care to be provided.  Several weeks passed thus, Henry and Julia seeing each other every day; but long vacation would arrive; and on the evening preceding his departure from ——­, the lovelorn student, twisting round the stem of a spicy carnation, a leaf which he had torn from his pocket book, thus conveyed, with his farewell to Julia, an intimation that he designed upon his return to college next term, to effect an introduction to her family.  Julia’s delight may easily be conceived.  I remained in college for the vacation to read, and had shortly the pleasure of informing Millington that I should be able, upon his return, to afford him the introduction which he had so much at heart, having made the acquaintance of Julia and her family.  Two months elapsed ere Millington deigned to notice my letter.  His answer to it was expressed in these terms:—­

“Freddy—­I’m married to a proper vixen, I fancy; but to twenty thousand pounds.  Ay, my boy, there it is—­no doing in this world without the needful, and I’m not the ass to fight shy of such a windfall.  As for Julia, hang her.  By Jove, what an escape—­wasn’t it?  Name her never again, and should she cry for me, give her a sugar plum—­a kiss—­a gingerbread husband, or yourself, as you please.  I am not so fond of milk and water, and bread and butter, I can assure her.

“Ever truly yours,
Henry Owen Millington.

“P.S.  Capital shooting hereabout—­can’t you slip over for a few days?”

Poor Julia!  I certainly am not clear that I shall not marry her myself; but as for that scoundrel Millington, he had better take care how he comes in my way—­that’s all.

M.L.B.

* * * * *

Manners & Customs of all Nations.

* * * * *

WHITSUN ALE.

(For the Mirror.)

On the Coteswold, Gloucester, is a customary meeting at Whitsuntide, vulgarly called an Ale, or Whitsun Ale, resorted to by numbers of young people.  Two persons are chosen previous to the meeting, to be Lord and Lady of the Ale or Yule, who dress as suitably as they can to those characters; a large barn, or other building is fitted up with seats, &c. for the lord’s hall.  Here they assemble to dance and regale in the best manner their circumstances and the place will afford; each man treats his sweetheart with a ribbon or favour.  The lord and lady attended by the steward, sword, purse, and mace-bearer, with their several badges of office, honour the hall with their presence; they have likewise, in their suit, a page, or train-bearer, and a jester, dressed in a parti-coloured jacket.  The lord’s music, consisting of a tabor and pipe, is employed to conduct the dance.  Companies of morrice-dancers, attended by the jester and tabor and pipe, go about the country on Monday and Tuesday in Whitsun week, and collect sums towards defraying the expenses of the Yule.  All the figures of the lord, &c. of the Yule, handsomely represented in basso-relievo, stand in the north wall of the nave of Cirencester Church, which vouches for the antiquity of the custom; and, on many of these occasions, they erect a may-pole, which denotes its rise in Druidism.  The mace is made of silk, finely plaited with ribbons on the top, and filled with spices and perfumes for such of the company to smell to as desire it.