Translations. It is proposed in this part of the Magazine to publish translations of various English pieces by former members of the College. Into Latin Elegiacs. The sun was sunk behind the hill, The western cloud was lined with gold: "Who seeks to pluck the fragrant rose "From the hard rock or oozy beach : "No herds have I, no fleecy care, "No fields that wave with golden grain, "No pastures green, or gardens fair "A woman's venal heart to gain : Idem Latinè redditum. Condiderat radios Phæbus sub colle coruscos, "Carpere qui, tenero florentes germine, quærit, "Littora per pelagi, saxave dura, rosas, 'Qui peteret gravidas uvas et mala per agros, "Qua sterilis lolio dedecoratur humus, "Talia qui quærit, credat, spe captus inani, "Femineis veram cordibus esse fidem. "Non mihi fecundâ flavescit campus aristâ, W. L. Newman, Cheltenham College, 1849. THE The Half-way House. HE following tale is true in all the main incidents, but as it is narrated from memory, many of the lesser details have doubtless been altered; we wish we could add, improved. names throughout have been purposely changed or suppressed. The One wintry evening towards the end of the last century, old Mr. Denby, the "King's Messenger," might have been seen urging his jaded horse through a dense mist over the wide moorland. Anyone who could have seen the huge body of the Quaker looming tenfold its natural size through the mist, and mounted on a horse that would have made its famous timber relative of Troy look insignificant, and have sunk Noah's Ark like a stone, might have easily conjectured the truth, that Denby was hopelessly lost. But, unfortunately for him, there was no one to see him here, and little chance of meeting with any one who could tell him in which hemisphere he was; and, as night drew on, he began to resign himself to the prospect of sleeping in the open air, in his damp clothes, with the damp fog above him and the damp ground beneath; for his horse, he felt, could not go many miles further. But just as he had come to this conclusion, his hopes were suddenly revived by a change in the behaviour of his dog. This splendid animal was one of the last of the noble race of English bloodhounds, which is now on the verge of becoming utterly extinct. In this companion Denby had had great hopes when he first missed his way, but on that wild spot, where no man had been perhaps for years, the keen scent of the dog was useless, and, after running round in a broken circle once or twice with a good deal of sniffing and whining, he had given it up in despair, and in his turn looked to his master to get them out of the scrape. But now there was a delightful and promising change in his behaviour. He had wandered away for some distance with his nose close to the ground as usual, when Denby heard him utter a low growl, and then begin to bay vigorously. He rode up in a state of some anxiety as fast as his weary horse could carry him, and the dog at once set off in a straight line in the most decided manner, and he followed with a lighter heart. His horse, too, which for some time had seemed on the very point of giving out, at once quickened his pace, as if he fully appreciated the distinction between going somewhere and going nowhere. After riding on for about an hour more he came upon something that looked like a track, down which his dog was leading him. Yes, it certainly was a footpath, and now he was certain of shelter for the night. On he rode, till at last he felt confident that he saw a light right in his course, and as he approached, the broad faint yellow mist gradually contracted into an unmistakeable rushlight in the window, as he rightly conjectured, of a small tavern. It was a miserable place, indeed; a half-way house, in a most desolate spot, by a road which at the best of times was but little frequented. For some time he searched in vain for the door in the darkness, but at last he found it, and began to kick and batter it lustily. This proceeding elicited a terrific volley of oaths from within, but no one seemed in the least inclined to stir. But our Quaker was not to be put off so, and atter a good deal of resolute kicking he was at length gratified by hearing some one coming to the door, and a shrill and husky voice that might have been gruff once, calling out to know who was there and what they wanted. "Open the door, friend, wilt thou, and let me in," said our Quaker, "don't thou keep my horse and me standing here in the cold." After a dead silence of a few seconds, the door opened cautiously, and disclosed a "Wrinkled ostler, grim and thin," whose withered and wizened face, dimly lighted by a horn lantern, had something about it so intensely brutal that Denby unconsciously started back at the first glance. He recovered himself immediately, however, and gave his horse in charge to the man, while he himself was shown by the landlord into a small room where a large fire was blazing, before which sat a person whom he concluded to be the landlady, who was loudly abusing a wretched drudge of a girl who stood near her. She was checked abruptly by the entrance of the bloodhound, and of the landlord followed by Denby. As the firelight shone on the faces of the landlord and his wife, Denby thought he had never in his life seen so uninviting a couple, and though they received him with all due hospitality, there was a lurking expression of ferocity in their faces which made him feel intensely uncomfortable. He entered into conversation with them, and endeavoured to learn from them where he was, and how far from his home; but without any apparent reason they evaded all his questions, even on the most trivial points, till Denby gave up the attempt in despair. While conversing with them he tried to appear unconscious, while he watched every look and motion. Why did they look so closely at his clothes, his watch-guard, and the ring on his finger, and why did they turn their eyes away from him so quickly when he seemed to be observing them? He felt that it must be something more than mere curiosity which prompted so close an examination. At this moment he happened to look round to the table, where the girl was laying the supper. He noticed that her manner was very excited. Why did she look at him like that? Ha! what could she mean by looking at her master, and then at him again, and shaking her head? What, again! But this time the landlady had seen it too, and her face assumed a peculiar malignant expression, which had much more effect on Denby than on the wretched being it was intended to terrify. So greatly did it increase his suspicions that he determined, if possible, to get the girl alone, and to ask her the reason of her extraordinary conduct. In pursuance of this scheme, as soon as the supper was over, he complained of being excessively tired, and asked that the "little maid" might show him his room for the night. "Oh! I will do that myself," said the landlady, and she proceeded to light a farthing rushlight for the purpose. "Nay, then," said the Quaker, "but thou must not, friend; I cannot trouble thee to do it.". "It is no trouble; I'll show you in a minute." Nay, but let the little maid do it for thee; I am an old man, thou seest, and I like young people about me." "She can't come," said the landlady sharply. Denby felt that it was worse than useless to provoke a quarrel with her, and he therefore yielded. He gave his dog a look, which the intelligent animal at once understood as a sign to follow him, and began himself to follow the landlady upstairs. But when the landlord saw that he was about to take the dog with him, he protested loudly against it. It was only as a great favour, he said, that he had allowed the dog to enter the room below, and he could not possibly permit it to go upstairs; it was against the rules of the house; such a thing had never been done while they were in it; and they had lived there 16 years and more. This was too much for our Quaker: "I'll tell thee what it is, friend,” he said, "if that dog doth not go upstairs, neither do I thou hast better beware of that dog, friend; he is angered, thou seest, already, and if thou keepest him waiting I will not answer for thy life." : After some more useless expostulation from the landlord, Denby got his way, and the dog followed him to his room. The furniture of this consisted in an old-fashioned bedstead, a chair, a wash-hand stand with three legs, a chest of drawers, and a broken piece of looking-glass on the wall. On the bed Denby threw himself at full |