bridge, and found Uncle Sam up to his knees
in water and thrashing the river assiduously
right in front of the lawn.

"Come ashore," he cried, "Uncle Sam; I
have something to say to you."

"Say on, my boy. It's high time; for if I
remember, you have never opened your lips
since we began our expedition. Have you
caught anything? a three-pounder, at least."

"Yes. more than that," exclaimed Vincent,
still in great excitement, "dressed in a
wide-awake with blue ribbons, and a lilac frock
looped up over a scarlet petticoat; and, by
heaven! there she is."

He gazed across the water, where he
discovered the mysterious damsel in a group of
persons which suddenly came into view.

"Well," said Uncle Sam, "what of the
Blue-ribbons? Get on."

"There! don't you see her?  the taller of
those two; on the right hand of the old man
in the white tile; with the basket on her
arm, and the spade—no, she has no spade,—
the fairy, the sylph, the angel! Oh, Uncle
Sam, to get acquainted with that girl, to visit
at that house, to learn her name,—and find
out about the parcel!"

"What would you give?"

"Everything! all I'm worth! Millions
could not purchase the joy!"

"Bosh!" said Uncle Sam, who had come
back to the bank, and was fitting a new fly
on his hook. "Name the figure, and the
thing's done,—a hundred?"

"Two; any sum you like."

"Make it two hundred and fifty, like a
good dutiful nephew, as you are, and you
shall dine there to-day, and sit next
Blue-ribbons, and ask any questions you like."

"Done! and if I'm indebted to you for so
much happiness—"

"Not the least indebted, if you pay the
money; but be quite easy in your mind, and
don't be in a hurry."

So saying, the philosophic fisherman
resumed his position in the shallow at the side,
and pursued his sport with the utmost
sang-froid. Meanwhile, in a state of the greatest
agitation, the nephew kept his place upon the
bank, watching the party on the opposite
shore. The newly-arrived old gentleman was
walking between the two young Dryads who
had been so strangely disturbed by his
appearance. With Pink-ribbons clinging to his
arm, and his other arm round Blue-ribbons'
waist, he strolled leisurely down the lawn in
the direction of the river, and Vincent
strained his eyes to bursting that he might
not lose a feather of the plume, or a motion
of the matchless form.

"Insensate brute, that foolish Uncle Sam!"
he thought; "the beast has never once
looked to the other side! Fishing, certainly,
is the occupation of fools and children!"

Poor Uncle Sam! he was completely
absorbed in playing a fish he had been lucky
enough to strike; and beautiful were the
attitudes, and great the exertions, of the
accomplished Waltonian. He tightened his
hold; he raised his rod; he gave the poor
animal more line; he wound it up; he reeled
it out again; he retreated to the bank; he
waded once more into the stream. The group
on the opposite side became interested in his
sport. They stood still, and watched him
from a point a little down the river, where
the gaily painted boat was floating; and still
the desperate struggle went on. Uncle Sain
couldn't have been more enraptured if he had
been standing on his head before the potentates
of Europe, and writhed and twisted and
balanced himself on one leg, in order to reach
farther into the river. All of a sudden,
by the rolling of a pebble on which he stood,
he lost his footing, and fell with a flop into
the deepest part of the stream. It was
evident he couldn't swim; and, when he emerged
to the surface, he puffed and panted like a
bottle-nose pursued by a sword-fish; but
farther and farther still he was carried from
the land.

"Help! help! " he cried, and made
prodigious efforts to regain his standing-ground;
but all in vain. Vincent rushed in
to the rescue; but, before he could reach his
uncle, unfortunate man, he had resigned
himself to his fate, and was floating still and
lifeless towards the other side. The gentleman
and the two ladies had not been idle. They
unmoored the pleasure-boat, and Pink-ribbons
and Blue-ribbons had pushed out into the
stream. They fortunately grappled the
inanimate body of Uncle Sam with the satin-wood
boat-hook, with only a little damage to
his waistcoat; and, by gently tugging,
contrived to get it into the shallow water at the
bank. Vincent was distracted with grief at
the frightful accident, and was on the point
of plunging into the deep and rather rapid
bend of the river, which lay between him
and the lawn, though he was a very
unaccustomed swimmer, when he saw the old
gentleman get into the boat, and paddle
across to where he was.

"For heaven's sake! jump in, sir," he
said; "your friend may yet be recovered. I
will hurry up to the house, and send for our
medical man. But make haste; another
minute, and all may be too late."

It was no time for compliments, and
Vincent jumped into the boat and was quickly on
the other side. He did not even take notice
of the fair young girls who were gathered
round the corpse. He knelt on one knee and
took the cold hand in his. He pressed it
between his palms to give it warmth, and
called distractedly:—Best of friends, has all
your kindness come to this? O! I would
give a thousand pounds this moment for the
faintest sign of life!

Was it a freak of his fancy? Was it a
nervous convulsion of the dead man's fingers?
or did he really feel a slight clasp of poor
Samuel's hand? Did the muscles of his