of the danger to which you are liable in conse- || cold." quence of this exposure." I could not refuse such an invitation, and willingly consented. Fortunately, it passed off in a few days, and during that time, being He turned to me and exclaimed, "Rather accept my thanks; I was too incon-restricted to the limits of the hotel, she was siderate. Come, Ellen, let us go to the cabin, brought into frequent contact with myself. and seek a healthier atmosphere. I fear this There are, indeed, no privileges like the physician's. Slight, and unimportant, perhaps, in gentleman will have to administer you something. Will you accompany us below ?" he themselves, they become the means of introducing him to positions in society, which are filled continued, turning to me; and taking her arm in his, he led the way to the apartments below. by none so well as by himself, and which are the I thought her more lovely than ever when seated result only of his profession. Being her daily by her side, and holding her hand in mine; the companion, I soon learned to know and appreanxious old gentleman insisted that I should feel eiate her character. Each day, I discovered some new and lovely trait; and each day I bowed with her pulse. How I longed to press it to my lips, a holier and deeper love at the shrine of such and tell her of the love her beauty had already awakened within me! I had met with the fasci- purity and worth. I strove to conceal it all from her, until I should be worthy of her love. The nating and accomplished of her sex, and admired, nay, almost worshipped them; but never had I uppermost wish of my heart was, to be permitted a place within the sunshine of her smile, and the given to any woman the warmth and fervor of an sweet influence of her example, and be growing earnest, passionate love. She was the idol of my every day, if possible, more like herself; and first affection; and I was content to lavish upon where my heart should yearn for the love of her my best love, scarcely considering the possi-her's, and feel itself worthy so rich a gift, I would bility, or indulging the hope of being beloved in return, as I continued sitting by her side, retaining her hand in mine, and gazing upon her countenance, beautiful as I have described; but language cannot convey its expression! I have admired the haughty curl upon the lip of a beautiful girl in a moment of anger; have wondered at the strange eagle-like glance of her flashing eye; but I loved not to look upon her then; rather upon the face of Ellen, in its purity and gentleness, would I gaze. There was a light beaming from her soft blue eye, but it was tender and thoughtful; the true index of the soul, animating the features with its own beautiful expression. She was a gentle girl. My heart assured me that she was, when I first beheld her; and to anticipate a little, years went by, and the gentle confiding girl had become the lovely woman; the only being next to my Maker, on whom I could pour out my true heart's worship. CHAPTER II. She had taken a slight cold, and I gave her a few simple remedies to provide against worse results. She thanked me with a sweet but incredulous smile, as though she perceived no cause for them. "It was the first time," she said, "she had ever needed medicine." I breathed the wish that it might be the only one for a long time to come, and bade her good night. Next morning we reached Cincinnati. The old gentleman urged that I should not leave them. "Come," said he, "and take care of Ellen's" whisper the story of my passion in her ear, and then, it might be, she would return it. Accident, however, betrayed what I wished my own heart to know only. We had gone several miles out of the city, one afternoon, for belonging to an estate of Judge Burnett's, which thought of returning; and after declining the hos- rested upon "the face of things,” that was new to us. Who can so readily discover and love the beauties of Nature, as he whose heart is softened by love, and made alive to the keenest and worship of a lovely woman? Is not that soul nearer a sentiment of love and adoration toward the Maker of all that is fair, which first Ellen dashed over the bank, paralyzed every || of sleeping Nature, in the radiance of the moon, nerve. On! on they flew! fright lending wings the glistening of the stars, and the quietness that to the mad animal. I followed them with eager eyes to where the road turned suddenly to the left with a sharp angle. Her fate seemed inevitable! they were but a rod from the bank, no hand was interposed, and a moment longer-perceptions of the beautiful, by its admiration when the sharp crack of a rifle rang out again, and with a shrill cry, the horse sprang into the air, and a moment after, fell back, dead! Another, and I was holding her, all uncon-approaches her, in pure exalted devotion? It is scious, to my heart. Forgetting the covenant to which I had bound myself, I vented my cherished love in a torrent of passionate endearments. I reproached myself as being the cause of her death; then prayed earnestly that she might live again; that I might be spared the agony of seeing her die; but if she were dead, that God would not visit it upon me too sorely. Half frantic, I pressed my lips convulsively to her pale brow, and gazed in agonizing suspense upon her, long and earnestly. Then kneeling upon the grass with her form pressed close to mine, I seemed to live years of misery; wondering all the time, whether she would ever wake again; and if there were none, wretched as myself, to come, out of sympathy, and try, with me, to bring her back to life. She was but insensible; passion had overthrown reason, and I believed her dead. Her eyes opened on me at length, but were unable to meet my gaze; they drooped in sweet embarrassment; a flush of crimson overspread her pale features as she discovered her situation, and she trembled in my arms from agitation. I had told her all. My heart yearned for the love of her's in its purity and earnestness; it asked the gift in a few brief words of confession; it was given; the gentle girl whispered she would be mine, and again did I hold her to my bosom long and passionately, in the warm embrace of early reciprocated love. thus we are best taught to love and reverence Him, whose image is dear to us in the form of woman! And be the heart ever so drooping, it may be cheered and made strong again, in the sunshine of her smile. I had gained her consent to seek an interview with her father, and that night I told him all; how I was betrayed into a confession, and that as Ellen returned my attachment, our happiness rested upon his decision. He heard me in silence, and with an expression of countenance I was at a loss whether to interpret favorable or not. At length he said, "You shall hear the history of our family, and you can then judge for yourself." 66 CHAPTER III. "My father was an English gentleman of rank and fortune. We had lived in London from my earliest recollection, where I was brought up in the midst of luxury and indulgence. As I was an only child, my parents lavished all their love and attention upon me. Every thing was sacrificed to my caprice; and though I was not naturally wilful or unreasonable, I believe I should have been spoiled by their excessive fondness, had it not been for the good influence of my tutor, whom my father had chosen with more wisdom and discernment than I gave him credit for. He had received a finished education, and possessed talents of a high order. I have been The same hand which had inadvertently been charmed with the brilliancy, and startled at the the cause of my fears, was the means of saving boldness and energy of his intellect. There was her life; and the fair girl, when I told her that a similarity of thought and character, that he was her preserver, gave him her thanks with brought us into frequent contact; and from our such a look of gratefulness, that for a moment, first acquaintance, I was strongly attached to I could have been envious, had not a sense of him. There was one trait of character, which her heart's holier and tenderer emotions being it would have been well, had I copied less faithmine, made me insensible to every other feeling || fully; he was very proud; whether most of but that of a new, strange happiness. We had birth or education, I never discovered. He selloved mutually; but through the caprice with dom entered society. If he could escape from which love torments its victims, it had been a the presence of those who daily frequented my secret, sacred to our own hearts, until this inci- father's halls, and gain the privacy of his own dent betrayed us. Wooed by the spirit of the room, or a favorite haunt in our grounds, with a evening, and the luxury of the hour, we contin-book, and sometimes myself, for company, he ued our ride. There was a charm in the hush seemed to find more contentment and pleasure, than in the midst of the gayest circle, where he || with a young, lovely, and loving wife. My wealth was usually admired and esteemed. There was was unlimited. I could gather in the old halls a sensibility of temperament, that made him of my father's, as many and true friends as my shrink from notice. He was strongly attached vanity ever desired, and I stood among them, as to our family, particularly to me; but I was not high and respected as my ambition ever aspired; allowed to share his every thought, for I should and when Ellen was born-(then I loved my have offered sympathy; and his pride would not Laura more, because her own sweet face was brook that. Insensibly, his habits, feelings and imaged in her child's)—and I looked upon her tastes, as they enlisted my sympathy from their infant loveliness, and thought I could read in her peculiarities, won my love; and it was my greatest soft blue eye the same expression that had so pleasure, when relieved from my accustomed often beamed in proud glances from my own, tasks, to accompany him in a walk, or pass an and hailed her as the first representative of our hour in his room. His language was the spirit noble family. There remained not a desire of poetry, breathing life and rich imagery in the unsatisfied; all, more than all of which I had simplest form of expression; but when speaking ever dreamed, was in my possession; and I of his Creator, and the glories of His creation, prayed of Heaven that had been so indulgent to his eye would kindle, and burn with enthusiasm; me, to lavish its blessings upon my daughter; his voice would rise from its usual calm, sweet who, springing from sportive childhood into the modulation, to an elevated, impassioned tone; maturity of woman, needed something more than and strains of eloquence would flow from his the caresses of a parent to guard her footsteps, lips, which, in the moment of bewilderment, I and keep her always pure and innocent, as when believed inspired. His most frequent and chosen she first came to me. With all my pride I could theme, was Man. ask this of my Maker. I had been taught to expect such things alone from Him; and in this I did put away all reliance upon earth, and gave her up in confidence to his keeping. I cherished her with the love and watchfulness of a bird for her young. I kept her a stranger to the world's ways and fashions; her studies and amusements were shared with me; and she evinced no disposition to enter society unless I was at her side. I looked upon her as too pure and unsophisticated to be initiated in its customs and follies; perhaps with more of pride than reason. "He exalted human nature to the perfection of the Deity. Its virtues were magnified, and represented as the result of perfect principles at work in man; its failings, ascribed to evil influences, which for wise reasons, were thrown around mortals, but which could not sully the original purity of their nature. In his view, that which came from a perfect being, partook of his own nature, and was to be worshipped as he should be. He perceived, not merely the power, and goodness of God, in his works, but traced in them, marks of his noble attributes. The exqui- "There was a young nobleman who had site delicacy of the flower-the curious and betrayed an attachment for her, and who, more minute system of arteries that nourish the leaf- than others, I believed worthy of her. She had the wonderful mechanism of the insect-the never spoken of him but as a friend, and I supbeautiful earth, with its carpet of green-the posed her indifferent to him. One day he came, stillness of the forest depths-the singing of and asked my permission to address her. Jealous streams-and the music of birds, all, conveyed as I had been of Ellen, I was still governed by to his cultivated mind, the idea of a pure and pride; and overcome by his entreaties, nor conperfect spirit embodied in its own fair creations, sidering whether I might not be risking her hapand especially, in its last-most noble work-piness by such a course, I promised she should Man! I was too young to perceive the error of be his. a sentiment like this, and readily gave it my belief; and from it, my fatal pride had its birth. I came to manhood; and with my years, it grew upon me. Every thing was to be sacrificed to it, though it brought me the ill will of those whom I really respected, but whom my pride would not suffer me to acknowledge, equals. But not to weary you, I married the daughter of a nobleman; beautiful as the dream of my wildest imagining; and I loved her with a love of which I had not thought myself capable. I was blessed "I was now in a measure at rest. I had provided for Ellen in a way, which, if it prospered, would secure for her the happiness I had long wished her's, and gratified my ambition in contracting an alliance with one whose birth was equal to my own. I was yet to learn the lesson, taught by the experience of hopes crushed, and cherished dreams, mocking us with emptiness, when we thought to grasp their reality. My wife, in consequence of a slight exposure, became ill; and soon left me to mourn in the bitterness of first bereavement. This was an affliction I had least of all looked for. My property, my reputation even, upon which I had not set my heart so fully, I could have given up without one regret. These, I thought, would have been first to go, because they were least valued. It was hard to be submissive; for my spirit, though chastened and broken, was rebellious. I tried to be reconciled, hoping, that if I were humbled by this stroke, God in mercy, would not visit me with another. I prayed him to pardon me if I were selfish that he knew how my heart's love was bound up in her whom he had taken;-that if he would spare her who remained, I would try and fix my affections more supremely upon himself. My prayer was answered. Ellen grew lovelier every day; and though the memory of her mother often shaded her countenance with sadness, and her form was slighter, and more delicate than formerly, the rose still bloomed on her cheek; her step was buoyant, and her eye bright as ever. One afternoon, she came to me, glowing with the exercise of a fine ride, and said," "Father, Dr. Bensford rode with me this afternoon, and hinted that I was imprudent in wearing my new habit, which you admire so much, and which is-is-is-so-so becoming!" and she broke into a light laugh and blushed; and then resumed: "He remarked, that perhaps I was not aware how easily a little imprudence might result in deep seated and incurable disease: especially, when the constitution was far from being sound, and healthy; and on my insisting he should explain himself, told me sincerely he had fears that I was in a decline! I only laughed at him; and in jest,|| compared my own glowing cheeks, with the pale countenance of his daughter. He appeared offended with my remark; said he hoped I would heed what he had said, and then, politely enough, turned away and rode home. I fear I displeased him; and if my dear father consents, we will go this evening and I will ask his forgiveness, and you shall consult with him about me. Do you not think too, that I am in a decline?" and as if to heighten the irony of her words, she put her laughing face close to mine, and looked in my eyes with an expression of archness that was irresistible. I kissed her affectionately, and promised that I would go, but forbade her to accompany me. rendered it advisable to leave England, and seek a warmer climate. There were but few ties which held me to the land of my fathers. They were destroyed, or rendered painful by the memory of the past. There was a void in my heart, which, what were once sources of pleasure to me, could not fill. The spirit of repose that rested upon the grave of my wife suited me better, than all the luxuries of a splendid home; which, when I looked to them for comfort, but mocked and sported with my sorrow. I resolved to visit her grave that night, and then quit my country, it might be, for ever. I went there, on my return from the doctor's. The moon was full, and high in the heavens, when I reached the spot. There was a stillness and solemnity about the place, that went to my spirit, like a sensation of dread; and as I walked among the tombstones, and watched their shadows, now lighted up with a moonbeam, and then growing dark again, as a cloud shaded her bright face, and listened to the wind, coming round the tower of the old cathedral, and stirring the drapery of the willows, and sighing mournfully as it went by, and remembered that I was in the place of the dead, a feeling of awe came over me; and when I knelt by her grave, and the recollection of her came freshly to my mind, my spirit was overcome; the long sealed fountains of my heart gave way, and I wept long and bitterly. The striking of the cathedral bell for midnight aroused me. I looked around: the sky was overcast, and the wind had risen and moaned sadly as it swept through the grave-yard. I felt chilled and cold; and kissing the long grass that waved above her grave, and gathering some wild flowers that grew there, as a tribute of remembrance, was about to leave the place, when the cry of fire, rang out clear and thrillingly upon the midnight air; then followed the ringing of bells; torches flitted by; and the voice of men rose up, loud and clamorously. Presently a sheet of flame, broad, livid, and terrible, darted up along the sky-then huge volumes of smoke rolled heavily upward, and mingled with, and at length obscured its bright glare. I stayed no longer; a moment, and I was upon the road, pressing swiftly on to the place of conflagration. Six hours afterward, I stood, with Ellen leaning on my arm, gazing at the ruins of my own splendid dwelling! There it stood; its walls, blackened, stript and scourged by the fierce element! But she, the trembling, shrinking creature that clung to me now, had been preserved! God had remembered mercy in The result of our interview was, that her health" this visitation, and I was not disposed to murmur. In spite of my efforts to consider his opinion, as Ellen regarded it, it was with an uneasy spirit that I visited Dr. Bensford that night. sufficiently obvious, though it would be a painful sacrifice to make: and after wavering long between inclination and duty, my resolution was taken. I sought an interview with her immediately, and after disclosing all, and hearing from her lips a declaration of unalterable love, and CHAPTER IV. Silently we gazed. Many pleasant hours had gone by within those walls; their memory now, was pleasant too; and it was hard, at first, to see them thus, and turn away cheerfully, and without regret. I was calm, outwardly; for my grief was too deep, too full for utterance. I talked much, and even gaily; but Ellen knew all-she under-pressing her fondly to my heart once more, and stood me better than all-and when they deemed snatching a last kiss, I hastily quitted the hotel. me indifferent, and reckless whether fortune frowned or smiled, she knew my heart was breaking; and with gentle persuasions she led me from the spot; and watched long days and nights over my pillow; while I lay between life and death; I thought my wife had come to me, to raise, and bring me up from my bed, to life again, and then, she was to go back to her grave -and so I would be alone-and soon after, I would die, and be buried under the grass I had kissed so earnestly; and on which I knelt that night, and passed those long-long hours of agony. One evening in the month of September, a year subsequent to the events of the preceding chapter, while sitting in my room at a hotel in Baltimore, and absorbed in the interesting pages of "Bell," the door opened, and a medical student, an intimate friend of mine, a noble hearted, generous youth, entered, and threw himself without ceremony into a chair, where he remained seated for some time, silent. "H," said he, at length, "I am unfortunate; I have been publicly insulted—struck, this evening, in presence of the medical class, by an Englishman. I challenged him on the spot; and we meet to-morrow, at five o'clock, with pistols, at twelve paces. You are my friend; can I depend on your assistance in this affair ?” I learned all from Ellen herself-how she grew alarmed at my absence-and ventured to sit up for me alone—and how, when she fell asleep from watching, and was wakened by the heat of the fire which had caught from her lamp, she went from room to room to call the servants; and when the flames were bursting from every part of the building, she forced her way to the apartment where my papers and valuables were kept, and just passed from the door when the floor gave way, and I came in time to save her from drop-matter, he told me that some remarks made by ping senseless into the flames! Thus Providence dealt with us-this seemed to be the final indication of his will respecting us, and we prepared to embark for America. Before leaving, I placed in the hands of the young nobleman, a miniature of Ellen, with a written promise, that after the expiration of three years, he might claim her hand. We came here, and in the sunny clime of the South, my daughter recovered her health. Two years have passed, and we are still located in this region. We have prospered and are happy, though the memory of England, and of her who lies beneath its sod, sometimes cause the tear to start, in spite of the lapse of time, which after all, has proved the best remedy for my sorrow. Ellen is yet ignorant of the circumstance which compels me for the present to oppose your wishes; and I leave it with you to communicate it to her. Let us hear from you a year hence; you will then learn the probability of your success :" and pressing my hand warmly, he rose and left the room. I remained some minutes, uncertain what course to pursue. The propriety of separating myself from Ellen was I knew his temper; impetuous, and vindictive, and was aware that to reason with him, was impossible; and although opposed to that bloodshedding, mistaken way of healing wounded honor, consented to accompany him on the score of friendship. Upon inquiring into the him in the meeting respecting the peculiarities of the English in dissecting, were construed into an insult, and promptly and angrily resented: high words followed, and ended in his striking Morton, my friend, who demanded satisfaction, and the consequence was, a duel. We were on the ground at an early hour next morning. The sun had just risen, and was waking sleeping Nature into life and being. The birds were up, and poured out their sweet tribute of melody from the boughs. The dew glistened in countless diamonds upon the wet grass; and the air, teeming with a thousand tiny insects, and fragrant with flowers, and grateful to the brow, with the cool breath of morning, gently stirred the foliage, as it went by. A spirit of peace and purity, brooded over the landscape; and it seemed a crime against God, (deeper and more foul in the broad day,) to disturb its rest, by the strife of human passion, and the shedding of human blood! The other party were awaiting us in the field; and after we had alighted from the carriage, the preparations went on silently and rapidly, and when all was ready, they took |