mitting it1at that moment; with a dread of hearing 2 shrieks and cries piercing the silence of the night; with fearful thoughts of 3 what he might be tempted and led on to do, if he were detected in the act 5 and had but a woman to struggle with. It was impossible to bear such torture. She stole to the room where the money was, opened the door and looked in. God be praised! He was not there, and she was sleeping soundly.

She went back to her own room, and tried to prepare herself for bed. But who could sleep? Sleep! who could lie passively down,10 distracted by 11 such terrors? They came upon her more and more strongly yet.12 Half undressed, and with her hair in wild disorder, 13 she flew to the old man's bedside,14 clasped him by the wrist, and roused him from his sleep.

16

"What's this?" 15 he cried, starting up in bed,16 and fixing his eyes upon her spectral face.

"I have had a dreadful dream," said the child, with an energy that nothing but such terrors could have inspired.17 "A dreadful, horrible dream! I have had it once before. It is a dream of 18 grey-haired men 19 like you, in darkened rooms by night,20 robbing the sleepers of 21 their gold. Up! up!"

1 That he might be committing it, qu'il ne fût en train de le commettre-2 with a dread of hearing, "she dreaded to hear "-3 with fearful thoughts of, elle songea avec effroi à-4 tempted and led on to, porté, entraîné à—5 detected in the act, pris sur le fait- and had, etc......with, et qu'il n'eût à lutter qu'avec une femme (see note a, p. 20)-7 she, Ñell—8 for bed, à se coucher-9 could, aurait pu-10 lie passively down, se coucher et rester calme-11 distracted by, sous l'influence de-12 they, etc......yet, elles l'assaillirent avec une force qui ne fit que s'accroître-13 and with, etc......disorder, et tout échevélée-14 bedside, chevet-15 what's this, qu'est-ce donc ?— 16 starting up in bed, se dressant sur son lit-17 that nothing, etc. .inspired, que de pareilles terreurs pouvaient seules inspirer18 it is a dream of, j'ai rêvé que-19 see note a, p. 24-20 by night, la nuit-21 robbing the sleepers of, volaient aux gens endormis (see note., p. 157).

HOW LITTLE NELL SAVED HER GRANDFATHER. 195

The old man shook in every joint,1 and folded his hands like one 2 who prays.

"Not to me," said the child, "not to me; to heaven, to 3 save us from such deeds! This dream is too real. I cannot sleep, I cannot stay here, I cannot leave you alone under the roof where such dreams come. Up! we must fly !"4

5

He looked at her as if she were a spirit-she might have been, for all the look of earth she had 7-and trembled more and more.

"There is no time to lose; I will not lose one minute," said the child. "Up, and away with me!"

"To-night ?" murmured the old man.

"Yes, to-night,” replied the child: "to-morrow night will be too late. The dream will have come again. Nothing but flight can save us. Up!"

The old man rose from his bed, 10 his forehead bedewed with 11 the cold sweat of fear; and, bending before the child as if she had been an angel messenger 12 sent to lead him where she would, made ready to follow her. She took him by the hand, and led him on. As they passed the door of the room he had proposed to rob, she shuddered and looked up into his face.18 What a white face was that, 14 and with what a look did he meet hers! 15

She took 16 him to her own chamber, and, still holding

1 In every joint, dans tous ses membres-2 " some one 3 not to me......to heaven, to, ce n'est pas moi,......c'est le ciel qu'il faut prier de-4 we must fly, il faut nous enfuir-5 as if she were, comme si elle eût été-6 she might have been, ce qu'elle aurait bien pu être— 7 for all, etc......she had, tant il y avait peu de ce monde dans son expression-8 away, partez-9 will be, il sera-10 from his bed, may be left out- his forehead bedewed with, le front baigné de12 messenger, to be left out-13 and......into his face, et le......en plein visage-14 what a white face was that, que ce visage était pâle-15 did he meet hers, il essuya le sien-16 took, conduisit.

him by the hand as if she feared to lose him for an instant, gathered together the little stock1 she had, and hung her basket on her arm.2 The old man took his wallet from her hands, and strapped it 3 on his shoulders -his staff, too, she had brought away-and then she led him forth.

4

Through the straight streets, and narrow crooked outskirts, their trembling feet passed quickly. Up the steep hill too, crowned by the old grey castle, they toiled with rapid steps, and had not once looked behind.

8

5

But as they drew nearer the ruined walls," the moon rose in all her gentle glory, and, from their venerable age, garlanded with 9 ivy, moss, and waving grass, the child looked back upon the sleeping town, deep 10 in the valley's shade; and on the far-off river with its winding track of light; 11 and on the distant hills; and as she did so,12 she clasped the hand she held less firmly, and, bursting into tears, fell upon the old man's neck,13

DICKENS," The Old Curiosity Shop."

The

EFFECTS OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM.

peace and good order of society were not promoted

1 Gathered together the little stock, elle fit un paquet des quelques hardes-2 hung... '......on her arm, se passa......au bras-3 strapped it, se l'attacha through.....their trembling feet passed quickly, leurs pieds tremblants eurent bientôt franchi.. __5 up the steep hill too......they toiled with rapid steps, ils gravirent également d'un pas rapide la colline escarpée..... 6 and, etc......looked, sans regarder une seule fois-7 as they drew nearer the ruined walls, comme ils approchaient des murs délabrés- their......age, ces......ruines -garlanded with, tapissées de-10 deep, enveloppée-11 the far-off, etc... light, la rivière avec son filet de lumière serpentant dans le lointain-12 as she did so, alors-13 fell upon the..............neck, elle se jeta au cou......

EFFECTS OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM.

2

197

by this system. Though private wars did not originate in the feudal customs, it is impossible to doubt that they were perpetuated by so convenient an institution, which indeed owed its universal establishment to no other cause. And as predominant habits of warfare are totally irreconcilable with those of industry, not merely by the immediate works of destruction which render its efforts unavailing, but through 5 that contempt of peaceful occupations which they produce, the feudal system must have been intrinsically adverse to the accumulation of wealth, and the improvement of those arts which mitigate the toils or abridge the labours of mankind.

4

But as a school of moral discipline, the feudal institutions were perhaps most to be valued. Society had sunk, for several centuries after the dissolution of the Roman empire, into a condition of utter depravity; where, if any vices could be selected as more eminently characteristic than others, they were falsehood, treachery, and ingratitude. In slowly purging off the lees of this extreme corruption, the feudal spirit exerted its ameliorating influence.10 Violation of faith stood first 11 in the catalogue of crimes, most repugnant 12 to the very essence of a feudal tenure, most severely and promptly avenged, most branded by general infamy." The feudal law-books breathe throughout a spirit of honourable

13

1 Did not originate, n'aient pas eu leur origine-2 sing.-3 by, à cause de-1 its efforts, les efforts de celle-ci-5 but through, mais encore par suite de-6 which they produce, qu'engendrent les habitudes militaires- see note ", p. 27-8 most to be valued, d'une très-haute valeur-9 selected, signalés-10 exerted its ameliorating influence, fit sentir le caractère bienfaisant de son influence-11 stood first, vint en première ligne-12 most repugnant, c'était celui qui répugnait le plus-13 most severely and......, most branded by general infamy, qui était le plus sévèrement et le plus......, le plus généralement marqué du stigmate de l'infamie.

obligation. The feudal course of jurisprudence promoted, what trial by peers is peculiarly calculated to promote,1 a keener feeling, as well as readier perception, of moral as well as of legal distinctions. In the reciprocal services of lord and vassal, there was ample scope for every magnanimous and disinterested energy. The heart of man, when placed in circumstances that have a tendency to excite them, will seldom be deficient in such sentiments. No occasions could be more favourable than the protection of a faithful supporter, or the defence of a beneficent sovereign, against such powerful aggression as left little prospect, except of sharing in his ruin.5

3

HALLAM, "Middle Ages."

THE DECLARATION OF RIGHT.

I turn from France in 1830 to 6 England in 1688, from La Fayette to Lord Somers; from the abstractprinciple politicians 7 eulogised on all occasions by our anti-constitutional writers, to practical statesmen, on all occasions the objects of their sneers, and whom one of their number has recently published a quarto volume

8

1 Promoted, what......is peculiarly calculated to promote, éveilla, comme......est particulièrement propre à le faire-2 there was ample scope for every......energy, un champ vaste était ouvert à tous les actes.... 3 when, etc......deficient in......, est rarement dénué de......quand il se trouve placé dans des circonstances qui tendent à les faire naître-4 no occasions, or, aucune occasion-notice this conjunction "or," which is necessary here for the connection between the sentence it begins and the preceding one-5 such powerful, etc......ruin, une aggression assez puissante pour ne laisser guère d'autre perspective qu'une ruine commune.

I turn from......to, de......je passe à-7 from the abstract-principle politicians, des politiques aux principes abstraits— sing.