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Leader (1850-1860), 25th September 1852, Edition Country of 2, Page 22

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      Vi. ' Ham, Jan. 6, 1852. Ggg^Ell Our Exc...

      But it cannot be . Such families as the Bedfords can only exist by favour of concurrent circumstances , which come but to the few—healthy and luckily assorted parentage , easy means , and happy chances in the way of friends and connexions . A scoundrel might blast its happiness ; a reckless schemer might break the bank ; an ill-assorted marriage might have poisoned the family in its birth . Such homes are the prizes in the social lottery : the lot of the million is happy if it is no worse than blank ; for the multitude cannot have many of the circumstances essential to domestic happiness , as it is here seen .

      Meanwhile , it is a blessing that Bedfords exist , to show how man can be happy , even in trammelled England . For the invidious complaint of the dogmatic democrat , that the few enjoy while the many mourn , is a false feeling . It is wholesome to view a happy lot , even from a distance : it embodies hope , or soothes suffering through the sympathies . True to my restless habits , I was up before the rest , and am reporting progress before we set out on our tour again . For we are going to spend the evening , much against the will of the Bedfords , at the house of another friend . Tonight , you know , is the festival of the Three Kings , which the English keep with a sort of unmasked masquerade ; though the sport , they tell me , is going out of fashion , as most sports are . Sophy comes down here to-morrow : Mrs . Bedford knows all , and , like all truly virtuous hearts , her reprobation shows itself in nothing but pity and the desire to restore health . God bless vou both .

      M 930 The Leader. [Saturday,

      m 930 THE LEADER . [ SaturDay ,

      Passages From A Boy's Epic. Ix. Hbspebia...

      PASSAGES FROM A BOY'S EPIC . IX . Hbspebia . Meanwhile on undulating air upborne , Among the constellations Bacchus rose , More beautiful than they : the ascending God , High among green and azure planets soared Where suns and moons enormous shadows cast , Conelike , and deepening down the starry space , Steered amid comets that jvith burning trains Coursed thro the heavens eccentric ; hung sublime O ' er planets veiled in coloured atmospheres , O ' er stars with belts and stars with flaming rings , And stars that still in mutual circles glide . Now basking in a golden noon , now seen With a blue morning kindling all their skies , Or else a white , a crimson day succeeds , With white by crimson followed evermore . But soon serener heights received the God , Far floating in a finer element , With stedfast course towards TIesperia bound , Where now still Evening hung her shielded moon , Yet silver-pale ; and clothed in gorgeous clouds , The sun , full-orbed , sat opposite the moon . Two winged forms , the genii of the Star , Wandered beside the sea , on yellow sands , With faces planet-like , and heads that bore Two cressets silvering all the region round . With folded wings stood one , and held aloft A shell , half emptied of its golden flame ; The other spread abroad his shadowy vans , And poised a conch that , filled with paler lire , Smoothed all the air with warm luxurious light . Phosphor and Hesperus , so call their names , Were planetary princes . Phosphor swayed The morning ' s red dominions : Ilesper ruled Eve ' s lading realms and silent royalties . Now waned the nobler Splendour , Avhile his mate In perfect glory shone , as when at night Over the hills of Crete the summer moon , With startling presence , shines on busy bands And shifting feet of reapers in the corn . * + * ;|; Then In ; that rules the morning o ' er the fields Flashing his cresset ran . The mellow eve Was now at full , and from the rounded moon A festive light o'er hill and valley fell , O ' er tree and flower ; and still to greet the God Crocus and lily , and with fragrant bells The hyacinth , and faint Narcissus rose , Sudden us dream , and soft voluptuous grass Yielded like wool beneath his shining fei ; t . On cither hand with virgin blossoms starred , A wall of myrtles stood , where nightingales Sang to the moon , while down among the grass A whispering , wandering music chirped and rang . So thro' the Paphian fields that smiling lay Beneath the moonlight , mused the God , well pleased , And of Astarte now the lake beheld . There , link'd with flowery cable to the shore , A pinnuce floated , wrought oi' moonstone pale ,

      With green and purple hues , that come and go . The God approached , and on the gleaming deck Swift as a sunbeam lighted , and at once , Self-moving , o ' er the lake the pinnace flew , And without aid of oar or wafting sail , Held onward , while against its curved prow The waters rose , and equal with the deck ¦ ' Fell murmuring back , and the transparent wave Swarmed with the coloured life that dwells below . Rounding a sylvan cape , and piloted Thro' balmy islands by delighted winds , The pinnace fled ; both right and left tall trees Dropt emerald shadows on the lucid bark , And saw in liquid glass their fairer selves . But to the Magic Boat yet sailing on The lake soon opened , widening to a sea , While opposite a mighty city rose , With tower and column , dome and minaret , And arch and architrave with bastion broad . 'Twas like a fairy city , which the wand Of potent dealer with the elements , Magician , or enchanter , in old song , Romance , or tale Arabian , hath called up ; But now in haven fair the sethereal bark Rests by a marble pier that snow-like shines Yet dazzles not . M .

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      The Prima Donna: Opening- Of The Pkinces...

      THE PRIMA DONNA : OPENING- OF THE PKINCESS'S THEATRE . On Saturday the Princess ' s re-opened to a crowded , good-humoured audience , with a petite comedy from the French , signed by Dion Bourcicault , to guarantee it as an imitation de bonne foi . By the way , I must be allowed to express my personal gratitude to the French and their language , not merely for furnishing our stage with material , but also for furnishing me with a Mask to be worn on peculiar occasions . You shall judge . On Friday , Le Chat Huant and I were to take a dinner of relaxation with a friend at Thames Ditton . In the train we were both occupied

      reading works of an entertaining and instructive character . He was buried volume deep in a Treatise on Subsoil Drainage , and I , true to my character for frivolity , turned over Kant ' s chapter on The Antinomies of Reason ( a pleasant diversion on a wet afternoon , or when in a rumbling railway carriage ) . As the train arrived , I suggested , " This must be Thames Ditton ? " " I don't think so , old fellow , " he replied , in his takeit-coolly way ; but after some urging he consented to look out and see . " No , I don't think this is it ., And yet , ' pon my life , I don't know . " Ask . " " There ' s no guard . " " Ask that gent in the alarming trousers . " The guard will be here directly . " In this lax and hesitating condition we remained until at last he called out to the guafTl , learned that it was the station , and opened the door , when he was peremptorily ordered to keep

      his scat , for the train had started ! This was agreeable ! At the thought of the dinner left behind . Hunger waltzed madly in the vast vacuity of our visceral spaces ; while Imagination called up phantom-horrors of our not stopping at any station tor Jiai an hour or more ! We had " to make the best of it , " and on arriving at the place where they take the tickets for Hampton Court , I sprang out oi the carriage in spite of vociferous porters assuring me , " You can t pc out here , sir" ( how little they knew Vivian !) and availing myseJl 01 » facility in speaking broken English , I assumed the character ot a im « ¦ injured and very furious Frenchman . You should have witnessed uw scene that followed ! " Where is the inspector ?— -I will to see the vimscene that followed ! " Where is the inspector ?— -I will to see the i «^ J

      tor . I have teelcet for Temms Dit-on , and I am carry fi-wayshould have , got out , sir , at the time . " " Comment ! I shall £ < ( % When I not know dat we arrive at Temms Bit-on . You have no ™'' Ac slapon ! " " Yes , I did , sir . " " Mais je vous dis qne non . ll J have call out Temms Dit-on , then naturelfement I say , Me votla . n ^ je descends . But you call no sfacion . I spike- wid your Inspector . --muRt suppose Le Chat Jfuant with dignified gravity looking on , tm . j , bewildered , me voluble and irate . From the windows of the « a £ _ gazed the curious . Such a scene ! And then a simbnosed " pai ' ty , ^ ^^ ing from one of the windows , ventured to interfere , and deelaro i « ^ the guard call out the station . As he was leagued against me , J ^ nC (| h to it proper to crush him ; so , not understanding what ho said , J ? U y ^\ c-C . 11 ., and asked , contemptuously , Quest ee yuil chani ' ecelui-ui . ^ ^ upon the " party , " anxious to show his familiarity with Europeaji \ i ^ mado an approximative dash at an allinnative , and said , ^ > ^ r » Turning iny wrath upon him , I said , " Comment , our ! ' „ , '' i ,,,, l , " You have hear him call do sfacion ? " " We ! jai cntando o , n <> ' ^^ perfectly satisfied with the purity of his accent ; but as ho w > w h ^ ]|( , me , I refused to recognise that lie even meant to speak Vreneli ; , ^ ^ sank buck , blushing at his failure in the eyes of railway V olli

      friends ! i ' 111 n H ° ° To hasten to the conclusion , I ho overpowered the guard wi ^ l ] l () of our injury , that ho meekly ollored to repair it by taking us ^ ^ oxlJlU } l [ locomotive , as soon as the passongors were out . Ho did ho . 4 juirip u ' the locomotive , and we were carried back to Thames Ditton u ' /) onna f "And pray , sir , what has all this to do with the / rvma . ^ What « i question ! If you eonio to that , sir , what hayo y ou w ^ ^ the Vrima Donna ' ! or , what has the Vrima Donna herseH l m the piece F She might have boon anything else with equal proui

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 25, 1852, page 22, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_25091852/page/22/