Masonic Reminiscences.

roamed o er hill and dale , every feeling of their young hearts seemed intertwined , as if born to love and bless each other ; their sympathies and antipathies were as one ; they tended the same flowers ; they read the sams tales of romantic love , or glorious chivalry . Can we wonder , ' that thsir green affections grew apace , ' and strengthened into a tender and abiding love . Each saw centred in the other , every attribute the utmost stretch * £

fancy could conceive necessary , to produce perfect happiness ; their hearts were satisfied , and they had no earthly wish beyond . On Maurice ' s departure they exchanged vows of unalterable love ; they met on his retur ® , with hearts unchanged by time , or distance , and vowed to part no morel '

CHAPTER XIII . —THE EARLY HISTORY OF DE COURCY CONTINUED . — AN ARISTOCRATIC EOUE . —AN ABDUCTION . —A EESCUE . —SUFFERINGS OF INNOCENCE . —PHIL ' MISHAPS AND MISERIES THE NIGHT HE THOU & HT HE WAS MADE A MASON . " THE lord of the soil in that locality was an accomplished and profligate

nobleman , whose occasional visits to his estates were generally marked by the disappearance of some rustic beauty , seduced by his lordship ' s presents and promises . His evil eye fell on the beautiful Mary , and he formed the resolve to add her to his list of victims ; he knew he must use more than his usual caution and delicacy , as Mary was of gentle bloodL , and as highly connected as himself ; she was poorhoweverand his

ex-, , periences led him to believe , that what his attractive and dashing person failed to accomplish , could be done by the power of his purse . " His visits to his paternal estates became now more frequent and prolonged than usual ; even in the height of the London season , he seemed £ © prefer the bracing breezes , and romantic scenes of his native hills , to Almack ' s , the parks , and the opera ; he made himself acquainted with Mary ' s

usual hours and places of recreation , and never lost an opportunity of throwing himself in her way , and making himself as agreeable as possible * He found the conquest of Mary a more difficult task than he anticipated ^ his pride was piqued , to think that he , who had been hitherto almost irresistible in his gallantries , who had fought under the banners of Venus in many lands , and triumphantly borne off some of her richest spoils , should ! now be at fault in trying to win the heart of a simple village maiden lis his own .

"He redoubled his attentions , he plied her with flattery , he pressed lies acceptance of the richest presents , but Mary was too well schooled IE virtue and truth to be affected by flattery , or dazzled by wealth . She laughed at his honied phrases with the sparkling haughtiness of youth am ! beauty ; she declined his gorgeous gifts with dignified pride ; she was armed in a panoplyagainst which he shot his arrows in vain ; she felc the

puri-, fying influence of true and changeless love . " The noble gallant was not to be easily diverted from his purpose ; eaela time he saw Mary , the impression of her grace and beauty sunk deeper still , and what at first was but a feeling of ordinary gallantry , swelled into a passion so deep and intense , that if he had not been engaged to a ricfe