MORAL PROGRESS.-THE REVELATION. 257 1 SECT. CCLXXVI.-MORAL PROGRESS. MORAL PROGRESS.-2 We do not gain any thing by going out of our station, but by conforming to it; and the less and the more obstacles we meet with, so much more merit we 3 obtain. Let not the eminently excellent, therefore, walk be4 fore us in vain. Let not their lives merely charm us in de5 scription, or affect us like a dramatic scene. Endowed with the same nature, called to the same ends, creatures of the same 6 GOD, why should we not aspire to share their destiny? We 7 doubt our own strength, we say. Have we faithfully tried it? DEFINITIONS, &C.-Define station, conforming, eminently, description, ramatic, aspire, destiny. What must be supplied before Sent. 1st. 1 SECT. CCLXXVII.-THE REVELATION. Lady Arundel, (advancing from the chapel.) Where his bones sleep I have prayed"; 2 The strength that is not of the world! 3 Thy sword drawn on thy— 4 5 6 7 8 9 Norman. Ay, upon the stone and I have gained How, Percy? Hush! I have kept thy secret! Lady Arundel. Unhappy boy"! Why turn thine eyes from him To me, and straight again to him? Approach, Lady Arundel. It is not so, irreverent one! Here, Arthur, 10 Into thy hands I do restore the proofs That reassert thy rights: my eldest born, By long-concealed, but holiest wedlock with 11 Arthur le Mesnil! To his breast, my Percy: There is none nobler! 12 Norman. 13 Whate'er is mine 14 Ashdale. Wilt thou not, my brother? Is thine. 15 And dost thou deem That I will fawn, a beggar, on thy bounty? 258 A SHIP IN A CRITICAL SITUATION. Lackey thy heels, and crawl for crumbs that fall From the rich, bounteous, elder brother's board? 16 Ha, ha! I'd rather couch with the wild boar, And starve on acorns, than the world should cry, "See once proud Ashdale, the meek younger brother!" Lady Arundel. Percy, my best-loved! 17 18 Ashdale. Mother, is it so? 19 Say that thou didst but sport upon my pride": 20 That thou wouldst try me"! Speak! 21 22 Lady Arundel. It is the truth! Ashdale. Alas, alas! All is unravelled now! I ask no proofs; thy looks suffice for proof! 23 I will not hear a tale, perhaps of shame'! 24 So, a long farewell, mother! Lady Arundel. Do not leave me! 25 Oh, do not leave me! Think how I have loved thee! How, for thy sake, I sinned against my soul, And veiled, and barred, and would have crushed his rights, All, all for thee! DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define bones, sword, hush, unhappy, (miserable? or unfortunate?) straight, approach, conscience, wrings, truth, at last, elder, sole, heir, ill-fated, house, (means here the honors and property of the family of Ashdale,) delirium, irreverent, restore, proofs, reassert, concealed, wedlock, none, deem, fawn, beggar, bounty, lackey, crumbs, board, (table made of board?) couch, boar, (wild male hog?) starve, acorns, bestbeloved, sport, try, unravelled, looks, suffice, tale, farewell, sake, sinned, soul, veiled, barred, crushed. Ha! ha! Sent. 16th, expressing disgust, should be delivered thus: ha' ha`: (See Elements of Read. and Orat., Ch. VI., Rules Spontaneous Excl.) Alas! alas! should be delivered thus: alas', alas'. (See ibid.) 1 2 SECT. CCLXXVIII.-THE BEAUTIFUL MANIAC. "The fire that in my bosom preys, Is lone as some volcanic isle: No torch is kindled at its blaze:- In the morning train from Petersburgh, there was a lady, closely veiled, in the same car with ourselves. She was 3 dressed in the purest white, wore gold bracelets, and evidently belonged to the higher circles of society. Her figure 4 was delicate, though well developed, and exquisitely symmet THE BEAUTIFUL MANIAC. 259 rical; and when she occasionally drew aside her richly embroidered veil, the glimpse of her features which the beholder obtained, satisfied him of her extreme loveliness. Beside 5 her sat a gentleman in deep mourning, who watched over her with unusual solicitude; and several times, when she attempted to rise, he excited the curiosity of the passengers by detaining her in her seat. Outside the cars all was confusion: passengers looking to 6 their baggage, porters running, cabmen cursing, and all the usual hurry and bustle attending the departure of a railroad 7 train. One shrill warning whistle from the engine, and we moved slowly away. At the first motion of the car, the lady in white started to 8 her feet with one heart-piercing scream, and her bonnet falling off, disclosed the most lovely features we ever contem9 plated. Her raven tresses fell over her shoulders in graceful disorder, and clasping her hands in prayer, she turned her 10 dark eyes to heaven! What agony was in that look! what beauty, too, what heavenly beauty, had not so much of mis11 ery been stamped upon it! Alas! that one glance told a melancholy tale. 12 13 As by the sickness of her soul; her mind Had wandered from its dwelling, and her eyes, Of others' sight, familiar were to hers." Her brother, the gentleman in black, was unremitting in 14 his efforts to soothe her spirit. He led her back to her seat; but her hair was still unbound, and her beauty unveiled. 15 The cars rattled on, and the passengers in groups resumed 16 their conversation. Suddenly a wild melody arose it was the beautiful maniac's voice; rich, full, and inimitable. Her 17 hands were crossed on her heaving bosom, and she waved her body as she sung with touching pathos, 18 "She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps, And lovers are round her sighing; But coldly she turns from their gaze and weeps, For her heart in his grave is lying! 260 19 THE BEAUTIFUL MANIAC. "She sings the wild songs of her dear native plains, Ah! little they think who delight in her strains, DEFINITIONS, &c.-Maniac-a person insane. Preys-devour wastes. Lone-lonely. Volcanic isle-island with a volcano on it: what is a volcano? Define torch, blaze, kindled. Funeral pile-a pilo of wood on which the body of a deceased person is burned. Define train, (of cars?) closely veiled, purest white, bracelets, evidently, higher circles, (richer, more fashionable, better educated parties,) exquisitely, symmetrical, occasionally, (now and then,) embroidered, glimpse, extreme, loveliness, in deep mourning, solicitude, unusual, excited, curiosity, outside, baggage, porters, cabmen, hurry, bustle, railroad, shrill, warning whistle, (whistle to give warning,) engine, slowly, heart-piercing, scream, bonnet, disclosed, contemplated, raven tresses, (tresses as black as the raven: what are tresses?) graceful, stamped, melancholy, tale, realm, combination, disjointed, impalpable, (that cannot be touched,) unperceived, (not seen,) unremitting, efforts, soothe, unbound, groups, resumed, suddenly, melody, inimitable, pathos, (deep feeling,) hero, strains, minstrel, breaking. SECT. CCLXXIX.-THE BEAUTIFUL MANIAC, CONTINUED. 1 HER brother was unmanned; and he wept as only man 2 can weep. The air changed, and she continued: 3 4 "Has sorrow thy young days shaded As clouds o'er the morning fleet? She then sung a fragment of the beautiful hymn, Another attempt to rise up was prevented, and she threw 5 herself on her knees beside her brother, and gave him such a mournful, entreating look, with a plaintive "Save me, my brother! save your sister!" that scarcely a passenger could 6 refrain from weeping. We say scarcely, for there was one man (was he a man ?) who called on the conductor to "put 7 her out of the car.' He received the open scorn of the THE BEAUTIFUL MANIAC. 261 8 company. His insensibility to such a scene of distress almost defies belief; and yet this is, in every particular, an 9"ow'er true tale." Should he ever read these lines, may his marble heart be softened by the recollection of his bru tality! 10 Again the poor benighted beauty raised her bewitching voice to one of the most solemn sacred airs; "Oh, where shall rest be found: Rest for the weary soul!" and continued her melancholy chant until we reached the steamer Mount Vernon, on board of which we descended the magnificent James river: the unhappy brother and 11 sister occupying the "ladies' cabin." His was a sorrow too profound for ordinary consolation"; and no one dared intrude so far upon his grief as to satisfy his curiosity. We were standing on the promenade deck, admiring the 12 beautiful scenery of the river, when at one of the landings, the small-boat pulled away for the shore with the unhappy pair, on their way to the asylum at She was stand13 ing erect in the stern of the boat: her head still uncovered, and her white dress and raven tresses fluttering in the breeze. 14 The boat returned, and the steamer moved on for Norfolk. 15 They were gone! that brother, with his broken heart: that sister, with her melancholy union of beauty and madness. DEFINITIONS, &c.—Unmanned-overcome. Air-tune. Define wither, misfortune, fragment, hymn, attempt, rise, prevented, mournful, entreating, plaintive, refrain, scarcely, conductor, (the man who has charge of the train,) open scorn, (undisguised, manifest scorn,) insensibility, defies, belief, marble, (stony, hard,) softened, recollection, brutality, benighted, (as to her mind?) bewitching, weary, chant, steamer, (steam. boat,) James river, (where is it?) occupying, intrude, promenade deck, (upper deck,) erect, stern, uttering, breeze, union. |