guide was leading her into a large faLoon, the turned round to seek for Agnes, whom, till that inftant, fhe imagined to have been ftill near her fide. She expreffed fome anxiety at her abfence, to the house-keeper, who obferved, that her friend had remained in the firft hall, and immediately fent a woman, then de fcending a ftair-cafe, to escort her to them. Emma, in the mean time, purfued the fteps of her conductress, who, having paffed several state apartments, opened a door that led to a library, and which he had no fooner entered, and directed the attention of Emma to a fine portrait of the late Marchionefs de Clairville, that hung over the chimney, than the disappeared. Emma, for fome moments, was loft in contemplating the angelic countenance of a woman, whofe fad fate the had heard fo frequently and fo tenderly deplored, when the was fuddenly roufed from thefe melancholy reflections, by the opening of a glafs door, which led to a colonnade filled with exotic plants. If fhe felt embarraffed by the appearance of the Baron, who enter ed thence into the library, what were her fenfations, when, on making an attempt to quit it herfelf, the found the door of the apartment locked, and beheld the Baron de Morenzi at her feet, in an attitude of respectful tenderness.

The confufion and furprise of Emma, at the humble pofture of the Baron, could only be heightened by his addrefs. She had inftantly retreated a few paces from the door which he had vainly attempted to open, and fupported herself with difficulty against a book-cafe. "Be not alarmed, charming Emma," faid the Baron, in a voice of affumed foftnefs, " you fee before you a man, who, till he beheld your incomparable beauty, never completely loft his liberty. Regard me no longer as the matter of your father, but as the flave and lover of his daughter, and who only waits her commands to fhew by his obedience the truth and generofity of his fentiments." During this fpeech, Emma's gentle frame was agitated by a variety of inexpreffible emotions. Amazement, fear, and indignation prevented her interrupting the Baron; but when, on his rifing and advancing to her at the clole of his fpeech, he attempted to take her hand, "My lord," faid fhe, fhrinking from his touch, you must permit me to affure you, that I have no with but to return to my father: in his cottage all my ideas of happinefs are centered. Conde

fcend to open this door, or to admit my departure thro' that colonnade: my intrufion here was entirely owing to Ma dame de Chalons, who propofed to thew me the caftle." "How much indebted am I to her," replied the Baren, “ for this interview, which gives me an opportunity to unfold the fentiments of a heart devoted to you alone. No longer fhall fuch beauty, formed to shiae in palaces, be concealed in a cottage. Accept my affections, and command my fortune.

Indignant blushes dyed the cheeks of Emma, at a proposal, which the could not mifconceive, and all the pride of wounded delicacy rufhing into her bofom, fufpended for a moment its natural timidity, and animated her to pronounce thefe words: "That fortune, my lord, from which you affume the privilege thus to infult the daughter of a peasant, can neither dazzle my vanity, nor tempt my ambition; my humble birth infpires in me no pride, but that of virtue, and the poffeffion of no dignity, but that of confcious innocence. Allow me to retire, my lord: my father doubtless wonders at my abfence." "Your father, froward beauty, waits my pleasure in the caftle," returned the Baron, with a look of anger, "your compliance or rejec tion of my generous offers will decide his future fate. Recollect, Emma, the. extent of my power; dread my resentment, or deferve my gratitude; they each fhall be unbounded. If you reward my paffion, your father will refide in this caftle, freed from the toils of fervitude, the witnefs and partaker of those benefits, which my love fhall heap upon you: receive this casket of jewels, as a trifling earnest of a liberality, which shall know no limits." While the Baron displayed the fparkling treafure to the eyes of the unambitious Emma, fhe pushed them from her with difdain. "Once more,

my lord," faid he, " let me affure you, that I have a heart impenetrable to vanity, or grandeur, to which the power of wealth could raife me:" "But," cried the Baron, interrupting her, foftening the natural ferocity of his features, and gazing tenderly on her, " is your heart impenetrable to love, and cannot it be moved to yield a generous return to fentiments fo fincere? Let me owe to mutual affection that which you deny to ambition; and accept the honours which fhall be offered you, as tributes due from my gratitude, rather than as bribes to allure your compliance." Never, never,'

replied Erama: my heart will ever continue as untouched by love, as by your proffered gifts: it is proof againft every fentiment, that would injure my honour and debafe my virtue !"-" Iunderftand you, prefumptuous girl," return ed the Baron, "you would raise your darling hopes to fhare by legal ties my name and rank."-"No," exclaimed Emma, "could you ftoop fo low as to demand my hand in an honourable alliance, my heart would reject the offer, and my tongue disclaim an union, which no intreaties could induce, no authority compel me to accept! After this honeft confeffion, my lord, you will fuffer me to quit your prefence." The enraged Baron was now raised to a pitch of re- fentment which banifhed at the moment every paffion but that of anger. Mortified pride ftung him to the quick; and viewing her with a look of contempt, "Tis well," said he, " your audacity has difpelled the charm of beauty; unworthy of a prepoffeffion, which covers me with difgrace, you may return to that obfcurity and indigence, which befit the meannefs of your birth, and the grovelling fentiments of your foul."-Uttering these words, he took a key from his pocket, and throwing it on the ground left her at liberty; the inftantly feized the opportunity to unfaften the door, and to escape; haftening through the hall, inftead of turning toward the offices by which he had entered it, the took advantage of the great door, that flood open, and defcending a flight of fteps with a celerity urged by her fears of detention, the flew acrofs the court, darted through the iron gates, and gain ed the end of the front avenue in a few moments. She then flopped, for want of breath, and funk, almoft fpent, under the fhade of a lofty elm: recollecting, however, that he was not beyond the reach of purfuit, fhould the enraged Baron change his mind, and attempt to recal her, the arofe, and cafting an apprehenfive look toward the cafile, fhe perceived her father advancing toward her with flow fteps: affured by his prefence, fhe hefirated not to wait his approach; and he had no fooner reached the fpot, where the ftood trembling to receive him, than they clafped each other in a filent embrace: but Emma, urged by the dread of a moment's delay, entreated her father to fulpend all interrogations till they fhould have regained their cottage, which they had no fooner reached, than they cach gave vent to the

agitations, which had mutually oppreffed them.

The ftory of Bernard's illness had been a fabrication, invented merely for the purpose of entrapping his daughter in the fnare laid for her. As he paffed the caftle, in the morning, he had been met by Monfieur Du Val, the fteward, and requefted to wait there to receive the commands of his lord, who had fome defigns to communicate to him, greatly to his advantage. The good old man, who never yet had formed a wish, beyond the fufficiency which his humble ftation had always allowed him, heard this circumftance with cold indifference; but out of refpect to the Baron, waited his pleature. He was introduced into a pavilion in the garden, and requested not to quit it till the Baron, who proposed to join him there, fhould dismiss him.

I

He remained above two hours, in vain expectation; the fteward at length entered, and informed him that he had liberty to depart, as the Baron's fentiments were changed in regard to him, from the ungrateful rejection, which Emma had prefumed to offer to propofals that did her but too much honour, and would have raised her and her family to a fituation which muft have rendered them objects of envy to the furrounding peafantry. Bernard, ftrongly agitated, replied to this harangue, "Then may truly glory in my child, whofe fteady virtue teaches her to refift the treacherous arts of feduction, and to fpurn at an elevation which would fink her far beneath her lowly birth and humble education. Let me haften from a fpot once the refidence of worth and honour, but now become the scene of infamy and fhame."" Have a care, old man," replied Du Val," how you tempt the vengeance of your mafter, by fuch daring language." "I fear no danger," interrupted Bernard," but the lofs of honour, and I own no real mafter but that Power Omnipotent, who guarded the innocent, forfakes only the guilty!"Having thus faid, he reached the lodge; where the porter opened a private gate which admitted him through the avenue, where he joined, as we before related, his beloved daughter.

The enraged Baron, in the first emotions of his refentment, had been indu ced to banish from his prefence, the woman, who had prefumed to defpife his offers, and reject his love. A momentary hatred took poffeffion of his mind,

but

The carved wood an' polish'd ftoukie Wou'd mak' ye ftare, and look about ye. In chapel three big lufters hing, Ilk by a stark iron gilded ftring; The price on them was weel beftow'd, For they do fhine like folid goud: I've heard the travel'd fages tell, The chapel here does far excel Ought they have seen in Britain's ifle, To come an' fee was worth their while. Likewife our Treasurer * ilk day, Is prais'd by all who come this way; The court, a rugged cawfay ance, He caufed lay wi' hewen ftanes; An' nicely painted ilka ward; There was nae labour on them spar'd,' An' eke the vera common hall, Beft gentry there might had a ball; The kitchen, paffages, an' ftairs, An' ilka place as need requires; The schools did no' mifs his infpection, An' plaister'd were by his direction. Now, I do think the weather-cock Says, "Friend, gif ye cou'd tak' a joke, There's turrets, fpears, an' crowns, I fee, An' I think ye're forgetting me." Indeed, my bonny bird, faid I, I final look for cocks fae high; But ye do look baith fat an' fair, An' nought to live on but the air. The carvings on ilk window head, To speak o' them till I be dead, As queen of Sheba faid of old, A fingle ha'f wou'd no be told. On fouth an' north-fide is a green Where Royal Volunteers conveen; An' gentry wa'k in fimmer day, An' callants tak' their e'ening play. Our Governors are men o' fkeil, An' every thing's conducted weel: Ilk ane o' us do get a scare, Enough to eat, but nought to fpare. This is a clean and healthy place, A bleffing to the burger race;

High o'er the hamlet, from the hill,
Beyond the winding ftream,
The windows of a ftately houfe

In fheen of evening gleam,

There dwelt, in riot, rout, and roar,
A lord fo frank and free;
That oft, with inward joy of heart,
The maid beheld his glee.
Whether he met the dawning day,

In hunting trim fo fine,
Or tapers, fparkling from his hall,
Befhone the midnight wine.

He fent the maid his picture, girt

With diamond, pearl, and gold;
And filken-paper, fweet with mufk,
This gentle meffage told :

"Let go thy fweethearts, one and all;
Shalt thou be bafely woo'd,
That worthy art to gain the heart
Of youths of noble blood?

The tale I would to thee bewray,
In fecret must be faid:

At midnight hour I'll feek thy bower;
Fair lafs, be not afraid.

And when the am'rous nightingale
Sings fweetly to his mate,
I'll pipe my quail-call from the field:
Be kind, nor make me wait."
In cap and mantle clad he came,
At night, with lonely tread';
Unfeen, and filent as a mist,
And hush'd the dogs with bread.

And

And when the amʼrous nightingale

Sung fweetly to his mate,
She heard his quail-call in the field,
And, ah! ne'er made him wait.

The words he whifper'd were fo foft,
They won her ear and heart:
How foon will fhe, who loves, believe!
How deep a lover's art!

No lure, no foothing guife, he fpar'd,
To banish virtuous fhame;
He call'd on holy God above,

As witnefs to his flame.

He clafp'd her to his breast, and swore To be for ever true : "Oʻyield thee to my wishful arms,

Thy choice thou shalt not rue."

And while fhe ftrove, he drew her on,

And led her to the bower,

So ftill, fo dim-and round about

Sweet fmelt the beans in flower.

On tottering feet fhe grop'd her way,
And fought her lover's home.
"A mother thou haft made of me,
Before thou mad'st a wife:
For this, upon my tender breast,
These livid fripes are rife :
Behold." And then, with bitter fobs,
She fank upon the floor-

"Make good the evil thou haft wrought; My injur'd name restore."

"Poor foul; I'll have thee hous'd and nurs'd;

Thy terrors I lament.

Stay here; we'll have fome further talk-
The old one shall repent.-"

"I have no time to reft and wait;
That faves not my good name :
If thou with honeft foul haft fworn,
O leave me not to shame;

But at the holy altar be

Our union fanctified;

breaft,

And pleaded every sense;

And there the glowing breath of luft
Did blaft her innocence.

But when the fragrant beans began
Their fallow blooms to fhed,
Her fparkling eyes their luftre loft ;
Her cheek its rofes filed:

And when the faw the pods increase,

The ruddier cherries ftain,
She felt her filken robe grow tight,

Her waist new weight fuftain.
And when the mowers went a-field,
The yellow corn to ted,
She felt her burden ftit within,

And fhook with tender dread.

And when the winds of autumn hift along the stubble field;

Then could the damfel's piteous plight
No longer be conceal'd.

Her fire, a harsh and angry man,
With furious voice revil'd:

Receive me for thy bride."

"Unequal matches must not blot
The honours of my line;
Art thou of wealth or rank for me,
To harbour thee as mine?

What's fit and fair I'll do for thee;
Shalt yet retain my love-
Shalt wed my huntsman➡and we'll then
Our former transports prove."
"Thy wicked foul, hard-hearted man,
May pangs in hell await!
Sure, if not fuited for thy bride,

I was not for thy mate.

Go, seek a spouse of nobler blood,

Nor God's just judgments dreadSo fhall, ere long, fome base-born wretch Defile thy marriage-bed.

Then traitor, feel how wretched they

In hopeless fhame immerst;
Then fmite thy forehead on the wall,
While horrid curfes burft.

I harbour not thy child."

And fast, amid her fluttering hair,
With clenched fift he gripes,

And feiz'd a leathern thong, and lafh'd
Her fide wirh founding stripes.

Her lily fkin, fo foft and white,

He ribb'd with bloody wales;

And thrust her out, tho' black the night,
Tho' fleet and ftorm affails.

Up the harsh rock, on flinty paths,
The maiden had to roam;

Unfooth'd thy grinning woe: Thro' thy pale temples fire the ball, And fink to fiends below."

Collected then, the started up,

And, thro' the hifling fleet,

Through thorn and briar, through flood and mire,

She fled with bleeding feet.

"Where now," the cry'd," my gracious God!

What refuge have I left ?"

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