"Does thy realm of England abound in such comely damsels?" inquired Alphonso, while Agnes blushed at the king's encomium. "England may rival Spain in the beauty of her daugh-ters," answered Eleanora, evasively. " My gentle Agnes is curious like her mistress to learn the wonders of thy art : hence do we crave thine indulgence to pass some weary hours of my lord's absence among thy folios." " Thou art ever welcome," returned Alphonso, benig-nantly, " and this young disciple shall receive the benefit of serving so good a mistress." " I have pondered much," said the queen, who had been for some time attentively regarding the care-worn linea-ments of his face, " upon thy theory of the planets. The globe moved around the lamp because thou didst bear it in thine hand. By what power is our Earth carried around the Sun?" " There is some invisible influence which retains it with its sister-orbs in the eternal round, but the subtle essence has thus far eluded my investigations," replied Alphonso. "Thou believest then, my brother," said Eleanora, in her gentlest tone, " in a power whose existence thou canst not demonstrate by thy ' Tables' or diograms ?" " Verily, such a power is a matter of necessity" returned the monarch. " And thy unlearned sister," replied the queen, hesita-ting, " finds the same necessity to believe in a God, whose existence she can demonstrate only by the contemplation of his glorious works." " It is well for the ignorant to repose in this idea," re-plied Alphonso, " and it may perchance restrain the wicked from his misdeeds, to believe that an ever-present Intelli-gence regards his actions." "And it may comfort the sorrowing," said Eleanora, " to feel that this Infinite Power can satisfy the needs of the human soul." " Hast thou brought the metal I gave thee ?" said Al-phonso, abruptly changing the conversation. ELEANORA.