty curses to every Christian in the room (a higher number to Jews and to Moslems; but as we were all Christians, this was only our share). Nor does personal friendship excuse him from the custom." We visited the wife of the principal Druse the other day, and the Christian maid-servant who went before to announce us evidently thought extraordinary respect was necessary, for she ran first to change her walkingdress, and after ushering us in with much ceremony, herself seized the head of the mistress of the house and kissed the top of it! (this being a special mark of humility and devotion, it seems). There were signs that greater wealth had once been in the house, which possessed some ancient wood-carving and arched windows, &c., but all very ill kept; and a heap of corn lay on the floor in one corner, near the cradle where the baby was asleep, its covering fringed with gold, and its cap adorned with little silver chains and coins. The mother and wife of the Bey (as he was usually called) looked as if they led a quiet in-door life, not being weather-beaten and roughened by daily toil like most of their neighbours; in fact, they rarely stir from the house. But when we came to talk to them, they had even less to say than the poorest peasant woman, their minds seeming utterly blank of ideas. The younger one was pretty, as far as a face devoid of expression can be. It was impossible to keep up conversation long with people who had nothing to say, and it was quite a relief when grapes were brought in, giving something to occupy guests and hostess. (In this season grapes supply the place of sherbet and coffee.) The men are much more conversational, as they mix more with others; and many of them are in the habit of dropping in quite familiarly into our abode, the venerable head of the family being highly esteemed by them. Sometimes two or three will come in the evening, and stay during evening worship. A few days ago an elderly man, who was with us at prayers, held a long conversation respecting the chapter just read with his host and myself, and made some very intelligent remarks, but only in an intellectual point of view. Another (who is a man of property, and has one of the handsomest faces that can be seen, but for the fault, so general in his people, of a suspicious and curious expression of eye, as if unable to look quite straight at you) comes here occasionally; and when some of my friends went by special invitation to visit him, having some mutual business to transact, they met with a most hospitable reception, and found quite a feast prepared, or what, considering the poverty of the mountains, seemed such. And yet they do not venture to drink coffee with this friend! Personally, they would have no idea that he would think of injuring them; but among the numerous relatives who reside in his house there are supposed to be some who are not so friendly as he is to Christians; and they will always shield one another under any circumstances, so that the friendship of the scheikh could be no absolute protection. For the same reason, they take care to return by broad daylight if possible when going to this family, who live at two hours' distance. The Christians, having often rougher manners and less complimentary language, are not so popular with foreigners as Druses; but though we know God's Spirit can change even a nature warped by being bred up in deceit, we ought to be aware that the polite expressions are, as a general rule, merely assumed for policy. The roughest Lebanon peasant, however, in hairy garment and ragged shirt, is courteous and graceful compared to most English or German countrymen, and that not to strangers only, nor nearly so much, as to their own equals! I often observe with pleasure the meeting of |