Lydia Maria Child

“ The silence was so deep that the gentlemen could distinctly hear a light, quick step, as a young lady passed from room to room, and paused beneath the arch in a listening attitude.
The exquisite proportion of her aerial little figure, and her beauty, pale and unearthly as Guido has represented his Madonnas, showed finely beneath the severely intellectual brow of Cicero. In the living figure, the soul was shrouded in its loveliest and most transparent veil; in the marble, its glowing fires seemed gleaming through the shrine they were consuming.
"It is my sister Grace," whispered Osborne. ”

“ With a trembling hand, the miser took the cup, and performed the mystic ceremony.
"There is but little to tell you, sir," said the witch. "You have loved gold, and gained it,---and you will keep it till you die. A sword hangs over your head; but it will not drop. Your sand is almost run out, and until the last grain is shaken through, your deeds will be kept secret."
"Let us go hence," said Mr. Townsend, as he staggered toward the door; "for if ever the wicked one was in human shape ---."
"But what of the money?" inquired Wilson. ”

“ I admire an harmonious, well-adjusted character, be it formed as it may. He who gives himself up to the absorbing power of any one single passion, may draw the eyes of all mankind toward him; but qualities of a milder and more consistent cast constitute the chief charm of domestic life."
"I repeat that I dislike every thing like made-up goodness," said Somerville. "It is apt to be like brass plated with silver---in the long run it will show its materials."
"You are very right, Captain Somerville," answered Miss Sandford. ”

“ Even Somerville shaded his eyes when he pointed to the lightning, and knelt as he listened to the approaching thunder;---while the deep sensibility of Grace, and the thoughtless vivacity of Lucretia, yielded to the powerful excitement, in an unrestrained burst of tears.
"Who could resist such eloquence?" said Lucretia, as they mingled with the departing throng.
"I should think no one who had a human heart," answered Somerville. "It is as resistless as it is untutored. ”

“ To this frank avowal, Percival replied by reminding the wretched man that it was never too late to repent of crime, and to atone for it by a life of usefulness and piety.
"The best thing you can do," said he, "is to purchase some secluded dwelling, to which you can retire with your daughter, and there forget every thing but the duties you owe to God and her."
"It cannot be, young man," answered Wilson. "Here on my vitals the vulture will prey forever. Besides, ought one so young and fair, to be thus buried for a father's guilt?" ”

“ A table of polished black oak stood in the centre, at which were seated the Governor and his friend Doctor Byles.
"You are welcome, sir knight of the dolorous visage," said the facetious clergyman. "Your uncle and I have been two hours endeavouring to decipher the black-letter manuscript you brought us; but like the woeful messengers that drove poor Job to desperation, each succeeding hour has brought some one with rueful face and direful tone, to tell us that the rebels are certainly about to commit some dreadful outrage, and that we had better prepare for the worst." ”

“ Its power was as transitory as it was entire; and before she retired to rest she had forgotten every thing but Somerville. He had invited the ladies to an evening sail in the harbour, and promised that the plan should be carried into execution before the week had expired. To think of his looks, expressions, the very tones of his voice, furnished ample food for her imagination during the interim; for in a heart that loves as youth and genius are too apt to love, the progress of affection nearly equals the rapidity of light. ”

“ On their way home, Somerville walked with Miss Osborne; and Lucretia, of course, accepted the proffered arm of Mr. Osborne.
Oh, how dangerous may one brief evening prove to the sliding hearts of the youthful and the guileless; and how tasteless is every thing in life, compared with the sparkling cup that young love offers before we know his name.
Grace returned home with an elasticity of spirit unusual to her placid nature ”

“ The world prophesied my success in life, and considered me a master-spirit, born to sway my fellows. With a gentleman and a scholar I still have some touches of my former spirit; but I will say no more on that point. In my best days, I won the heart of a beautiful young creature, the daughter of a miserable, half-crazed woman in Halifax. I was aristocratic then,---and it was long before I could bring myself to think of marriage with one so much my inferior. However, her confiding fondness gained upon my affections, and I finally made a sort of half atonement by a private marriage. ”

“ Osborne warmly seconded his sister's wish, and extended a polite invitation to the uncle of his friend.
"I see no reason why you should leave us at all to-night, my dear Miss Osborne," said Hutchinson.
"Why Grace would think me a lunatic if I should propose to her to live one night without her father's kiss and blessing" said Lucretia.
"And not far from right, my mad-capped niece," replied he, playfully touching her shoulder. "However, as you both will; you know your lovely friend is always welcome twenty-four hours in a day." ”

“ Every one noticed his look of deadly paleness, when the name of Fitzherbert was mentioned.
"I am an old man," said he, in the querulous tones of extreme age; "and a poor one. That was a troublesome business. Papers were lost; and the world blamed me, God knows, without reason."
"Old man, swear not at all," exclaimed Doctor Byles, with a thundering voice.
The miser looked terrified.
"It is hard to perplex an old man with this business, when he is just on the verge of the grave," said he. ”

“ In good truth, I dislike a character formed at all. Give me nature, bold, impetuous, and unrestrained. It is as much preferable to all your artificial modes, as the foaming cataracts and towering mountains of Switzerland are to the well-built dikes and the dead level of the Netherlands."
"If it were possible for nature to pursue an unbiassed course," replied Osborne, "to give her the reins would be a hazardous experiment, though in some instances it might prove a fortunate one; but the fact is, we are so much the creatures of adventitious circumstance, that it is utterly impossible. ”

“ It was Somerville's nature to sympathzie with every thing bold and fearless; and as he looked at Grace, he was delighted with the fluctuating colour that betrayed the keen interest she took in the conversation of her father and brother. Perhaps wiser men than he would have wavered in an opinion formed by accidental circumstances, and supported by pride, for the sake of a smile from lips as beautiful as the rose-bud, just bursting from its calyx. ”

“ He leaned his head on his hand, and the old gentleman crept towards the stairs as cautiously as one that fears to wake a sleeping tiger. "Your money!" thundered Wilson, seizing his arm, and looking on him with terrible, snakelike power. The old man drew out a greasy purse, but seemed reluctant to open it. "Hutchinson sleeps above---and I have a tongue!" said his tormentor.
The required money was instantly poured upon the table, and the old man hobbled up stairs, ever and anon saying, "That man will be the ruin of me," and then sobbing in the bitterness of his heart. ”

“ Grace cast a look of utter agony at Lucretia, who, pale as death, exclaimed,
"Oh, that dreadful sound! It is the mob-whistle." [5]
"It is a sound terribly familiar to our ears, indeed," said Hutchinson. "My good friend, our presence endangers you. We must depart."
"Not while there is any thing to fear," rejoined Osborne, in a decided tone. "If I cannot avert the storm, its violence shall fall on me."
"Leave this house; I beseech you, leave this house!" exclaimed Doctor Willard, abruptly entering from a side door. "There is no safety for you here; indeed there is not." ”

“ This capacity for refined pleasure exists, more or less, in every mind,---not like the Apollos and Dianas, which Aristotle supposed to be concealed in the unhewn marble, waiting for art to fashion them; but like the music of the winds, waked by the faintest breath into an existence as delicious as it is fleeting. But though all may worship at the shrine of nature, it is not given to every one to enter the holy of holies and withdraw the veil. Such souls as Lucretia's alone can feel the full force of its softening and mysterious power. ”

“ My constitution does not need the gilded pills of flattery," replied the Doctor. The suddenness with which he changed from playfulness almost frivolous, to dignity bordering on sternness, produced a momentary embarrassment in the whole company.
Lucretia, who knew him well, was the first to break silence. "It is the way the Doctor sometimes chooses to cut his best friends," said she.
Doctor Byles looked very angry; and Somerville perceiving it, answered, "The friends of Doctor Byles are never cut, though often wit-led."
"It is contagious," exclaimed Henry Osborne, rising. ”

“ Have you other grievances, weighty as those you have mentioned?"
"You, of all men, need not ask what are our wrongs," rejoined Henry Osborne. "You need not be told, that wicked men are allowed to put their hands in our pockets, and draw from thence pay for their parasites and plunderers."
"Why, in being taxed, you do but share the fate of other British subjects," answered the Chief Justice. "To take protection implies that you promise obedience; and really, after England has fed you, clothed you, and fought for you, it is not unreasonable you should do something for your own support." ”

“ Henry Osborne was aware that the present period was a very important one to Miss Fitzherbert; and he feared that the influence of Somerville was any thing but beneficial. The fearless reasoning, the contempt of quiet virtues, the restlessness under the salutary shackles of society, against which a vigorous understanding and a glowing imagination ought to be peculiarly guarded, were all increased by his bold and brilliant conversation. Perhaps a long-cherished attachment to Lucretia had made Mr. Osborne particularly keen-sighted to the faults of his rival ”

“ With more respect than he had yet evinced, Percival exhorted him to convert the property of his daughter into money as soon as she came into possession of it, and to retire to some country unacquainted with his crimes, where he might fulfil the duties of a citizen and christian.
"Young man," exclaimed Wilson, "I forced your uncle to make a will in my favour; but I protest I am sorry for it, from the bottom of my soul."
"If it is the means of reforming one from vice, and of making another happy, I shall esteem it well bestowed. I can make a fortune for myself," rejoined Percival. ”

“ The tears started to Miss Osborne's eyes, and forgetting that her remark would imply a keen reproof to her thoughtless friend, she said, "What have I done, that you should accuse me of being deficient in the delicacy which should ever characterize a lady?"
"Who would think of defending herself from a charge that has no foundation?" rejoined Lucretia, putting her arms round her neck, with girlish affection.
"What is the matter, young ladies?" inquired Henry Osborne, who entered the library at that moment.
"Nothing,---only I have offended Grace, as I often do the Graces," answered Lucretia ”

“ Desperate and wicked as he had been accustomed to think the cause, he could not but admire the fearless energy with which it was maintained; and with more respect than he had ever before felt for the rebels, he passed along to the place where a meeting with his uncle had been appointed. There were clusters of people within sight; but the immediate vicinity of the tree was perfectly quiet.
A tall, slender man passed Somerville, with the slow and irresolute step of one who has no other object in walking than to while away a tedious interval. ”

“ The loneliness of the hour, the gaunt figure of the miser, the mysterious silence, that dismal and inexplicable groan, and that unaccountble struggle in the sand, all conspired to produce a dreadful effect upon their highly excited minds. However fear and wonder gradually subsided. Doctor Byles and the pilot joined in expressing their abhorrence of such profane use of the Bible, Miss Sandford dwelt long on her favourite theme of modern degeneracy, and the conversation at length became as general and as lively as before. Lucretia sought her pillow with a head full of cheerful visions ”

“ Very few have groped about the veil, which separates revealed religion from its internal mysteries, until they have become enveloped in the thick folds of its drapery, without at times wishing for the simple, undoubting faith of the ignorant. Indeed there never was a soul, however cold in its speculations, however wild and irregular in its passions, that has not felt the calm influence of devotion stealing over it, like the delicious breathings of distant music. Such impressions were now vivid in the mind of Lucretia ”

“ We shall form a part of that vast assembly which will gather before his throne; and every eye will behold the Judge. With a voice whose call you must abide and answer, he will inquire whether on earth ye strove to enter in at the strait gate---whether you were supremely devoted to God---whether your hearts were absorbed in him. My blood runs cold when I think how many of you will then seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Oh, what plea can you make before the Judge of the whole earth? Can you say it has been your whole endeavour to mortify the flesh with its affections and lusts? ”

“ A rich imagination, like the transparent mantle of light, which the Flemish artists delight to throw around their pictures, gives its own glowing hues to the dreariness of winter and the sobriety of autumn, as well as to the freshness of spring and the verdure of summer; and if the affections are calm and pure, forests and streams, sky and ocean, sunrise and twilight, will always bring deep, serene, and holy associations. ”

“ Lucretia had more quickness of feeling, but less depth; and she possessed a large share of that freedom of thought, that boldness of investigation, which renders exalted talents a peculiarly dangerous gift. Such minds, while they proudly avoid the shoals of superstition, are too apt to be wrecked on the rocks of scepticism. The same faculties which open the hidden causes and effects of nature to our view, will not guide us aright when studying into the state of the soul, and the nature of its future existence. ”

“ Henry was about to enter into a vindication of aspersed humanity; but he well knew Lucretia's disdain of all beaten tracks; and he feared the effect of new and bold ideas elicited from the daring mind of Somerville.
"Doctor Franklin is a good example of the system I have supported," said he. "Such a character, instead of plated brass, is solid silver taken from the mine, and skilfully fashioned into useful forms. Never was there a man who owed so much to self-exerted discipline as he does. ”

“ The ceremony of introduction over, Miss Sandford opened a door on the right hand, and led the way into a dimly-lighted parlour. The pannelling was of the dark, richly-shaded mahogany of St. Domingo, and ornamented with the same elaborate skill as the hall they had just quitted. The busts of George III. and his young queen were placed in front of a splendid mirror, with bronze lamps on each side, covered with beautiful transparencies, one representing the destruction of the Spanish armada, the other giving a fine view of a fleet of line-of-battle ships drawn up before the Rock of Gibraltar. ”

“ When he regretted the depredations of the rabble, Hutchinson answered, "The rabble would have been excusable, sir; but these things are excited by men who would honour a nobler cause. This is the price I pay for being Chief Justice at the expense of the elder Otis."
"With indignation I repel the charge that the late riots were either instigated or approved by such men as Otis and his associates," replied Willard. "They will fearlessly resist oppression, but they will never encourage violence. Have not the community expressed their abhorrence with sufficient union and energy? ”

“ Pride took possession of a heart transparent as it was susceptible, and it was soon evident that she was exerting all her good sense to overcome the fascination to which she had so foolishly yielded. But when we have long allowed our feelings to spurn at restraint, it requires a giant's hand to curb them; and though Lucretia possessed great purity and rectitude of purpose, the important lesson of self-control was one she had never learned. The materials for a delightful and highly-finished character were rich and ample,---but want of judgment in the artist had marred the original design ”

“ This suggestion was answered by a deep groan from the miser. "Oh, dear!" said he, "it is enough to cost a man a fortune to live in such troublesome times."
Without noticing his murmurs, Wilson procured a lanthorn, and placed the horses in as comfortable a situation as the dilapidated state of the barn would admit.
"Oh, I can't afford it. This will be the ruin of me;--- and to have that candle burning in the lanthorn too. Oh, it will ruin me. There is no use in having a light to talk by," said Mr. Townsend, when his companion returned. ”