without an excuse as often as she pressed him to the duties of reading or prayer. On these occasions he regularly made his escape from the cabin, generally indeed with a playful air, but sometimes with a surliness of manner which excited considerable irritation in Louisa's mind, and led her not seldom to address him as one in a state of utter' reprobation, and an avowed enemy of religion. These improper attacks on her part, made the subject of religion more hateful to him than ever; for although he knew not what religion might be, yet he knew well enough what it ought not to be: so that when his wife assailed him upon the subject, he frequently told her, that he believed he had as much true religion as she had; adding, that if her piety did not teach her the duty she owed her husband, he considered it as of very little use

It may be supposed that Louisa, who was naturally sweet tempered, had been considerably provoked before she began to reproach her husband with so much bitterness as to draw upon herself such unqualified censure: but the false views of religion which she had so long entertained were precisely such as administer most largely to the natural pride of man's heart, rendering him uncharitable to his fellow creatures, and abundantly more prone to condemn than to conciliate his opposers. He that has just views of religion knows his own depravity; and if he is made to differ from another, he knows to whom alone the glory is due: so that without taking any credit to himself on any occasion, his heart is drawn out in love toward the sinner even while he shrinks with horror from the pollution of sin.

In this uncomfortable manner did these young people pass their time, during the first few weeks of their residence on board ship.

In the mean while, the vessel was tossed about in the Bay of Biscay by adverse winds. At length, however, entering into a finer climate, the female passengers were in consequence enabled to appear more frequently in public, and the society on board became more lively.

Louisa Harley's mind, as we have before remarked, was always strongly affected by the passing scene; and on this occasion she became so entirely occupied by her new companions, that, before she was aware of any change in her

habits, she had for a considerable time omitted all her usual forms of devotion; neither was she sensible of the omission, until her husband one day awakened her to some compunction, by complimenting her upon the change which had taken place in her character, assuring her that she was become infinitely more agreeable since she had ceased to be a religious persecutor. This remark, though not intended to produce such an effect, occasioned some little revival of her religious feelings; but it was of no duration; the gay company by which she was surrounded soon engrossed her attention again; insomuch that upon her landing in India, she was as eager to partake of its pleasures and gayeties as any person in the regiment.

As Fort-William, which is the station for troops at Calcutta, was completely full when the regiment arrived in India, it was immediately put in boats on the Hoogley, and sent up the country to a beautiful situation in the province of Behar, called Ghazepoor. This station is surrounded by fields of roses, whose delightful odours perfume all the neighbouring country during the season of their bloom.

Ghazepoor stands on a higl. bank of the Ganges. In this place, over an extensive plain, are scattered many bungalows for officers and other gentlemen resident on the station, with several ranges of barracks for soldiers. The country around is generally flat, abounding with corn plantations, beautifully diversified with groves of mangoe and tamarind, together with fine specimens of the pepul, a tree which is held sacred by the superstitious natives, on account of a remarkable trembling and rustling among the leaves, which continues even at those times when not the smallest breath of air is observed to agitate the leaf of any other plant.

When arrived at this station, Captain Vivian speedily procured a handsome house, where he established his fa mily in the utmost luxury which his ample pay would afford. He supplied himself with carriages of various descriptions, entertained as many as thirty servants, and furnished his house as if he were not merely the resident of a day in that station, but had the probable certainty of finishing his course upon earth in that place of his sojourn.

I have no doubt but that my reader will be anxious to know how Louisa conducted herself in this new situa

tion, and whether her former religious profession seemed to have any effect on her present conduct, now that she was excluded from all the ordinary means of grace: for there was no place of worship at that time in Ghazepoor, nor for hundreds of miles around, and few perhaps of the English inhabitants of the place had even so much as a copy of the word of God in their possession. I am sorry to say, and yet it is perhaps no more than might be expected, that Mrs. Vivian, although she not unfrequently expressed her regret at the want of a place of public worship, acquiesced nevertheless very quietly in that deficiency-and, what is still more, so thoroughly was she engaged by the new mode of life upon which she had entered, that for sometime she never felt the need of those religious observances which had once formed the occupation of her life.

It may hereafter be made to appear still more plainly than has hitherto been done, that Louisa had never yet discovered in what true religion consists, nor had ever been made sensible of its real influence; and that hence she was enabled to rest contented without those empty forms, from which she had in vain endeavoured to obtain satisfaction. Thus much however is certain, that, after her arrival in India, and on being introduced to a situation in which she was absolutely excluded from the appointed means of divine worship and instruction, she yielded without a struggle to existing circumstances, becoming altogether as lax in her private as she was compelled to be in her public habits of devotion and being at the same time attracted by the new objects which surrounded her, as well as amused by the novel forins of Indian life, she shortly became as complete a votary of the world, as any of those ladies of her acquaintance who had never taken up a religions profession.

:

Her husband speedily observed this change in ber habits, though he refrained from making any remarks upon it; becanse as her religion had formerly proved a source of discord between them, he feared to revive the recollection of circumstances which had left nothing but disagreeable impressions on his mind. He was, in consequence, however, not a little pleased to see her set free from what he called her superstitious prejudices, and discovering a state of mind more conformable to the maxims of the world.

As the mode of life led by European ladies in India is

but little understood in England, we shall here give a de scription of the manner in which Mrs. Vivian passed her time at the period of which we are speaking. She resided in a large house, elegantly furnished according to the prevailing custom of the country, the floors of the apartments being covered with fine matting, and the walls adorned with glass shades for lamps, or burnished sconces.

In her new residence more than thirty native servants were always ready to obey her call, and every variety of carriage was provided to carry her abroad, either before sunrise in the morning, or in the evening at the hour of sunset. It was seldom, however, that Mrs. Vivian used her carriages in a morning; because, although she rose early, she generally spent the hours while her husband attended his duty, in studiously and tastefully arraying herself for appearing at breakfast at which early meal a large party of officers seldom failed to attend, being as much attracted by the lively conversation of the lady of the house as by the hospitable and elegant repast with which the table was set forth.

In this manner, and in such company, Mrs. Vivian wasted the only hours of the day, which in those burning climates can well be devoted to active duties. And when the heat became oppressive, which generally happens during the greater part of the year about nine o'clock, she withdrew to her own apartments, where, extended on a sofa, she idled away the remainder of the morning in giving directions to her tailors, looking over her clothes, or reading some amusing book. At one o'clock she was called again into company, this being the hour of luncheon; and it was considered as an extraordinary thing if several strangers did not drop in about that time. The hours of the afternoon were again devoted to lounging, sleep, and dressing; after which Mrs. Vivian took the air in one of her carriages, generally finishing the day in some large public party, among whom she shone forth, superbly dressed, with a bloom superior to that of every other lady present, being naturally handsome, and from her recent arrival from Europe still bearing on her lips and cheeks some remains of that freshness, which a few years' residence in India infallibly destroys.

Thus passed the first twelve months of Mrs. Vivian's re

sidence in India, during the greater part of which she appeared to be in one continued dream of pleasure. But as the novelty of the scene wore away, and as she became accustomed to her many attendants, her numerous carriages, and her variety of superb dresses, an inexpressible degree of listlessness and languor, which were increased by the depressing effect of the climate, succeeded to the high flow of spirits she had so long experienced. And in addition to this, a prospect being now held out to her of becoming a mother, she suddenly withdrew herself from company, pleading her health as an excuse; when with the same enthusiasm of character which marked her on all occasions, she devoted herself to making the most elegant preparations for the reception of the expected little stranger.

As Louisa did not insist upon her husband confining himself with her, and as she was cheerful whenever he met her at home, he did not interfere with this new arrangement, especially as she had made it appear to him that it was necessary to her health: and thus she was left at full liberty to indulge this new dream of happiness, which was the more dangerous, inasmuch as it was so much more interesting than the one from which she had just awoke.

There is nothing more affecting than to see the unregenerate creature pursuing one appearance of happiness after another, and, though subject to continual and certain disappointment, again and again renewing the pursuit in new directions, untaught by experience, and wholly incapable either of comprehending the reason of those failures which he constantly experiences, or of drawing from them any profitable instruction. But to return to Louisa.

The child so earnestly desired, and so carefully provided for before its birth, at length arrived. It was a daughter, and was singularly lovely.

Examples of great human beauty are rare; but when they do appear, they afford the most attractive sample of the divine power and workmanship: for what are the finest inanimate beauties of creation, when compared with the intellectual glory of the human eye, the exquisite proportion of feature, together with the delicate and varying tinctures of the glossy complexion.

In the infant Louisa all these charms were united. Whether she was seen reposing in her cradle in innocent