"For Heaven's sake" said Mr. G. «let us have done with this subject! Wherever I turn I hear of nothing but the Dead Guest, Is this a fit discourse for the living?"

"I coincide with you," said the Collector of the circuit, "the subject is dull and threadbare! If Herbesheim had as little to fear from living guests, as from the visit of the Dead Guest we might be sure, that the fair sex would cease to have their heads turned so often as they now are."

"I should only like to know how this foolish story came into the world! said a young counsellor."

"The tradition of the Dead Guest, said Watteville as it was known formerly, and as I heard it related in my youth from an old huntsman, is too long and tedious to relate."

"Do you recollect the story still ?" enquired several voices at the same time.

"I do," replied Watteville.

"Oh, you must tell it to us!" said the girls, crowding round him! Resistance, and excuses were vain. Watteville, was therefore obliged to communicate the tradition as he had heard it from the old huntsman.

THE DEAD GUEST.

It is now two hundred years, said he, since the beginning of the war of thirty years, when the Elector Frederic of the Pfalz placed the crown of the kingdom of Bohemia on his head. But the Emperor and the Elector of Bavaria, at the head of the Catholic Germans set out to recover the crown. At the great and decisive battle of the White Mountain at Prague, the Elector lost his crown. The rumour spread through Germany with the rapidity of lightning. All the catholic towns exulted at the destruction of poor Frederic, who with a small suite fled from Prague in disguise. From his reign of one short season, he was called the Winter King.

Our ancestors in Herbesheim, two hundred years ago had the same disposition to chatter about news and politics, as their worthy descendants; but they were, I will not say more religious, but more bigotted. Their joy over the defeat and flight of the Winter King was as great as ours a few years ago, at the overthrow of the Emperor Napoleon.

One day three very beautiful virgins were seated together, and talking of the Winter King. All three were good friends, and each had a bridegroom. The first lady was called Elisabeth, the second Maria and the third Rosa..

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They ought not to suffer the King that notorious heretic to escape from Germany!" said Elisabeth. "As long as he lives that monster will follow Lutherism, and not cease to spread his abominable creed."

"Yes" said Maria, "he who slaughters him, may expe large reward from the Emperor, from the Elector of Bava from the holy church, and from the Pope; nay he may rely the indulgence of Heaven."

"I wish," interrupted Rosa," he would come into our to He should die by the hand of my own sweet-heart, who wo receive at least an earldom in reward."

"But it may be questioned" said Elizabeth, "whether would make you a countess; for he scarcely has the heart such an heroic deed. But I should only have to wink with eyes, and my bold lover would sever his heretic head from body at a blow, and then where would be the earldom?"

"Don't make yourselves too big!" said Maria: "My_sw heart is the bravest and most powerful of all three. Has not already been in the war as Captain? And did I order 1 to cut down the great Turk on his throne, he would do Don't exult too much at the idea of the earldom."

Whilst the virgins were still disputing about the earldo loud tramping of horses was heard in the street. Instantly w the three virgins at the window. It was dreadful weather, winds howled fiercely and the rain poured in torrents, "ala said Elisabeth, "he who is on the road at such a time as t does not travel for his pleasure."

"He must be driven by sheer necessity" said Rosa; "Or a bad conscience!" added Maria.

On the opposite side of the street at the inn of the Fre horn, thirteen gentlemen on horse back stopped and dismo ed with great haste. Twelve remained outside with their hor the thirteenth dressed all in white went into the house, imm ately the innkeeper with his grooms came out. The horses placed in the stables and the gentlemen all went into the inn spite of the dreadful weather and rain, a great number of pe gathered in the street to behold the foreign riders and t horses. The most beautiful horse belonged to the gentlema white; it was snow white, and beautifully caparisoned.

"Now if that were the Winter King!" exclaimed the t virgins, almost at the same time and staring at each other widened eyes.

At this moment they heard a noise on the steps. Behold three bridegrooms of the virgins. "Do you already know," the one," the fugitive Winter King is within the walls of town."

"That would be a fine prize" said the other.

"Anxiety is depicted on the face of that tall meagre white ed figure," said the third.

"A joyful shuddering seized the girls, and they sp volumes with their looks. Suddenly they joined their hands

said: "Done! done!" They then let their hands go, and each addressed herself to her bridegroom.

Elisabeth said to hers: "If my betrothed, suffers the Winter King to leave our town alive, I'll be rather the kept mistress of the Winter King than the lawful wife of my sweet-heart. So help me God and the saints!"

Maria said to hers: "If my sweet-heart suffers the Winter King to see the sun again, I will rather give a kiss to death itself than to my darling, So help me God and the saints."

Rosa said to hers. "The key to my nuptial bed-room, is now and forever lost, if my dear lover does not bring me his sword purpled with blood of the Winter King."

The three bridegrooms trembled, but they soon collected their minds as they beheld their beautiful brides more charming than ever, waiting for their decision. Each, became anxious to be the first to prove the fervour of his love by such an heroic deed. Therefore they decided that the Winter king was not to live another day.

They took leave from their brides, who now sat exultingly thinking of the glory their bridegrooms would acquire by their courage and affection. The three young men consulted together, then went into the inn of the French Horn, asked for wine, and in the course of conversation learnt of the strangers in which apartment the king would sleep.

Before day-break, twelve guests rode away in haste, in spite of the storm and weather. The thirteenth was dead in his bed weltering in his blood. He had three mortal wounds. No one could say who he was; but the innkeeper asserted that it was not the king. And he was in the right; for the Winter King luckily escaped, as it is well known, to Holland, where he lived many years afterwards. The Dead Guest was buried on the very same day, but not in the church-yard, in consecrated ground.

The three brides were anxiously waiting for the arrival of their bridegrooms, but they came not. In all houses, every where they made search for them; but no one had seen them since midnight. Neither the innkeeper nor his wife, nor any of their servants, male or female, knew whither they had gone nor what might have become of them.

The poor girls grieved bitterly, they cried night and day, and repented of the wicked request which they made to such handsome and faithful men.

But the charming Rosa lamented the most; for she was the first who made the dangerous proposal to her companions against the life of the Winter King. Two days had already gone since that unlucky night, the third was nearly over.

Suddenly a knock at Rosa's door was heard, a strange noble looking man entered, and enquired for her. She was ed crying by her father and mother. The stranger hand letter, which he had received from a young man and whi had promised to be the bearer of himself. The letter was her sweet-heart.

It was almost dark. The mother hastened and brough lights, to read the letter and to behold the stranger. He a man of about thirty years, tall and lean, dressed in a tire black suit in the height of the fashion, at his side sword, the handle of which was set in gold, pearls and br stones. Diamonds were glittering with various colours fro finger rings. But his countenance however regular and n was, in spite of the fire of his eyes, pale and ghastly. H down, and the father read the letter. "We have slain the w man, therefore my dear Rosa adieu forever! since I have los key of your nuptial bed room, I'll look out for another who may not require a purpled sword. Console yourself as Herewith I return you the ring." The ring fell from the le

When Rosa heard the contents of the letter, she cried bit and cursed her unfaithful lover. Her father and mother en voured to console their poor child, and the stranger said a many soothing things." Had I known that the man had me the bearer of such despair, as true as I am the count of B I would have given him his benediction with this sword. your tears my beautiful maiden, a single pure drop from charming eyes is enough to wash away the last flame of lo that unworthy man."

But Rosa could not cease to cry. The count took his 1 asking permission to revisit the fair sufferer on the follo day.

The next morning as he was alone with Rosa he said: "I not sleep the whole night, from thinking of your beauty, affliction. You owe me a smile that my cheeks pale from of sleep may become a little red."

"How can I smile?" said Rosa, "has not that unfai wretch returned me the ring?"

The count took the ring and threw it out the window. with that ring!" said he, "with how much pleasure do I rep it with a handsomer one!" he put the handsomest of his before her on the table. "To any one of these rings," adde belongs a rich estate !"

Rosa blushed. She pushed back the costly ring. "Do so cruel said the count; now that I have seen you I can never get, such transcendant beauty. If your lover has disdained in your turn disdain him. That is a sweet revenge. My b and my earldom lay at your feet."

To be sure Rosa did not wish to hear all this: yet she found in her heart, that the count was in the right regarding the justice of revenge, and that the unfaithful lover was to be forgotten. They discoursed about many things. The count spoke with touching modesty and tenderness, and if he was not so handsome as the lost bridegoom, he was equally interesting. Rosa ceased to weep, and she could not but smile occasionally at the count's pleasant conversation.

The presence of that rich Lord was soon known in the whole town of Herbesheim. It also became soon a matter of talk that Rosa had received a letter through him from her fugitive bridegroom. When Elisabeth and Maria heard this, they lost no time to go, and enquire of their friend, if the noble count knew any thing of their lovers.

When Rosa enquired of the Count, he replied, that he would wait himself upon the afflicted mourners, to see if he could guess by their descriptions, whether he had seen them. She treated him now in a more kindly way, for she had considered the last night the many things he had said, and as she looked on the costly ring, she thought to herself: "here I have only to stretch out my hand and divide an earldom.” She showed her parents the jewels which the Count had left upon the table, and she mentioned his honorable offer. The parents were mightily astonished at all this and could hardly bring themselves to believe it. But when on the following day the count returned, asking their leave to make a present to their daughter of a trifle for a dress, and as he drew from a costly small box, a cross of diamonds hung on a sevenfold pearl string, they gave full credit to his word. The father and mother consulted, and agreed: That the stranger would make an excellent son-in-law, and that they would do their best to gain him!

They spoke much in favor of the Count to their daughter, and left her often alone with him; Rosa rejoiced at the prospect of being Countess of Buren, and the envy and admiration of the whole town; she was therefore as indulgent as possible to the impetuosity of her new lover.

But he was a sly rogue. For when he came to Elisabeth he found her still more beautiful than the charming Rosa; and when at last he saw the Maria with her long and fair locks; the other two appeared to him almost ugly. But to each he told nearly the same story that he had found the three young men at a tavern with two young girls with whom they took unwarrantable liberties. That they all three were to march for the war in Bohemia together with those two girls as common property; that hearing in the course of conversation, that in his journey he had to pass Herbesheim, the one had written a chit to Rosa requesting him to deliver it himself. The other two ridiculed it, saying, we