Ah! paint her form, her foul-illumin'd eyes, Speaks all his heart muft feel, his tongue would fay: Yet ah! not all his heart must fadly feel! Would fear its charm, or think it could be. guile! Thefe lines were not infcribed to any perfon; Emily therefore could not apply them to herself, though he was undoubtedly the nymph of thefe fhades. Having glanced round the little circle of her acquaintance without being detained by a fufpicion as to whom they could be addreffed, he was compelled to rest in uncertainty; an uncertainty which would have been more painful to an idle mind than it was to hers. She had no leifure to fuffer this circumftance, trifling at first, to fwell into importance by frequent re membrance. membrance. The little vanity it had excited (for the incertitude which forbade her to prefume upon having infpired the fonnet, forbade her alfo to disbelieve it) paffed away, and the incident was difmiffed from her thoughts amid her books, her ftudies, and the exercise of social charities. Soon after this period, her anxiety was awakened by the indifpofition of her father, who was attacked with a fever; which, though not thought to be of a dangerous kind, gave a fevere fhock to his conftitution. Madame St. Aubert and Emily attended him with unremitting care; but his recovery was very flow, and, as he advanced towards health, Madame seemed to decline. The first scene he vifited, after he was well enough to take the air, was his favourite fishing-houfe. A basket of provifions was fent thither, with books, and Emily's lute; for fifhing-tackle he had no ufe, for he never could find amusement in torturing or destroying. After Mon After employing himself, for about an hour, in botanizing, dinner was ferved. It was a repaft, to which gratitude, for being again permitted to vifit this fpot, gave sweetness; and family happiness once more fmiled beneath thefe fhades. fieur St. Aubert converfed with unufual cheerfulness; every object delighted his fenses. The refreshing pleasure from the firft view of nature, after the pain of illnefs, and the confinement of a fick-chamber, is above the conceptions, as well as the defcriptions, of thofe in health. The green woods and paftures; the flowery turf; the blue concave of the heavens; the balmy air; the murmur of the limpid ftream; and even the hum of every little infect of the fhade, feem to revivify the foul, and make mere exiftence blifs. Madame St. Aubert, reanimated by the cheerfulness and recovery of her hufband, was no longer fenfible of the indifpofition which had lately oppreffed her; and, as the fauntered along the wood wood-walks of this romantic glen, and converfed with him, and with her daughter, fhe often looked at them alternately with a degree of tenderness, that filled her eyes with tears. St. Aubert obferved this more than once, and gently reproved her for the emotion; but he could only fmile, clafp his hand, and that of Emily, and weep the more.. He felt the tender enthusiasm ftealing upon himself-in a degree that became almost painful; his features affumed a ferious air, and he could not forbear fecretly fighing 66 Perhaps I fhall fome time look back to these moments, as to the fummit of my happiness, with hopeless regret. But let me not mifufe them by useless anticipation; let me hope I fhall not live to mourn the lofs of those who are dearer to me than life." To relieve, or perhaps to indulge, the pensive temper of his mind, he bade Emily fetch the lute fhe knew how to touch with fuch fweet pathos. As he drew near the fishing fishing-house, she was furprised to hear the tones of the inftrument, which were awakened by the hand of tafte, and uttered a plaintive air, whofe exquifite melody engaged all her attention. She liftened in profound filence, afraid to move from the spot, left the found of her fteps should occafion her to lofe a note of the mufic, or fhould disturb the mufician. Every thing without the building was ftill, and no perfon appeared. She continued to liften, till timidity fucceeded to furprise and delight; a timidity, increased by a remembrance of the pencilled lines fhe had formerly seen, and fhe hesitated whether to proceed, or to return. While the paufed, the mufic ceafed; and, after a momentary hesitation, she recollected courage to advance to the fishing-house, which she entered with faltering steps, and found unoccupied! Her lute lay on the table; every thing feemed undisturbed, and she began to believe it was another inftrument fhe had heard, till fhe remem |