Together, they admired the wonderful objects which Italy presents to the view of the learned, the curious, the intelligent; and in uniting genius to genius, mind to mind, young in feeling, strong enough to be reconciled to fate, both forgot that they stood together in altered circumstances; they thought not of their future days, but lived for the present. Thus fleeted many months, and Cunnington returned to England an altered but improved man from that tour, -and the reader must now follow him to the House of Lords, on the occasion of his taking his seat. The topic of the time was one of those exciting measures of reform which had metamorphosed every social board into a political arena, where the fair sex, impelled by various motives, but with all their characteristic enthusiasm, engaged themselves as partisans on either side. The House of Lords was thronged; and ladies on this great occasion had sought admission, and were intermingled with the crowd below the bar. Perhaps never had this grave assembly presented so chequered a scene. But there were also present, some who came there from deeper motives than politics or ambition. There were hearts throbbing warmly towards our débutant, not only with those affections which instinctive nature has planted in us for those who first tended our helpless infancy, but also with those more exquisite sensations which the word love can best define,-while he, the sole object of their thoughts, was too preoccupied to bestow on them even a glance of recognition. Silence reigned as Cunnington commenced speaking: whilst, with flushed cheeks and brilliant eyes, the aspirant for fame spoke in such thrilling tones, that Alice Lemington could hardly restrain her tears. When reverting to his hours of idleness, Cunnington said, "that now he felt how many precious hours he had mispent, but that a life of usefulness should yet be his, and that his country's welfare should be dearer to him than all other feelings. His course of politics was fixed; he was a moderate man; he neither wished to be a high Whig nor a high Tory; both were good in moderation—both bad when party feeling succeeded to national virtue. He thought the feuds of the Capulets and Montagus represented Whigs and Tories when both parties ran too high, when acknowledging the truth of a clause a Whig would not give his approbation to a Tory, or a Tory to a Whig. The most fervent wish he had was to forget self-dear to him was the dream of political fame, but he was prepared to earn it by mounting rugged steeps; he expected to toil for the fruit of the Hesperides; he had no charm by which he could soften throbbing warmly towards only with those affections nature has planted in us fo sole object of their though occupied to bestow on the of recognition. Silence reigned as Cunnin speaking: whilst, with flubrilliant eyes, the aspirant f such thrilling tones, that "ly restrain her te |