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thickly, than the daisies in a summer In the middle stood a solitary hackneymeadow."

Here he paused again, with a look that seemed to say-" Do you believe me?" and for my part I did not see any occasion to tell him it was a lie; it would not have been polite to one who carried, as he did, a stout oak cudgel, and looked as if he knew how to use it. So I contented myself with observing-" If this story be trueand I don't take upon myself to say it is not-there must be some deviltry at the bottom of it-some old signing of bonds in one's own blood-conveying a soul or so over to the old gentleman in black."

"You are a fool," replied my guest, tartly; "nothing more is required to the great end than courage to gain, and industry to gather. If you have these, you have all, and nothing will be demanded of you in return, though you should carry off a cart-load of treasure."

"But, my worthy counsellor in the art diabolic-for I must yet affirm, in spite of all you say, this has a strong relish of diabolus in it-"

"I tell you, no!" interrupted my guest, vehemently.

"Don't be angry for the matter," I said, "it is not worth it. But you must yourself own, that, if this key were the key of Paradise, it would be of marvellous little use to me, unless I knew where to find the gate it was intended to open."

"You speak well," he replied, pushing aside his glass, and taking out his watch, "The very time! day has just begun there.-Follow me!"

"You forget our account here-let us ring for the waiter first."

coach, with a pair of huge grey horses, or rather living skeletons of horses, for the celebrated “anatomie vivante" had not a better claim to the title than those semi-transparent animals; it was a marvel to me how they held together at all, and still more how they contrived to carry such long, handsome tails, which might have become the charger of a life-guardsman. On the box of the said coach sat a tall lean negro, well worthy to be the driver of such cattle. He had on a high, steeple-crowned hat, grey boots, grey pantaloons, that, to use the hostler's phrase, were spick and span new, and his beard, too, was grey,not as in old age, with a silver tint, but approaching the color of ashes,and, that nothing might be wanting to make a complete grey man of him, he wore a cloak of the same complexion.

In my life I had never seen a more droll-looking Jehu.

"Co-ach-man !-co-ach-man !”called my new friend, dwelling on every syllable as if he had got the asthma -"Co-ach-man!"

The grey man flourished his whip with a knowing wink, and a nod of the head, as much as to say, "I understand,” and drove up to us in grand style, not leaving a hair's-breadth between his wheel and the curb-stone. In a second he had dismounted; slap went down the steps, and I found myself handed into the carriage almost before I was aware of it.

"Good evening, and a lucky journey to you," said my friend; "though you will find it morning where you are going."

The grey man hastily packed up It is not needed; he is paid alrea- the steps again, and slammed the door dy."

"If that be the case, there is nothing more to be said; and I am at your service."

And off we set, arm-in-arm, diving through sundry blind alleys and crooked lanes, conspicuous alike for dirt and ragged children, till we at last emerged upon a wide street, that was as strange to me as if it had been one of the highways of ancient Babylon.

to.

"But, my excellent monitor," I exclaimed, "will not you,- -stop, coachman-stop, I tell you." The rascal had one foot on the wheel already-" but, my very worthy counsellor, are not you going with me?"

"No occasion,” he replied; “old Harry knows where to drive you to. He has gone with many before on the same road.”

"Aye, aye, master," said the grey man ; "I know the road well enough. It's a half-crown fare when I carry a mean one; and a good four shillingsworth when a gentleman steps into my coach."

I would have protested against venturing upon so singular a journey, unless accompanied by the proposer of it, but all my remonstrances were effectually drowned in the clatter of the coach, which now set off at a rate that I had not expected from the lean condition of the cattle. The pavement struck a continued stream of fire from their shoes, as we flew along through street after street, all apparently deserted, and all equally unknown to me, though, till this time, I had flattered myself there was not a single corner of London with which I was not as well acquainted as the horse of a doctor in high practice. A four-shilling fare !-the grey man had done himself less than justice; we had already travelled over ground to three times that amount, and were now clear of the city, clattering, like mad, down a steep hill, that led, of course, somewhere, though where I could not imagine. The farther we went, the higher grew the walls of earth on either side of the road, till at last, their height was such as to completely exclude the light of day. Before and behind me was night, yet still we flew on,-on,-on,-on,-till I began to think I had realized, in my own person, the idea of perpetual motion, and was destined to whirl along for the rest of my life like a comet revolving in its orbit. But herein I was happily mistaken. We did at last stop before an immense pair of folding-doors, of brass or some heavy metal, let into the solid rock, which latter was scraped out into the form of an arch. Above this stood two colossal figures, each holding in its brazen grasp a chafing dish, full of live embers, that threw a lurid light for a few yards round, just sufficient to show the inscription over it-"CARPE

DIEM,"

This little memorandum gave me no particular encouragement to pro3 ATHENEUM, VOL. 1, 3d series.

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Stop a moment, coachman," I exclaimed, as he took up his whip, and was about to give it the preparatory flourish-" Just stop for a minute or so! Stop! I say,-I have a mind to go back with you."

"But I have no mind that you should. Tschick! tschick-gee-up, ho, lads!" He was gone.

I

What was to be done now? might as well go on, since it seemed there was no way of getting back,— at least for the present,- -So I applied my rusty old key to the ponderous lock before me, not a little doubtful, though, of the result; when, to my great surprise, it not only fitted exactly, but at the first touch of it the bolt shot from its fastening. The doors then swung slowly on their hinges, as if impelled by some invisible hand, and showed me a spacious hall of white marble, supported by columns of the same, and with windows, that, from the light streaming upon the pavement, must open into day, though all behind me, for many a mile, was utter darkness. I had little hesitation in entering a place of such fair promise, when the gates again closed after me, as they had opened, of their own accord : but this gave me little trouble, as I had carefully retained the key, and had, therefore, no occasion to fear the being detained against my will.

Boldly passing on through this noble hall, I suddenly found myself in a world,—for I may call a space so limitless a world,--that fairly struck me dumb with wonder. Above me was a crystal sky, brilliant with excess of light, although it had neither sun, nor moon, nor stars, nor any other visible source of so much splendor. Before me, and on both sides, as far as the eye could reach, was hill after hill, valley after valley, the soil of which was gold-dust, the rocks gold,

and the stones thickly set in it, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and all those gems to which the fancy of man has given an estimation. Thousands of human beings were busy, in all directions, with shovel and pick-axe, sweeping up the yellow dust, or rending the jewels from their beds of gold; and, indeed, the work must have been carried on for ages, for the ground was full of immense cavities, that appeared to have resulted from the mining after the treasures imbedded in it. Of the multitudes thus employed, some were young, and others old, but by far the greater part were no less burthened by their years than by the riches they had collected and stowed away in their pockets, to the great increase of their persons. What was still more singular, the aged were infinitely the most industrious. They scarcely allowed themselves time to eat or drink, so intent were they in adding to their loads, even when they were sinking under them; but the young, with a few exceptions only, took the matter much more easily; they would frequently leave a ruby or a sapphire ungathered, after they had nearly detached it from the rock, and leave some crafty old fellow to reap the benefit of their labor, while they stepped aside for no other purpose than to pluck some new flower that grew near them, or to indulge in the fruit, which, it must be owned, looked most deliciously.

While I was admiring this novel sight, with no little inclination to join in a labor so agreeable, I was accosted by a dark, portly man, who in dress and figure strongly resembled a Dutch burgomaster, when Holland was under the rule of Spaniards. In his right hand he carried a substantial cane, headed with ivory, such as rich men of a certain age are in the habit of carrying, more as a prop to their dig nity than to their limbs. Though not so fat as a London alderman in full perfection, he yet had a waist of comfortable dimensions, which, as he was of the tallest, did not show so much amiss; and, indeed, he had no want of dignity, though it was not precisely

that kind which assimilates with the received notions of a king or a hero. He was too homely for the one character, and too fat for the other; for, notwithstanding the example of Napoleon, there is something peculiarly incongruous in the idea of a great waist and a great man. His complexion, however, was all that a novelist could wish for his hero, being so dark that it might well be called olive, and his dress was a rich, but sober-colored Spanish habit; so that, altogether, he had the appearance of a merchant of the olden time when merchants were princes.

"Well, Sir," said this portly figure, laying his hand condescendingly upon my shoulder,-" you are come, like the rest of them, to see what you can pick up in my gardens."

I thought it best not to tell a lie for the matter-that is, not a direct liefor he had a terrible eye under his bushy brows; so I treated his question half in joke, half in earnest, saying that I might, perhaps, be tempted to pick up a few handsful of dust, or some half-score of jewels, if I could be well assured that there were no steel traps or spring-guns set in his premises.

"For what do you take me?" said the portly gentleman, frowning.

"For the owner of this splendid estate," I replied, with a conciliatory bow.

"You are right," he said, "I am so, and if it were only for that word, you may gather a cart-load of diamonds, or gold, or whatever else happens best to tickle your fancy. How say you, friend: have you a mind to this gem?"

"Nothing," I replied, "would please me better-though—” for I did not yet feel convinced he was in earnest" though I can hardly reconcile it to my conscience to rob you of such precious treasures."

"Treasures, quotha! Aye, that is one of the many fancies of you simple folks of the upper earth. But think so still for me; I shall the sooner get rid of the rubbish, which lies more thickly on the land than is

like to be good for my fruit trees. Here, Gobliner."

The being thus summoned, and who hastened to us at the call, was, as I imagined, a gnome, and this the kingdom of the gnomes, though, I must confess, the appearance of the portly gentleman was not that of a ruler of spirits. Gobliner, however, with his yellow face and long muscular arms, fully justified my suspicion.

"Gobliner," said the portly gentleman, "give this honest man a spade and pick-axe; he has taken a fancy to help in clearing off the stones for you."

"I am glad to hear it, master," said the gnome, "for they lie thicker this year than ever; for my part, I think they must grow like the carrots and turnips, only it may be not quite so fast."

"Bad philosophy, Gobliner," replied his master; "but give my friend here his tools, and e'en let him set to work as soon as he pleases.”

I was accordingly furnished with the requisite implements, and was trotting off in a violent hurry to a very promising mass of rock, in which the diamonds were stuck like pins in a toilette cushion, when the portly gentleman again laid his hand upon my shoulder.

"Hark ye a moment, mine honest friend-there is yet one thing for you to learn-one little condition, before you begin your operations, for I like to deal on the square with the folks who come here."

My countenance fell in an instant. I thought directly of the devil and his old tricks, and had scarcely courage to faulter out,-" Pray, Sir, what is this condition ?"

"Oh, no great matter; it is only that folks are allowed but a single day in my grounds. Work away, there fore, as hard as you please till nightfall; dig gold and diamonds, or gather the fruits from the trees, or sit still without doing any thing, just as you think proper; it is all the same to me. But, remember, when you see the crystal above you clouded with a grey tint, as if a veil had been drawn over

it, then is our twilight, and, hard upon that, follows darkness, when you are like to be turned out, if you stay so long, with certain disagreeable accompaniments. I tell you this, that you may make the best use of your time, and not blame me afterwards if you should find your labor has been great and your pleasure little."

Thus saying, the portly gentleman strode off, with a patronizing nod, followed by Gobliner, who turned back from time to time, mocking at me with his long yellow hands, and chuckling with delight, as if he had some pleasant piece of mischief in viewpleasant, I mean, to himself-for I did not suspect him of too much goodnature. I had, however, little leisure to think of him. There were diamonds to be dug, and fruit to be gathered, for my mind was made up to neglect neither; though, as a prudent man, I resolved not to tickle my appetite till I had collected an ample supply of gold and precious stones. Even if this should occupy the day, what would that matter? When the twilight came on, it would be time enough to think of indulging myselfthough, truth to say, the fruit looked tempting beyond measure, and the single taste I ventured on, by way of experiment, had a surpassing relish with it, that almost upset my resolution.

Such was the profusion of precious stones, glittering from the rocks on all sides, that I calculated on digging out as many as I could possibly want long before the darkness. But this was a grievous mistake, as I soon found out when I actually set to work. The greater part of the diamonds grew on the steep sides of precipices, not to be climbed without infinite peril to my neck; and those that were more within reach lay imbedded in rock that was harder than the hardest granite. Not that these difficulties deterred me from the labor; so far from it, I toiled with unabated diligence hour after hour, neglecting the delicious fruits which seemed ready to drop into my mouth, and, by the time of twilight, had got together a

tolerable parcel of the largest diamonds-not to speak of topazes, emeralds, and gold-dust. Even then I thought I might as well continue my work a little longer. The evening had, it is true, thrown a grey veil over the crystal sky; but who could say how long such a twilight would last? It might, for aught I knew, endure for hours; so that there would be still time to sit down and enjoy myself. On, therefore, I went, most gallantly, with spade and pick-axe, digging and hammering, rending and gathering, till I could absolutely work no longer; indeed, I could scarcely move hand or foot the sky, too, grew darker and darker; and I began to think it would be as well to rest contented with what I had got, and enjoy myself while there was any twilight remaining. But here again I had reckoned without my host, or rather my passion for gold and diamonds had blinded me to all other considerations. Having wasted the day in such excessive toil, I was almost too weary to gather the fruit; and when I did reach any, the same feeling of fatigue rendered me incapable of enjoying it.

Night now unfolded her wings, and sank down in darkness upon the earth, like a vulture overshadowing the prey it has struck; and a deep bell, that seemed to be tolled in the very centre of the earth, sent a heavy summons to all that the day was over. At this signal, the plains and hills suddenly swarmed with gnomes, in face and figure the exact prototypes of Gobliner, if indeed they did not-many of them, at least-deserve the palm of superior ugliness. These ferocious monsters were armed with whips, which they cracked with high glee about the ears of those who, like myself, had loitered to this late hour, driving us forward, as if we had been a flock of sheep, to the great hall. Wearied as I was, and with such beagles close upon my heels, it is no wonder that by degrees I lost the

whole of the precious burthen I had toiled so hard for. Diamond dropped after diamond, emerald after emerald, and, if I paused for an instant to pick up the fallen treasure, the lash of the gnomes soon reminded me that time was no longer at my own disposal. Indeed, I was often glad, when we came on the more broken parts of the ground, to fling away a portion of my load, dear as it was to me, that I might get on the more easily; and thus, in one way or the other, by the time I reached the hall, I had not a single sample left of all my treasure.

There was no occasion for the key to let me out the great folding-doors now stood wide open, the gnomes smacking their whips behind us, and the road before us being covered with vehicles of all kinds, from the proud coach and six, through all the intermediate degree of carriages and pair, demi-fortune, and gig, down to the humble hackney. Vexed beyond measure at my own folly in having thus wasted the whole day in fruitless toil, instead of enjoying myself, I jumped into the first vacant coach, and, holding out a crown-piece to the driver, bade him drive like fury. He took me at my word. Off we set at full gallop, with as little regard to our necks as might be; and as many of my neighbors, probably under the influence of the same feelings, were going at the same rate, I had no right to wonder at our vehicles coming in collision. Off flew the wheel-down smashed the coach; and I was thrown upon the hard road with so much violence that-awoke me! I was still in the auction-room, where, thanks to the eloquence of Mr. Fudge, I had been comfortably asleep for the last two hours. The Venus or Hercules was going." Nine hundred and eighty guineas are bid for this magnificent torso."-" One thousand!" I cried." Thank you, Sir.-Going for one thousand guineas-gone!"

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