• a kind and indulgent father. Never But, Madam, I must not forget to mention one circumftance that I am fure will make you fimile. In the height of his rapture he seized my hand, and fqueezing it with a strong and fudden grafp, hurt my fingers fo, that I could hardly forbear crying out; I am fure, if he had obferved my looks, he would have found that I made moft frightful faces: he then preffed it to his lips, and taking it from thence, grasped my poor fingers again with the fame convulfion of paffion, ftill flackening the tender preffure as his thoughts returned to my father; he at last held my hand fo loofe, that my numbed fingers could fcarcely feel that he held them at all. But a shame on my extreme infenfibility, that gave occafion to these intolerable extafies! What tender words had I uttered! Dear Madam, let no prudes or coquettes ever read my letters, for I fhall certainly never be able to ftand the cenfure of the one, or the raillery of the other. But to proceed. Melting with the high-wrought rapture which feemed to fublime our fouls, while it raised us to a degree of felicity almost too exquifite to be fup ported, we mutually opened our hearts, and with a confidence of being beloved, reciprocally confeffed the tender fenfations that fwelled our bofoms. All my foul was delight! a delight pure as the rapture of etherial fpirits! his transporting extaly! "Tis not the coarfer tie of human laws, Perfect esteem and fympathy of foul, With boundiefs confidence: for nought Can answer love, and render blifs fecure." But, loft in this charming intercourse of fouls, we forgot that it was time to depart; till my coufin, with an unwelcome intrufion, and more unwelcome meffage, came to put us in mind that the fun was fetting, and that it was time to return home; when with reluctant hearts, after bidding a tender adieu, and embracing Marilla, I tore myself from them, and hafted back with Amelia to my aunt. You, I hope, Madam, will excule the weaknefs I fo freely confess to you: softened by the scene of diftrefs I had just been a witnefs of, the unexpected prefence of my dear Lucius had probably a much greater effect than it would have had, if my mind had not been thus previously intendered. However, nothing can ennoble the foul like a virtuous paífion; it infpires a thousand delicacies, a thousand virtues, which, without it, we should certainly have no idea of. I am, Madam, with my fincereft refpects to his lordship, and my most ardent prayers for the continuance of your mutual happiness, your ladyfhip's most obedient fervant, FELICIA. LETTER XIV. MADAM, TH HOUGH your impatience to hear from me is very obliging, yet it lays me under a neceffity of entertaining you with abundance of impertinences; but if trifles can entertain, you have no reafon to be diffatisfied. Wrapt up in obfcurity, FELICIA TO CHARLOTTE. obfcurity, I hear nothing of the fate of princes, or the fall of contending nations. I have now no ambition to enquire after fuch important events: an humble fwain engroffes all my attention, though I hardly ever fee him. I converfe with few befides the people of the groves, who (pretty warblers!) are my conftant companions; yet you would have me inceffantly writing. Upon my word, Madam, you are quite unreafonable. I can hardly think it poffible that a month's filence can give you all this impatience. But your friendship is an excufe that I must admit. I therefore leave the rooks and daws, which with their harth difcordant pipes aid the concert of the warbling linnet, the thrush, the wood-lark, who, prodigal of harmony, run through their wild variety of notes. Nor fhall the rofy-breafted robin, emblem of innocence! the mellow bull-finch, or the dying cadence of the high-foaring fongfter of the fky, nor all the winged chorifters who chant their loves, and in fluttering courtship pour out their little fouls in mellifluous numbers, prevent my being impertinent when you command it. My mind is now in an unaccountable fituation, strangely divided between hope and fear, and toffed with a variety of contending paffions. the addreffes of Mellifont, his company Still teazed with becomes every day more infupportable; his vanity grows infufferable; and the very means he employs to infinuate himfelf into my esteem, heightens my averfion. Not that he is really a difagreeable companion; but while he is a perpetual obftacle to my feeing Lucius, it is no wonder if his gayeft flights, humorous and diverting as they may appear to others, only ferve to increase my fpleen and heighten my difguft. The confideration that his unwelcome intrufion deprives me of that dear and foftening pleasure I fhould otherwise enjoy from the cordial glances, and all the pleafing intercourfes of love that might pafs between Lucius and me, poifons the fatisfaction I should otherwife receive from his fprightly airs; airs that have not the leaft conformity with the tenderly penfive difpofition of my mind. One day laft week being difturbed with abundance of gloomy reflections, all turning upon the abfence of my lover, and the oppofition I expect to meet with from my father, Mellifont glided into the room with a dancing ftep and his ufual affurance, and an affectation of all that eafe and negligence of behaviour, that can only fpring from a mind enBowers, hummed an Italian air, and. tirely fatisfied with itfelf. He fung Rosy. either to make an application to me, or every minute digrefled from the fong, truded upon his thoughts; but every to utter fome tender thing which inthing was expreffed with fuch a mixture of the foft and the ridiculous, as would have forced a fmile from any one that I was too perverfe to be moved by his had lefs reafon to be melancholy. But fantastick behaviour, to fhew, even by my looks, the least mark of approbation. Deaf to the mufick of his voice, which ed by all his arts to charm me, he inis really very harmonious, and untouchfenfibly became more grave; when laying afide his frolick airs- Will nothing fatisfy you, my charmer,' faid he, unlefs you fee me fighing at your feet? Would you have me in dull languishment admire your beauties, and with a heavy fobbing heart tell you all my pain? Well, Madam, I confefs myfelf your flave; but at the fame time beg, that, cruel as you are, you will not triumph in your conqueft, and infult over the victim of your charms." and taking one of my hands, which he Here he threw himself upon his knee, tenderly preffed in his—' See, my dear,' faid he, as great a conquest as ever love has made. In vain I have firuggled to regain my liberty. All my withes center in you; I love you with all the paffionate foftnefs that can fill a human breaft: as tenderly as-asNay, Madam, for Heaven's fake, don't laugh at me,' continued he, feeing me fmile; 'but tell me fincerely now, don't I look very filly? I figh like the fam⚫ed knight-errants of old, and like them bending before the divine object of my ⚫ fublimeft wishes, beg, O thou adorable fair! that thou wilt mitigate the feveing a paufe, he gently funk his head rity of my unhappy destiny, or fuffer me to expire at thy feet.' Here makhand, and precipitately rifing, he could upon my lap; when fnatching away my Not all my melancholy could now prenot prevent his falling upon the floor. ed to hinder it, in order to carry on this vent my laughing, had I not endeavour. comick fcene. ' Lie there,' cried I, 'thou unworthy knight, nor ever more ap " pear pear before me, till thou bringest me the heads of thofe favage moniters that infelt the woods, the trophies of thy prowefs and renown. At this I flung out of the room, as if in a mighty paffion; and stepping into the th ckelt part of the garden, indulged for a few minutes the burst of laughter which I with difficulty reftrained till I was out of his hearing. How dreadfully afraid is poor Mellifont of my abufing the power I have over him! He was just diffolving in foftnefs; but in the moment when he was giving way to his paffion, and throwing afide his fprightlinefs, which was now become unnatural, a fimile recalled back his fears; his dread of my tyranny returned; and, to prevent my taking advantage of his weakness, he was willing to turn all he had faid into ridicule. However, when I began to reflect a little, I could not help being afraid that I had affronted him by my ill-manners in leaving him fo abruptly; and therefore, having now been near an hour in the garden, and imagining he was gone, returned to my aunt, in order to make my excufes to her; to whom I fancied he had complained, and who, probably, would blame me for carrying the jeft too far. But in my way, ftepping into the room where I had left him upon the floor, I found my doughty knight ftrutting about with an old ruity helmet on his head, and in his hand a pike, which ferved for a fpear, upon which was fixed the head of a fox, which he had luckily run down the day before. When ftamping with his foot, his trufty fquire entered with the ftuffed fkins of feveral badgers, and other beasts of prey, the spoils of his hall; when Mellifont bending one knee, laid them at my feet, and refting upon his fpear See, fair princefs, faid he, bowing low his head, a knight renowned for acts of ⚫ chivalry, who lays at your divine feet ⚫ the ravagers of the mountains and the vallies; but lower ftill he would lay his heart. Incomparable lady, you • fee a flave whofe magnanimous arm has made thefe horrid monsters tremble; yet his life depends on the radi⚫ance of your fimiles. Soften then with pity the beams of your eyes, left their lightning, with too refulgent glory, fhould burn his thrivelled heart to • cinders.' This fet fpeech, which he uttered with the utmoft gravity and folemnity, he had doubtlefs ftudied before I entered the room, and which he concluded with bending low to kifs my feet: when ftruggling againft a fimile, I affumed an air of inexorable iternnefs, and looking down upon him with a lofty fuperiority and contempt- Avaunt, caitif 'vile,' cried I, and think not to abuse my ears with thy audacious forgeries. Are thefe, wretch, the trophies of thy valour! Where are the diftreffed virgins that thou haft delivered from the poisonous talons of fiery dragons, or the dreadful gripe of monftrous giants? Fly, coward, and attempt not to abufe my credulity with the carcafes of infects, or my weak arm shall chaftife thy temerity! Here I turned haltily from him, and walking with a majestick statelinefs, feated myself at the other end of the room, in an eafy chair, with as much dignity as if it had been a chair of fate. Bat I had no fooner turned my back, than throwing away his mafking ornaments, he stepped up to me, finging "Why do you fly, my "dearest" and immediately dropping his fong- Don't you think, Madam," cried he, that we have acted our parts to perfection? Upon my word, you do every thing with a grace. Your every air is charming. I only am defe&tive; for I find I fhall do no wonders in the character of a redoubted champion for love; fince, after all my endeavours, I have been fhamefully degraded, and caft from the dignity of my fublime station. Yet, Madam, you are fenfible it was in difguile that you made me a convert to love. Adorned like Flora with all the blooming graces of the fmiling year, and incircled with the united fragrance of every opening flower, you captivated all my fentes, and initantly made me that odd creature called a whining, fighing lover. Upon my word, Madam, you could not have made a ftranger metamorphofis had you fixed me a ftatue.' Here he paused; but inftantly recollecting himfeif O Madam, cried he, fmiling and rubbing his hands, I have a lucky thought; permit me to affume another disguise: as you first appeared to me a goddefs, let me for once be • disguised like a god; you fhall receive • me crowned with ivy, and the glow ing |