more and more silent, and, contrary to the assertion of the landlord, that his people were up all night, Frank saw one door closed after another, the lights extinguished, and every part of the inn became as quiet as the grave. The watchman, however, went his round, called out the hour, and the state of the weather, and, to the great consolation of Frank, began to sing an evening hymn directly under the open window, and, had he not been afraid that the man would run away frightened, should he hear himself addressed from the haunted castle, he would fain have began a conversation with him.
In the midst of a populous town, when a man is harassed by silly people, it may appear a pleasant relief to retire to some solitary spot, and philosophize on the charms of solitude. He then represents it as most soothing to the mind, he multiplies its advantages and sighs for its enjoyment. But where such solitude is, as in the island of Juan Fernandez, where one poor shipwrecked sailor lived many years quite alone, in a thick forest at midnight, or in an old uninhabited castle, where damp walls
