CHAPTER IX.

“If thou art happy, why to my waking watchful ear
"So often does the stillness of the night betray
"Thy struggling sighs ?"

Sheridan.

Lord Wyndham presented a character to mankind which, of all others, required no eulogium to illustrate the fair pages of its unblemished worth; it was a bright star, and though clouds had passed over it, they had never diminished its lustre. At an early age he came into the full possession of the title and splendid possessions of his father, whose ancestors were all the descendants of a noble and ancient family in North Wales; they had been lovely in their lives and when death disunited the family tree, the kindred branches did not disgrace the soil where the seeds of inegrity had first been planted; the tender buds expanded and spread wide their lovely blossoms, presenting to time immemorial an emblem of their sweetness and their primitive virtues.

In an humble vale he beheld a lovely maid, obscure indeed in origin and birth, but in mind transcendant in every grace and virtue that could adorn and dignify the character of virtuous and lovely woman; she was the darling and the pride of an aged father's heart, and Loid Wyndham sought to enquire no further into the merits of the case, when he acknowledged that the lovely Louisa was the mistress of his heart, and in despite of the prejudiced opinions of a mercenary world, he married her; nor did he ever once repent of the choice he had made; for with Louisa he enjoyed a greater share of happiness than is destined to fall to the lot of mortal man in a frail and transitory existence. For only one short fleeting twelvemonth was he blessed with the society of this amiable and lovely creature, at the beginning of the second year of his marriage she resigned her spotless breath into the hands of him who gave it to her, .eaving an infant son, who survived its mother only three weeks.

This sudden and unexpected blow to his domestic happiness, occasioned for a considerable length of time, a deprivation of all earthly pleasures in the heart of Lord Wyndham; and he retired for ma ny years to the bosom of solitude, having no relish for the society of that world which, without Lousia, was divested of every charm, and to which though he was sometimes drawn by the repeated and fond solicitations of a tenderly beloved sister, who was married to a noble of high rank and fashion, yet not even her entreaties could prevail with him to remain longer than a limited time in the great and smiling metropolis, which he would always leave in the midst of its gay festivities to return to his lovely Hermitage on the Welsh mountains.

At length, on an occasional excursion and visit to this sister, he met, at the residence of the late Duke of Belmont's, Mr. Trelaw ney, whose character charmed him, and whose conversation and manners fascinated him, and a friendship of the most lasting and confidential kind ultimately succeeded, and once more insensibly gave him a relish for that society which he had so long relinquished. It was not that Lord Wyndham had formed a resolution never again to marry; he had seen many lovely and accomplished females with whom a matrimonial connexion would by no means have been obnoxious to his feelings, but he had beheld no object at all resem bling Louisa Courtney, and till he could do this he was well assurred that his heart would never again beat to the soft impressions of love without which he considered the marriage ceremony a mere matter of form.

At length, although on a tour through France and Italy, he heard of the marriage of his friend Trelawney with the lovely Rosa Clarendale, whom he had long known was the chosen object of his heart; for Trelawney had made him acquainted with every incident of his life, and often had the severe destiny of his amiable friend drawn forth the sigh of sympathy from the feeling bosom of Lord Wyndham, often had he deplored the cruel necessity which compelled Trelawney to obey the Will of his Father, by forcing him to marry such a woman as Lady Alexina Fitzosbourne, while his heart doated on the lovely Rosa.

With what unbounded joy therefore, did he share in the transport

of his friend, on his acquainting him with all the circumstances which had attended the "Mysterious Marriage," and that Lady Alexina had actually turned out to be the daughter only of Lady Glenthorpe how much did he rejoice that Trelawney had escaped becoming a sacrifice to this hated connexion, and that he was not now only at full liberty to pay his vows at the shrine of faithful love, but had been for some length of time, wedded to the lovely Rosa; and he immediately wrote a letter of congratulation to his friend, assuring him that whenever he returned again to his native country, that it would be the fondest wish of his heart to renew a friendship which no distance of time or change of climate had ever been able to banish from his heart, or render less congenial to his feelings. And so it proved; Lord Wyndham arrived in England, but had not then an opportunity of seeing his beloved and highly esteemed friend, for Mr. Trelawney and his charming family were then passing the summer at the White Cottage, to which, though his Lordship had several times received the most pressing and cordial invitations, yet it so hap pened that prior engagements always had prevented him; it was not therefore till the ensuing winter season, that Lord Wyndham again beheld Trelawney; and it was by mere accident that he visited the theatre on that evening that the youthful party were all assembled there; and it was certain that his Lordship's eyes were attracted by the elegant figure, and the fine, expressive and interesting counte nance of Alexina Trelawney; without immediately knowing that it was the daughter of his friend.

When the performances were over, however, he did not fail to make some enquiries of the box-keeper, who informed him that it was a private box belonging to a gentleman of the name of Trelawney, and that the young ladies he had beheld in it were either the nieces or the daughters of Mr. Trelawney, he did not know which.

But this intelligence was sufficient to excite a sentiment of deep interest on the mind of Lord Wyndham, and in either case he felt a predominant curiosity, which was almost resistless, to behold that countenance again and that interesting figure, from which he found it so difficult to remove his eyes during the whole of the evening; and the ensuing morning he called in Berkeley Square, and conversed for some hours with his friend Trelawney; but Lord Wyndham be No. VI.

16

held no part of the family, and for some reason best known to his Lordship, he did not once mention to Mr. Trelawney, having seen them at the theatre; but when he arose to take his departure, with an air of apparent carelessness, merely enquired if his family was numerous.

To which Trelawney smilingly replied,

"Why I cannot exactly say that I can make up the round dozen; I have only three girls and two boys; but I will throw a lovely niece that I have into the bargain, and weigh them altogether in the scale of affection, and I do not think that there will be any difference in point of equality between them; she is the only child of Rebecca and Philip Bradbury, a tenderly beloved sister of my wife's; the Rebecca Clarendale, of whom your Lordship has often heard me speak.Judge then how dear this orphan child is to my Rosa. In fact I am so passionately fond of my sweet Emma, who is the counterpart of her poor mother, that I do not know any difference between the love I feel for her, and that I have for my own children; added to which Emma Bradbury is a most engaging and lovely young creature, and if your Lordship will honor me with your company to dine in Berkeley Square to-morrow, I will do myself the pleasure of not only presenting my niece to you, but all the rest of my chickens,-you shall see them all, and judge of a father's feelings when he is seated in the midst of them."

Lord Wyndham suppressed a gentle sigh, which was involuntary, while he exclaimed,

"I shall always judge of a father's by consulting my own, though short was the period of" His Lordship paused and proceeded no further; and Trelawney shocked that he had in any degree been the means of exciting any painful reflections in a heart so feeling and sensitive, immediately apologized for any expressions which might inadvertently have escaped him.

"Forgive me, my ever dear and revered friend," uttered he, “if for a moment I have wounded feelings far dearer than mine own; yet you cannot suppose that I should intentionally have named a subject that'

"Pray let us dismiss it," cried Lord Wyndham; "for it is that of all others that I least can bear to dwell on. Most cordially do I

accept your invitation, and to-morrow will avail myself of the happiness you design me."

On these words his Lordship immediately departed, totally unfit for further conversation, even with his most beloved friend; for his lamented lost Louisa now again floated across his imagination, in spite of his utmost endeavors to hide it from the observation of Tre lawney, and it was many hours after he had quitted Berkeley Square before he recovered his tranquility.

He imagined, however, that the elegant figure which had attracted his attention was the niece, and not the daughter of Mr. Trelaw ney, and he was in the expectation of seeing in the lovely Emma, the object of his admiration, when Alexina again met his view, and was presented to him as Miss Trelawney, hence accounted for the embar rassment which ensued in both the parties.

A further conversation with the admired object, confirmed the very favorable impression she had conceived towards her, which was greatly encreased by a knowledge of her superior accomplishments, and most of all in that pleasing and delightful talent in which he himself was so great a proficient; in short, Lord Wyndham found so many charms in the youthful daughter of his beloved friend, that when he left Berkeley Square, her image followed him in the slumbers of the night, and in the morning he could not banish the lovely maid from his recollections, without thinking of forming a second matrimonial connection more seriously than he had ever yet done since he had lost his Louisa.

There was certainly some disparity in the age of Miss Trelaw. ney and himself, but on his Lordship's side it was not of moment. Lord Wyndham was an uncommonly handsome man, his figure extremely elegant, and his countenance one of the most fascinating and expressive that could be imagined or conceived, which, added to the superior intelligence of his accomplished mind, and the native be nevolence of his excellent disposition, rendered him a much more de sirable companion than men more youthful or volatile; and such a man Mr. Trelawney would have selected for his daughter in preference to all others, because he was well aware that a matrimonial connection would be founded on the best principle for which it was designed, to render it lasting and permanent for life, which too frequently fails when made at too early a period of youthful fancy.