frequently found in Scotland, with which the ancient inhabitants probably barbed their shafts, are supposed to be the weapons of Fairy resentment, and are termed elf-arrow-heads.' 'Elf-arrows,' in Aberdeenshire; 'Elf or Fairy-stones,' in Berwickshire; 'Elf-arrow-heads,' in Banffshire; "Fairies' arrows,' in Caithness; 'Elf-shots,' in Scotland; 'Elf-arrows,' in Ireland.'

Nor was it only the brute that was supposed to suffer from the archery of the Elves. Elf-shot' is explained by Jamieson as meaning also 'Disease, supposed to be produced by the immediate agency of evil spirits.' Place side by side with this, the following from the Landnamabok; -The arrow, (or shot,) lit upon Thorarinn, and he went distraught.'

Yet another lingering trait, or simple suggestion of general likeness. In a note, the compiler of the 'Statistical Account of Kirk-michael,' Bays, Notwithstanding the progressive increase of knowledge and proportional decay of superstition, these beings-that is, fairies-are still supposed by many of the people to exist in the woods and sequestered valleys of the mountains, where they frequently appear to the lonely traveller clothed in green, with dishevelled hair floating over their shoulders, and with faces more blooming than the vermeil blush of a summer morning. At night, in particular, the wandering enthusiast is frequently entertained by their music, more melodious than he ever before heard.'

Yet another, of Cumbrian origin, and put into tedious doggrel by a 'Cumbrian minstrel.' A countryman, who had been to the mill for a bag of oatmeal, hears, as he plods his heavy way homewards, ravishing music, which evidently proceeds from a 'clay-built cottage' near a wood. He goes to the door and looks in, and

'Since he first beheld the light,

He ne'er had seen a fairer sight!
A band of fairies heavenly fair,
Arrayed in green with neatest care,
In youthful bloom, whilst every grace
Adorned each lovely Elfin's face;
And as the music gaily played,
A thousand antic springs they made;
Now here, now there, now high, now low,
Now strangely quick, now gently slow;

Still as the minstrels changed, so they

Their movements changed, and danced away.'

Delighted with the gay scene, and entranced by the ravishing music, he stays on a little, as he proposes and thinks: for he never lays aside his sagging burden; some quarter of an hour, as it seems-and then moves more hastily than he had been doing before, in order to make up for lost time, and not keep his family hungrily waiting for what he bore on his shoulder. Arrived at home, or what should have been home, he finds all things strangely altered. To the residents, however, the strangest object in the scene is himself-for he is taken for his own ghost.

His very wife,

'As soon as she her man beheld,

Her aspect seemed with terror filled:
She screamed aloud, and back retreating
Endeavoured to avoid the meeting !'

Amazed, and a little bit irritated too, he remonstrates with her about such strange behaviour on her part, only to hear in reply

This seven long years you have been dead.

The fact I recollect too well,

As all the neighbours round can tell.'

It was a fact:-he had been away seven years, and his wife, after a decent widowhood of twelve months, had married again. At last, however, by dint of reiterated explanation and asseveration, he, his wife, and his fellow villagers, are mutually convinced, and his conclusion is thus delivered:

'Nay then, quoth he, the thing's unriddled;

For seven long years they danced and fiddled,
And mine the folly-not the crime→

Was looking at them all the time.

I find I've been a stupid Elf;

Now let me haste, and hang myself.'

The Northumbrian Auwis-bore, Elf-bore, Fairy Dance, Fairy Hillock, Fairy Ring, Elf-mill, Elf-cup, are all suggestive; and I believe, are all referrible, and admitting of identification as referrible, to the Elf proper. Both Swedish and Danish legends or Folk-lore-seem to place that beyond doubt. But I must content myself here with a short notice of the Fairy Ring or Hillock, and Dance. Our Danish Collection in one place characterizes the Elle-folk as 'mightily given to the pastime of dancing. They prosecute the dance, night after night, in a certain circular spot within the forest (in Öland) which is girt in on all sides with hills. In this place no grass grows, and the prints of the Elfmaidens' feet on the soil are plainly to be seen.' 'They impress upon the surface the marks of circles,' says Sir W. Scott, 'which sometimes appear yellow and blasted. The removal of those large portions of turf which thunder-bolts sometimes scoop out of the ground with singular regularity, is also ascribed to their agency;' while Mr. Waldron, 'a scholar and a gentleman,' gravely declares that he has himself seen the impressions of small feet among the snow,' which he believes to have been due to the feet of the airy Elves. And in Northumberland 'spots are pointed out in sequestered places as the favourite haunts of the Elves. A few miles from Alnwick is a fairy-ring, round which if people run more than nine times, some evil will befall them. The children constantly run this number, but nothing will, induce them to venture a tenth run.'Keightley, p. 310.

This is exactly paralleled by a case in this district.

There was a

singularly fine fairy-ring, at Fairy-cross Plain, in this parish-a place which will be mentioned again before long, in connection with the Elfin race-round which children, in the time of my parish clerk's childhood, (and he is not fifty yet,) would run any number of times short of nine, himself among the number. Nothing would induce them to run the ninth, for if they did it would 'raise the fairies,' who were held to have great power to harm, and a willingness too, if treated neglectingly or despitefully.

(To be continued.)

LILLA'S RELATIONS.

CHAPTER IX.

'I DON'T believe it—it is some joke of yours, Miss Lilla.'
But, Serle, I assure you it is true; ask my father.'
'And master going to be left at home alone?'

'You see he cannot go because of the Confirmation.'
'Why don't you wait till after it, then?'

'My aunt cannot delay her journey so long.'

'Humph!'

'Now, Serle, don't "humph" at me; you are always wanting me to see the world. I thought you would be pleased.'

'You'll be getting into some mischief among they there French Counts and Marquises, and coming home a Papist; besides, as to my wanting you to see the world, it depends on who you see it with.'

'Well, I am sure you could not find a nicer person than my aunt for anyone to go with.'

'That is as people think, Miss. She is not my sort.'

'Now, Surly, you are always saying people are not your sort. You used to call Mr. Hingston "that there fellow," till you came to know him well. I believe it is only lately you have come to approve of him.'

'Miss Lilla, Mr. Hingston has his faults, I don't deny; but at the same time he has sense at the bottom of it, and he is not deep, like some people.'

'What people? Who is deep?"

'Never you mind what people, Miss Elizabeth. I know my place, and it's no business of mine to put people against their relations.'

'But, Surly, I wish you would not set yourself against my going; it is only for two months, and my father is to come to us after the Confirmation.'

'Of course, Miss, I cannot set myself against anything Mr. Seyton wishes; only I think he will repent of it when you are gone; and I, for my part, wonder you like to go away and leave him like that.'

Lilla looked extremely grieved.

Well, Serle, I thought about it a great deal, and I said at first I would not go; but my father said he really wished it, and Mr. Hingston advised my going too, and so I consented.'

'You didn't want to go at all yourself, I suppose?'

Lilla detected the tone of sarcasm, which it was rather difficult to reply to, because she was still in the painful position of longing to go, and yet not bearing to leave her father. Just as she was hesitating for an answer, Serle made it for her

'There, there, Miss Lilla, I know all about it, and 'tis natural, I dare say; only I feel for master, poor man!' With these words Serle, whose hands had hitherto been covered with the dough and flour of a batch of bread, wrung them as if she would express her utter abandonment of the whole business, and stalked majestically out of the kitchen towards the flour-bin. Lilla took advantage of her absence to escape, passing through the back regions and emerging by a side-path into the garden. Four of the Woodleigh guests were entering this low side flower-garden at the same moment-Mrs. Vivian from the drawing-room window, Grace from the front-door, Mary and Charles together from the shrubbery. Equally with her own, all their faces were overclouded with different shades of perplexity, with the exception of that of Charles, who alone of the whole party looked at ease.

Mrs. Vivian accosted her son-Charles, you are extremely imprudent; Mr. Dobson said three or four turns in the sun-I am certain you have been out at least half an hour, and in the damp shrubbery too.-Mary, I am surprised at your encouraging your cousin to do what you know must be bad for him.'

'The blame rests on me alone, Mother. I went of my own free will from under the burning rays of the sun, which was strong enough to throw anyone into a fever; and Mary could not have encouraged me to do so, seeing she has only just returned from carrying something to one of the Vicar's old women.'

'Oh, indeed, I fancied I saw her walking up and down with you.'

'You must have sharp eyes, if you were sitting where I left you, to see into the shrubbery-walk, Mother.'

Grace could not restrain a smile, knowing that it was she who, standing at the window, had told her mother that Charles and Mary were walking together in the shrubbery.

'As it happens, however, Mary and I did take one turn,' he continued ; 'we were talking about the everlasting expedition; there was no imprudence though, for Dobson's order about three or four turns was dated a week ago, and he has just been here and given me leave to start if I choose with Mr. Hingston, on Tuesday, when he goes.'

Mrs. Vivian's countenance cleared.

'I am very glad to hear it-particularly glad, besides your getting well, at your going with Mr. Hingston to choose our lodgings; you know better than he what we shall want.'

'Hingston comes down to-night, does he not, Lilla?' and Charles turned abruptly to her.

"Yes. I think he will consider you a remarkable specimen of quick recovery, seeing that not three weeks ago you were in bed in high fever. I begin to think his view of this second injury being a good thing for you correct, though I thought it very absurd when he first promulgated it.'

'Mary, my dear, I think you should not stand out in the sun,' said Mrs. Vivian in her most dulcet tones; 'I must not have you overexerting yourself. Grace and I were remarking only this morning that you are pale and languid just now, and unfit for much fatigue. I hope you have not been rambling far this hot morning.'

'Why, I thought Woodleigh air had done Mary so much good,' said Mr. Seyton, who now joined the party on the lawn. I hope, my dear, you did not fag yourself about that message for me.'

'I think she has a little cold,' said Grace, before Mary had time to answer; 'I have heard her cough once or twice to-day.'

'Well, go in and rest now any way,' said Mrs. Vivian ;—' Charlie, my boy, I want to speak to you-and Mary, who was quite impressed at the formidable appearance of illness which she must present to attract her aunt's attention, went into the house, much flattered with the tone of unusual interest, but withal unable to accuse herself of any of the bodily symptoms with which she was charged.

Her uncle followed her into the house-'You are certainly looking pale and dull, he said; 'really one gets very thoughtless amongst so many people-to think of my never having noticed it before! I hope, my dear, you do not feel very unwell.'

'No, really I do not, Uncle Basil. I felt much as usual till just now. I have a head-ache at present, but that is only because everyone is telling me I look pale.'

'Well, come and sit down in my cool study; it has become quite deserted since the drawing-room is in such general use. You never come into it now.'

'You have so much speaking and company that I am sure you must be glad of a little solitude sometimes,' she answered, seating herself well pleased, nevertheless, where he had placed a chair for her.

'I shall have time enough to enjoy my solitude when you are all gone,' he answered with a slight sigh; but tell me, are you looking forward with great delight to this Parisian journey?'

'Oh, no-that is, I do not mind it so much as I thought I should when I heard of it at first.'

'You will write to me, will you not, and tell of yourself, and how Lilla seems to get on? and, Mary, much of my comfort in letting her go without myself is that you and she have become so much greater friends than promised at first."'

'Lilla would enjoy it so much more if you were there.'