Becafica was on the point of setting out, when a loud concert of trumpets, clarions, cymbals, and drums, was heard in the forest; they fancied that they heard also the tramp of many feet at no great distance from the cottage. Valiant looked out at the window, and immediately recognised several of his father's officers, with the colours and standards of their regiments, and commanded them to halt.

Never were soldiers more delighted than were these on recognising Valiant; the universal opinion being that the prince was about to put himself at their head, and to lead them against Welcome's father. The king himself, notwithstanding his great age, commanded the army. He was in a litter of velvet, embroidered with gold, followed by an open chariot, in which Narcissa and her mother were seated. When Valiant recognised his father's litter he ran up to it, and the king received him with open arms, and embraced him with every testimony of paternal love. "Whence come you, my child?" cried he; "how little do you know the affliction your absence has caused me!"- Sire," said Valiant, "deign to listen to me." The king immediately alighted from his litter, and, retiring to a grove hard by, his son informed him of his fortunate meeting with Welcome, and of the treachery of Narcissa and her mother.

The king, filled with gratitude at this good news, raised his hands and eyes to Heaven to return thanks; and, at that moment, the princess Welcome appeared before him, more lovely and more brilliant than all the stars. She was mounted on a superb palfrey; feathers of different hues ornamented her head, and her jewels consisted of the largest diamonds ever dug from the earth. She wore a hunting dress, as also

did Flora, who followed in her mistress's train. All this was the result of the good fairy's protection; and she it was, who, under the figure of an old woman, had received the princess and Valiant at the cottage in the wood.

The army now received orders to retrace its steps. The prince mounted on horseback to accompany his beautiful princess, and they were welcomed to the capital with the greatest manifestations of loyalty and affection.

The faithful Becafica, who had been charmed by the beauty and fidelity of Flora, (who, on her side, entertained no less admiration for the noble qualities of the ambassador,) begged his master to request, on his behalf, of Welcome, that she would consent to their union, and allow their nuptials to be solemnized on the day he should marry the princess. Valiant pleaded accordingly for his ambassador, and, as may be supposed, succeeded without any great difficulty. The two unhappy prisoners were, at the request of Welcome, released, and banished the kingdom for ever. The wedding-feast of the prince and princess was celebrated with great rejoicings, which lasted several months. Each day now added to their attachment. They reigned happy and peaceably over their subjects, until they reached a good old age; and their posterity inherited their kingdom and their virtues for many generations after them.

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THE SIX SPINNERS.

THERE was once a gentleman that lived in a great house, and he married a young lady who had been delicately brought up. In her husband's house she found every thing that was fine-fine tables and chairs, fine looking-glasses, and fine curtains; but then her husband expected her to be able to spin twelve hanks (or bunches) of thread every day, besides attending to her house; and, to tell the plain truth, the lady could not spin a bit. This made her husband very cross with her, and before a month had passed, she found herself very unhappy.

One day the husband went away on a journey, after telling her that he expected her, before his return, to have not only learned to spin, but to have spun a hundred hanks of thread. Quite downcast, she took a walk along the hill side, till she came to a big flat stone, and there she sat down and cried. By and by she heard a strain of gentle music, coming, as it were, from below the stone, and, on turning it up, she saw a path leading to a cave below. Here she entered, and found six little ladies in green, all spinning on little wheels and singing,

"Little kens my dame at hame,

That Whippety-Stourie is my name."

The lady was kindly asked to take a chair and sit down, while the ladies still continued their spinning. She observed that each one's mouth was drawn away to one side, but she did not venture to ask the reason. They asked why she looked so unhappy, and she told them it was because she was expected by her husband to be a good spinner, when the plain

truth was that she could not spin at all, and found herself quite unable for it, having been so delicately brought up; neither was there any need for it, as her husband was a rich man. “Oh, is that all?" said the little bodies, [speaking out at the side of their mouths.]

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Yes, and is it not a very good all too?" said the lady, her heart ready to burst with distress.

"We could easily rid you of that trouble," said the little women. "Just ask us to dinner for the day when your husband is to come back. We'll then let you see how we car manage the matter."

So the lady asked them all to dine with herself and her husband, on the day when he was to come back.

When the gentleman came home, he found the house sc occupied with preparations for dinner, that he had no time to ask his wife about her thread; and before he could speak to her on the subject, the company was announced. The six ladies all came in a coach and six, and were as fine as princesses, but still wore their dresses of green. The gentleman wondered, but was very polite, and showed them up stairs with a pair of wax candles in his hand. And so they all sat down to dinner, and conversation went on very pleasantly, till at length the husband, becoming more familiar with them, said, "Ladies, if it be not an uncivil question, I should like to know how it happens that all your mouths are turned to one side?"

"Oh," cried they, all at once, [speaking with their mouths turned to one side,] "it's with our constant spin-spin-spinning.” "Is that the case?" cried the gentleman; "then, John, Tom, and Dick, go haste and burn every rock, reel, and spin

ning-wheel in the house, for I'll not have my wife to spoil her bonnie face with spin-spin-spinning."

And so the lady lived happily with her husband all the rest of her days.-CHAMBERS TRADITIONS.

CASTLE DUMBURGY

No traveller approaches the dismal ruins of the Dumburg without a feeling of involuntary awe. If night happen to overtake him near this melancholy spot, he becomes anxious, he shudders, and shrinking as it were within himself, tries to pass more rapidly along. For when the sun is sunk in the west, and he treads over the site of the ancient castle, he may hear deep sighs, stifled groans, and the rattling of chains from the hollow graves and vaulted passages below. Then about midnight there will appear to his view through the thin moon