THE NEW-BORN YEAR. 7 



all of them, under forms of death, forms of vitality, arrested 

 or unexpanded, lie hidden; as in all real deaths, merely 

 natural, are contained the germs of life. Even this departing 

 year does not wholly die, since being full fraught with causes 

 (seeds which are sure to ripen into the fruit of consequences), 

 in these it will continue to live to the end of time, aye, even 

 to eternity ; but believe, and philosophize, and hope as we may, 

 neither death nor death's semblances are the most enlivening 

 objects of contemplation. At all events, we felt our spirits 

 growing flat and our thoughts confused, as we looked at our 

 waning candle (like the year, approaching to its end), and 

 reviewed the subjects, defunct or drowsy, from amongst which 

 we must, perforce, choose one for that of our opening essay. 

 Dreaminess trod on the heels of dullness, and before we had 

 come to a decision as to what sleeping insect should constitute 

 our commencing theme, we were ourselves nodding beside our 

 solitary fire. 



Suddenly we were awoke by a clang of bells from the 

 neighbouring steeple of our parish-church, the requiem of the 

 departed, and salutation to the new-born year. It was soon 

 pealed out, and we were left once more to the silence of our 

 little parlour, a silence which seemed deeper than usual, and 

 more solemn, yet not to the spirit's ear unbroken ; for it is in 

 pauses such as these on life's rattling road, that the " small 

 still voice" is always audible, unless it be drowned, as is common, 

 by the noise of social mirth. We sank into a reverie, regretful 



