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Ere the night-coming, your mother will lie,
Motionless under the tree!

Helpless and silent, I still shall be nigh,
While ye are moaning for me.
Newburyport.

H. F. G.

THE IDIOT.

Isabella had passed through the course of instruction pursued at school with remarkable success. From thence her father gave her into my charge to superintend the finishing of her education, making her studies such as I should judge most profitable and agreeable. This task I cheerfully undertook, for the purity and brightness of her character I considered as a sufficient insurance for all the pains, time, and information I could bestow upon her. Isabella Williams came to me at the interesting age of fourteen, with a devoted thirst for knowledge; a deep sense of the importance of learning seemed to actuate and move her on as it were by impulse. In commencing her studies 1 observed to her that I should wish her own feelings to be consulted, and her own opinion respected on every subject to which I should invite her attention; and I urged her to express her feelings ere she made a moment's sacrifice to a theory her heart did not approve; to this she rejoicingly assented, and pledged her own sweet word that on no occasion would she depart from this gentle request of mine: and she entered on her studies with great facility and penetration. In making our selections, I found she had a decided taste for rich and pure poetry, and in this I indulged her, approving of her choice. This approval I had no reason to regret, for after poring over philosophy together for a long hour, it was no small relief to hear read, by one of the sweetest voices that ever raised the notes of accent, page after page, from some of our best poets, for she was very nice and fastidious in what she read at these times. It would always be some splendid passage, some striking verse, which she had before noted with her pencil for such an occasion, to render the enchantment more complete. And I was always charmed with her selections; the holiest ideas,

served up in the most delicate and richest language, were themes for her, and on these she would always express her mind, and give me such enthusiastic arguments to prove all she advanced, such clear and decisive reasoning, and displayed so much power and solidity in the logic she made use of, that I have often sat bound to the chair until she would come and lay her beautiful white hand upon my forehead, and gently rouse me from the mild reverie in which her own witchery would throw me. Then I would look upon her animated features, a smile always played about her mouth, and her deep black eyes of fire sparkling upon me, abundant locks of raven hair clustered all over her neck, upon which she suffered no checks, and it waved as she moved most charmingly. Her spirits were unbounded, life and gaiety were exhibited in every motion, and after the hours allotted to study had passed, how easily would she throw off the light chains of restraint she had worn, and jump out, as she called it, into liberty, and obey some engagement of a party which had before been acceded to, and the lovely student would soon be metamorphosed into the elegant, the accomplished belle.

Isabella Williams ran the rounds of pleasure in high life with great eclat, reaching the highest pinnacle in the temple of the goddess of fashion. Yet still her aim was higher, and mere vanishing pleasures did not satisfy her. She thirsted for a deeper spring," and would take real enjoyment in improving the moments of the ensuing day in diligent application. As she increased in age, her intellectual and personal beauties more fully developed themselves, and she appeared more womanly, though the beautiful and fascinating girl was not lost. She held to one and took possession of the other, performing it admirably. But she assumed no confirmed airs, nor put on any cover of reserve; on the contrary, she was more open, freer and stronger in her ideas: she would unbosom to me all her thoughts, require my advice in all matters of delicate, puzzling etiquette, of which she could not make a solution, and her being an adept in coquetry gave her many trials of this sort. She had finished almost all the works of note to which I had directed her attention, and as a recreation, I now permitted her to look into a little of the light and more easy reading which was floating about her, but as yet I had advised her not to indulge in reading novels. Till this period Isabella had never read a novel. I had now no fears; her mind had become

firmly settled in principle, and the necessary truths and motives for a virtuous life were engrafted strongly in her heart. There was no danger of her delicate virtue being contaminated. The system was too well arranged, too harmoniously in unison, to receive any jars which the morals of this trashy reading could inflict; though I might have been over curious to observe the manner in which she would receive them. Her feelings, always elastic and gay, still felt the solemn workings of Christianity; and I always looked upon her as one whose destiny would be higher in the world above. And on this point I had enjoyed the felicity of hearing her soul-stirring ideas. Love and innocence composed the groundwork of her religion, intermixed with charity and benevolence. And what system can be purer and more clearly united with the great truths of the Divine Code? She placed her reliance on the immoveable and immortal truths. Isabella was not over conversible on this subject, except it was required of her; then she would burst forth in tones of such subduing pathos, such breathing purity, that you would be startled and astonished at the eloquence the woman would exhibit in her burning words; the rich power of her talents would shine forth in splendor. No presumption ever sullied her pure conversation. In argument she adopted kind, conciliatory, reconcileable means, rather than throwing at her adversary more pointed and rankling shafts.

I never could succeed in inducing her to employ some of her leisure moments in composition; this she never would consent to, other than to spend these same moments in arranging her thoughts, that they might be used, when called upon, to the best advantage. In one of these choice moments I put into her hands one of the latest Annuals I had read, and pointed her to a polished and highly finished tale, the production of Miss J- -, pressing her to read it, and to produce one for the coming year, for I knew she was able; and she agreed to the first part of the question; in answer to the latter, she blushingly held down her head, letting her eyes linger on the golden leaves, and said, "Oh! no I mourned that her classical mind would be, except to her immediate friends and herself, thrown away; but it was useless; she would not tax her talents to bring forth anything for fame; her high formed conceptions soared higher, to grander and more sublime imaginations, and she wished not to go out into the world, and appear in the ranks of honorable tourney, a competitor for the prize. Her feel

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ings had become too delicate and refined for this; she had rather waste her soft and sensitive flow of words to the balmy air, than embark in any such hazard as this; and when she afterwards made such an expression of her ideas to me, I readily acquiesced, and never more touched upon the subject when she was present. She had reached the age of nineteen, when her pure and chaste spirit continually threw the world farther off, and looked for light to a higher fountain. Having been brought on to the stage of fashion early, she had become sickened with its vain delights and empty pleasures, and her high intellect turned away from these things, the relish for them being lost, consumed in their own fulness. Judgment had taught her that this was the time to drop such decaying substances, and grasp at something more substantial. This she had already done by turning to the sun of Christianity for her guiding light, having dedicated herself to whatever was sublime and excellent, exalting herself in the main object of her pursuit ; and it was well that she, with so much singleness of heart, clung to religion, for the world is continually changing, and the same positions which it once occupied know it no more. The same Power that giveth life and pleasure to the world, with the same hand scattereth the arrows of death and misery, even in our midst.

Isabella Williams was most suddenly, at first lightly, attacked with epileptics, which destroyed, for the moment, her senses. These would come upon her once in a few weeks, and she would have no antecedent. In the very height of life, when her spirits ranged to the utmost pitch, she would instantly fall into one of these faints; a few hours, however, were only necessary to bring back her tender conversation, and her moving manner would be as vividly impressed upon you as before; no deviation would seem to be apparent from her original style. But still her fine mind was touched, although gently at first; the smooth tracery of her ideas were slightly affected, and every succeeding shock which her nervous system received only made the coming change more perceptible. From the first I had my fears, for the horror of having so perfect a spirit blighted, destroyed, affected me most sensibly. I dreaded her being liable to this distressing malady, for I knew if it held its grasp, that she was ruined; and I would almost hope that her body might not claim a longer endurance than her senses. These fits gradually grew upon her, and she was aware that her mind. was becoming impaired and shaken by the disease, which was

thus dragging her to the grave. Yet I never heard one word of repining; not a murmur fell from her lips, and not the least complaint escaped her, but all was penitence, meekness and submission, pleading eloquently her alliance with “higher natures."

Isabella had still more to endure a severe sickness came over her, which threw reason from her throne, and for many days she never spoke, the malady reigning full conqueror; but her mind came slowly to her again, and she was once more herself. Oh how I have wept to think that she, so young and so beautiful, should bow down to the shrine of idiotcy, a willing votary. After this last attack she would indulge but little in conversation, and when she did I perceived her language was careless and unmeaning, and I saw that her mind was indeed broken.

Isabella had become an idiot! a beautiful idiot; for her disorder had not stolen the hectic rose upon her cheek, and her mild looks and beautiful expression were still as lovely as ever. Yet the intelligence which once shone in her features was lost. I could not persuade myself that she would not recover, and therefore would vainly entreat her to commence her studies again; for she had forgotten the most of all she had formerly learned. But it was idle to presume to effect anything of this sort; I therefore desisted, and consoled myself with remembering what she was once, viewing the wreck of knowledge before me, weeping that it had selected so shining a mark.

Isabella's constitution, as the malady grew upon her, sunk under so heavy a load, and every day the wasting became more perceptible. We knew not how soon she would be taken from us, but we felt, as a certain presentiment, that she would depart suddenly, her disorder having now arrived at that crisis when it terminates quickly. Still we loved to look upon her now; even in her wasting away, she was so calm and placid, her countenance the picture of an unruffled glassy lake. But, for her own happiness, we could not desire to detain her from the skies, her aim and her resting place. And she was not long for us; even then the "heaven-sick soul was stealing away."

One day when I was absent, soon after dinner, Isabella had as usual retired to her room, when her servant observed her to grow pale suddenly; thinking she might be going into a fit, she flew for Cologne and camphor. On returning, she found her

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