"They kept me so long," the young man replied, "or I should have come to share my joy with you eight days ago. I had scarcely announced myself, and handed in my diploma with a request to be ordained, when the gentlemen, as may be easily conceived, declared the whole affair impossible, and sought to demonstrate this to his majesty in a long petition. The king returned it with these words, written with his own hand, on the margin:
"I have examined him myself. If he does not understand Latin he can afford to keep some one who does. I do not understand Latin myself.
"As they did not dare to trouble the king again in the matter, they proceeded to ordain me, after an examination, to which I voluntarily submitted."
The young man thus ended his story, and our kind readers can easily imagine the rest. We need only remark that our hero made an excellent dean, and for many years held the living of P.
In conclusion, we are bound to state that the above anecdote is historically true, and that we have merely repeated the family tradition. Still we thought it better to refrain from giving the real names, as the descendants of our illustrious grenadier might not desire the story to be publicly known in connexion with themselves.
"ALL SERENE."
BY J. E. CARPENTER.
All serene, and calm, and tender,
On the wave the moonlight sleeps;
Countless stars come out in splendour,
The rose, the glittering dewdrop, steeps;
The silent silv'ry clouds are sailing
Mid-way earth and heav'n between,
The distant song-bird's note is failing—
All is tranquil—all serene!
All serene, and calm, and lonely,
Not a breath steals o'er the sea;
'Tis the hour for lovers only—
Come then, dearest, come to me;
I will linger by thy bower,
'Neath the branches still unseen,
Come love, 'tis the witching hour—
All is tranquil—all serene!
