v.] HARRY’S DREAM. 243

 

of his mouth before a voice remarked, as if in answer
to the observation he had just let fall, ‘Never give
way to temper.’

‘The voice was in no respects curious or uncommon,
though the circumstances under which it was uttered
were undoubtedly both the one and the other. The
spot upon which Harry was seated was far away from
any foot-path: no one had the slightest right to be
there save members of the family, or, indeed, the park-
keepers, and it was unlikely that such an observation
as had just been made would have fallen from one of
the latter. Harry, therefore, was greatly surprised,
not to say startled, at-an occurrence so totally unex-
pected. The voice seemed to come from some
quarter very near to where he was sitting, and accord-
ingly he turned his head right and left to discern who
could be the speaker.

-- He had not far to look. Ata short distance from
him, in fact, from one of the branches of the. very
tree under which he -had stationed himself, a little
old gentleman was dangling. Yes, dangling ;~ and
what is more extraordinary, dangling by the feet, and
swinging his arms leisurely to and fro as if he rather
enjoyed it. His feet were twisted somehow or other
over the branch, and there he hung as comfortably
as if he had been used to it all his life, as indeed
might possibly have been the case. His attitude was
indeed extraordinary, especially in a person of his
time “of life, for he was evidently advanced in. years,

@

at all events sufficiently so to justify the appellation

of ‘old gentleman’ which I have ventured to give

him. But his dress was no less extraordinary than his
R2