and heralding his majestic approach, God's
sun rises upon the world, and all nature wakens and brightens.

O glorious spectacle of light and life! O beatific symbol of Power,
Love, Joy, Beauty! Let us look at thee with humble wonder, and
thankfully acknowledge and adore. What gracious forethought is it--what
generous and loving provision, that deigns to prepare for our eyes and
to soothe our hearts with such a splendid morning festival! For these
magnificent bounties of heaven to us, let us be thankful, even that we
can feel thankful--(for thanks surely is the noblest effort, as it is
the greatest delight, of the gentle soul)--and so, a grace for this
feast, let all say who partake of it.

See! the mist clears off Drachenfels, and it looks out from the
distance, and bids us a friendly farewell. Farewell to holiday and
sunshine; farewell to kindly sport and pleasant leisure! Let us say
good-by to the Rhine, friend. Fogs, and cares, and labor are awaiting
us by the Thames; and a kind face or two looking out for us to cheer and
bid us welcome.

THE ROSE AND THE RING:

A FIRE-SIDE PANTOMIME FOR GREAT AND SMALL CHILDREN.

BY MR. M. A. TITMARSH

PRELUDE

It happened that the undersigned spent the last Christmas season in a
foreign city where there were many English children.

In that city, if you wanted to give a child's party, you could not even
get a magic-lantern or buy Twelfth-Night characters--those funny painted
pictures of the King, the Queen, the Lover, the Lady, the Dandy, the
Captain, and so on--with which our young ones are wont to recreate
themselves at this festive time.

My friend Miss Bunch, who was governess of a large family that lived in
the Piano Nobile of the house inhabited by myself and my young charges
(it was the Palazzo Poniatowski at Rome, and Messrs. Spillmann, two
of the best pastry-cooks in Christendom, have their shop on the ground
floor): Miss Bunch, I say, begged me to draw a set of Twelfth-Night
characters for the amusement of our young people.

She is a lady of great fancy and droll imagination, and having looked
at the characters, she and I composed a history about them, which
was recited to the little folks at night, and served as our FIRE-SIDE
PANTOMIME.

Our juvenile audience was amused by the adventures of Giglio and Bulbo,
Rosalba and Angelica. I am bound to say the fate of the Hall Porter
created a considerable sensation; and the wrath of Countess Gruffanuf