"Thus passed my Indian life; and thus closed all Indian affairs.

66 A voyage of five months brought us to England. We landed at Gravesend, and hastened into Worcestershire. We arrived at Worcester after two days' and one night's hard travelling; and taking a chaise-and-four, arrived, about four in the afternoon, in that woody vale, so long and tenderly remembered, through which the clear and modest Teme winds her secret course, and where no burning siroch blows, or pestilential vapours rise.

"The old white house, which had been visible to us from the opposite side of the valley, presently appeared again as soon as we had crossed the bridge; and in less than twenty minutes I saw on the green lawn, in front of the venerable mansion, a friendly group awaiting to receive the travellers with open arms and open heart.

"The carriage stopped at length, but not till my beating heart had almost overpowered me; and foremost of the party rushed forwards my Mary-Anne, all other persons giving way, and threw herself, half fainting, into her parents'

arms.

"For some minutes I could look on no other than this lovely child who, in the first moments of her joy, had uttered that sweet sound, My mother! my dear, dear mother!' But after I had once and again pressed her to my heart, I came forward to meet the embraces of Euphemia, and of the venerable grandmother, now tottering and bending down with age. My son-in-law too was presented to me, the second Lucy, and the younger children of Euphemia. Mr. Fairlie himself also claimed my notice, and others of the family whom I had formerly known, all of whom were married.

"But how can I describe this meeting, when such was my state of mind that I do not recollect how I got into the house, or how I came to be seated on a sofa, in a large room, with the venerable mother on one side of me, and Euphemia on the other; all the rest of the happy party being gathered about Mr. Milbourne, with the exception only of my daughter and her husband, who had both disappeared.

"But Mary-Anne,' I said, "where is she? Let me see her;' and I was going to chide, when I saw her enter again,

smiling most sweetly, and followed by her husband, who was very carefully carrying something white in his arms.

"The charming young pair came close to me, and, both kneeling, the husband held before me a little sleeping baby, about two months old, fair as alabaster, and fast asleep, utterly unconscious of the interest which he was exciting. 'Dearest mother,' said my beloved daughter, here is your little Henry-another little Henry!' and, as she spoke, the conflict of tenderness and joy occasioned her to burst into a flood of tears.

"Your child! my Mary-Anne, my child!' I said. I could add no more; and seeing Mr. Milbourne pressing forward, it was with difficulty that I could keep myself from fainting. My cup indeed was running over. I was truly happy. I was pressed with a sense of my unworthiness. My pride and ingratitude, in former times, rose up before me, and served to subdue and humble me.

"Four happy years are past since that blessed day. Mr. Milbourne and I are residing in a comfortable but not magnificent dwelling, near our dear children. Other chil

dren are added to our little Henry; and, like Job, I rejoice again in my children, and am straitened for room, for the multitude of my little ones. Nevertheless, through the divine mercy, I have ceased to expect and desire a garden of roses on earth; for I have felt the thorns which are produced in this baneful climate; and I now long after those regions of pure delight where sin no longer exists, and from which all evil is banished.

"The reader of my narrative must not, however, suppose that I am become a second Euphemia, or that there is any thing like her excellence in my character. No; I am a poor broken down creature, always weak in body, and sometimes so in mind; obliged often to keep my chamber, and to exclude myself from society. But I am enabled, through the divine mercy, not to disturb others with my ailments, nor to wish to exclude my excellent husband from his enjoyments, or to use such restraints towards my children as to make them uneasy and few are the days in which I am not delighted with the younger members of our family enjoying their sports beneath the windows. As to Mr. Milbourne, he is become young again; health has bloomed afresh in his cheeks; and he has lost his reserved

:

ness and it is pleasing to see him surrounded by his grandchildren, or carrying one of them in his arms.

"And here I would conclude my history, filled with gratitude towards Him who has delivered me from every evil: but supposing that my reader will feel some satisfaction in hearing more of my uncle's family and Mr. Arnot, I shall add such information as I have been able to gather.

"Mr. Arnot still lives, and is active in the blessed work of serving his fellow-creatures in Calcutta. My poor uncle is no more; but his death, as Mr. Arnot expressed himself in his letter which brought the news of the old gentleman's decease, was not without hope. Immediately after we left India, my uncle was seized with a violent attack in the liver, under the roof of Mr. Arnot. It was impossible to remove him; and the old gentleman expressed his satisfaction that he had not been seized thus suddenly at his own house. Thus was an opportunity afforded by Providence to Mr. Arnot for promoting the spiritual good of the poor old man.

"He informed me, however, that the old gentleman fought hard against conviction. Never, never,' said he, 'did I witness such a warfare. Your uncle, Mrs. Milbourne, proved himself a man of iron; but rock, iron, and adamant must yield to the influence of the Spirit of God, which is quick and powerful, and sharper than a twoedged sword. And I had the inexpressible delight of seeing the old rock broken down, and the adamant and iron dissolved, some weeks before the spirit of your uncle took its departure.'

"Mr. Arnot then proceeded to describe the penitent, subdued, and contrite state of the old man, and his expressions of anguish respecting his former life, his unhappy connexions, and the neglect of his children. Gatty was the last of these of whom he spoke by name, calling her his happy little Gatty.

"Mr. Arnot concluded by saying, that exceedingly bright and glorious views of redeeming love had been vouchsafed the aged convert shortly before his death, so that he now enjoyed the most pleasing confidence of his happiness.

"Julia still lives with her husband in Calcutta, and is sunk deeply into the lowest order of half Indian, and half

European morals and manners. Celia and her husband are lost in the jungles-lost, I fear, in every sense of the word. The two young men in the hills are completely amalgamated with the natives. Lucretia married to a sergeantmajor, in the Company's service, and died soon after, leaving one child. Lizzy and Stephen live together on an indigofactory in the Sunderbunds. But the whole family are altogether so entirely degraded, and so much, which is discreditable to them in every point of view, has been told of them in India, that their sister Euphemia can only weep for them; though she is prepared to do any thing for them which circumstances may call for, and she has actually sent to India to request that the daughter of Lucretia, who is called Gertrude, and who is in the orphanschool in Calcutta, having lost her father as well as her mother, may be sent home to her as soon as she is old enough to undertake so long a journey, piously hoping to find in this poor infant a second little Gatty.”

When the lady of the manor had finished the Garden of Roses, the young people began to express their astonishment at certain parts of the story. "We should hardly have believed it possible," said they, "that any Englishman could have been so entirely careless of the soul of his partner, as to live with her till advanced age, and suffer her to die, undisturbed, in the errors of superstition in which she had lived."

"I am sorry to say," replied the lady of the manor, "that examples of this kind were by no means rare in India a few years since and I myself have known more than one in which a connexion of this kind, with a heathen woman, has ended, not in the conversion of the unbeliever, but in the apostacy of the nominal Christian. Hence the wisdom of the Apostle's command, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." (2 Cor. vi. 14.)

The lady of the manor then called her young people to prayer.

A Prayer for Deliverance from Evil.

"O THOU eternal Lord Jehovah, who formedst the plan of man's salvation ere thou hadst set this globe in the empty

air; and who, in thine infinite goodness, didst appoint the sufferings and death of thine only Son as the means of triumph over Satan and sin on earth; deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from all evil, and, in thy mercy, save us from the consequences of our sinful doings.

"Thou hast promised that all things shall work together for good to those who are adopted into thy family. O, leave us not, therefore, to ourselves; but guide us through the dangers of this present life as a mother guides her infant child. Suffer us not to turn from thy ways: but, though the path should be difficult and painful, still, in thy tender mercy, lead us forward to the end.

"We know not what is good for us; we know not what to desire, or what to avoid; bestow, therefore, upon us, we beseech thee, an obedient and child-like temper, that we may place a thorough dependence on thee, and rest assured that all thou ordainest is for our benefit both in time and in eternity. Enable us to say, Thy will, O God, be done; and in seasons of joy and sorrow, alike to give glory to Thee.

"And now to Thee, O Holy Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be all glory and honour for evermore. Amen."

END OF VOL. VI.