rowgate, nearly three years before. I was pained to see such an alteration for the worse in his looks; yet he was as cheerful and communicative as ever. Having been at Clifton several weeks, he could give me no farther information on Irish events than the newspapers afforded; but his company and conversation were a happy relief to the dulness of my coffee-house acquaintances. In the intimacy which this fresh meeting had created, I was let into the secret of an event which made some noise in town a couple of years before, and of which I had heard so many versions, but none of the real facts. Notwithstanding that the person of Mr. Mountgarret had been for some years impaired by a delicate state of health, he was, as I could perceive on my short visit to Harrowgate in 1795, a great favourite amongst the dowagers who annually resort to these baths of Hygeia: his manners were particularly fascinating; his conversational powers of the first order; and his attentions to the gentle sex unremitting. With these pretensions to notice, he made a conquest of no ordinary value. A certain lady, whose name must be held sacred, (the widow of a fortunate and distinguished officer of high naval rank,) had enjoyed his society for two successive seasons at Harrowgate. She was of that period of life "when the passions wait upon the judgment:" a woman of splendid fortune, unincumbered― uncontrolled! amiable without effort-generous without ostentation, and beloved by all who had the happiness of her acquaintance. On the breaking up of the Harrowgate season two years be-. fore, this lady took an opportunity of intimating to Mr. Mountgarret that she viewed him with more tender feelings than those of mere friendship, and had discovered so much to admire and respect in his character and manners, that she unreservedly offered to him her hand and fortune! But, as fate would have it, this brilliant boon, which chance threw in his way, was of necessity declined-he was already married! Some years before he had formed a secret matrimonial engagement with a young and virtuous female, beneath him in rank; a connexion which he was compelled to conceal from the knowledge of his only dependence, a wealthy uncle: and although, this marriage. was contracted under circumstances which would legally have rendered it invalid, his feelings of honour and morality were too powerful to tempt him for a moment to abandon the path of duty: he had also a lovely young family, on whom his heart doted. It was a pity that during the two seasons of unrestrained intercourse with the lady alluded to, he had not made some allusions to his domestic affairs, as he had too much sense and penetration to be blind to that growing partiality which, was apparent to every other member of their society: but I fear it is the besetting sin of my countrymen to be the slaves of the most inordinate vanity, and a desire to win the affections of every woman who appears favourable to them. Whatever were the fascinations by which he retained the lady's friendship while gratefully declining her hand, certain it is his refusal did not lose him one particle of her generous favour. She insisted on making some provision for that family, which he candidly acknowledged were dependent on his professional exertions at the bar: but this his pride, and a sense of grateful regard beyond all selfish considerations, compelled him to refuse. But, on taking his leave of that estimable woman, what does the reader imagine was his request? He entreated permission to place an only brother, who had lately entered the army, under the fostering protection of one from whose powerful influence he might hope to obtain that advancement in life which his humble fortune, if left to his own efforts, might never reach! What favour could she refuse to one so much esteemed? The parties separated: the younger brother, advanced by the prudent senior to the rank of lieutenant by purchase, appeared in the course of the winter in London, with full credentials to the lady's favour. “HE CAME—HE SAW—HE CONQUERED!"—in less than six months he was a captain; and, shortly after, became the husband of his patroness, with six thousand a-year! Thus far my friend's history. Much to young Mountgarret's credit, he proved a most exemplary partner, never having caused the generous woman a moment's sorrow or repentance of her choice during nearly twenty years. When in the wane of life, she met with that affliction which no earthly consolation could mitigate; her good and gallant husband fell in his forty-third year on the field of Waterloo, while bravely charging the enemy at the head of his regiment, in which he had reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel. When communicating to me at Clifton, the events which gave rise to his brother's most fortunate marriage, Mr. Mountgarret afforded me the additionalp leasure of hearing from him that his uncle, a celebrated Newgate solicitor of Dublin, or, as we should call it here, "Old Bailey lawyer," had died immensely rich a year before, leaving him an independent for tune, far beyond his hopes, and equal to all his wishes. CHAPTER XLV. "Four years had lapsed in absence, wherein his steps had ranged A SUBJECT of deeper interest now absorbed my entire attention. Amongst the arrivals at Clifton within the last month, my friend mentioned that of a young widow, whose person he described as of surpassing loveliness; but whose voluntary seclusion from all society gave rise to a thousand conjectures. Her age, he considered, could not exceed one, or two-andtwenty years, and her circumstances, judging from appearances, were affluent. On her arrival she was accompanied by a gentleman, whom the servants called the doctor; but neither his name nor that of the lady's transpired. After a fortnight's residence in a retired house in the neighbourhood of the Wells, the doctor disappeared, leaving the two maid-servants, who had come from Ireland with the lady, in attendance upon her. After an absence of ten days, the gentleman returned, and in tho course of the following week, he removed his mysterious charge, whose kindness and liberality had gained her the blessing of the poor of the neighbourhood. The party took the road for Wales; but, whether for north, or south, town, or village, no person could tell: although, as may be supposed, curiosity and conjecture were not idle on the subject. An Irishman's description of beauty is at all times a glowing picture; so that I did not so much attend to that part of his information as to the minute portrait he drew of the doctor, whom he had frequently seen, and whose every feature, his gait, habit, and gesture, as described by my friend, recalled to my mind Surgeon Splint, my Somerston Esculapius. But who could be his interesting charge? who, but the lovely-the ever dear Maria?-and in widow's weeds! The tumult which this information excited in my whole frame did not escape my observant friend's keen observation; so that I made no scruple of pouring into his friendly ear the secret of my long cherished, but still hopeless passion. But what clew had I to discover the fair recluse's place of retreat; and what excuse to break in on its sanctity if known? Mountgarret was not a man of doubts or difficulties: the first he despised, and all through life had triumphed over the latter. The painfully evident decay of his bodily powers apparently added to, rather than diminished, the vigour of his ardent mind; and, when taking his leave of me that day, he expressed his confidence in being able to ascertain for me in the course of a few days the retreat of the mysterious party. My agitation could not escape the eye of my ever-watchful hostess, and I was fain to invent a tale of some intelligence received of my family, to lull her too ardent curiosity, and her suspicions that I meditated a speedy retreat. I was thus led into a labyrinth of falsehood, which brought its usual mortifications, occasional detection, and eventual disgrace; but hers was not the heart to the generosity of which an appeal might be made; no sentiment of refined love could ever find a restingplace there. The necessity of carrying on the system of deception, which my soul abhorred, was unhappily imposed; but it did not escape my observation that all those attentions and little acts of kindness, which I had long been in the habit of receiving from my hostess, were but sparingly rendered, and always with a degree of distrust and coldness, which could not be mistaken. How ardently did I long for the summons to attend my friend! I felt a guilty reluctance to turn my horse's head towards Bristol, unaccompanied by my hostess, and her really hospitable old spouse; but my impatience admitting of no farther delay, I hurried off on the third morning, hastened to my friend's lodgings, and met--disappointment! No certain tidings could be gained of the party beyond their passage of the Severn, and their proceeding towards Swansea, but whether with the intention of crossing from thence to North Devon, or remaining in the principality, the ferrymen were doubtful: their conjectures as to the first were grounded on the particular inquiries made by the doctor as to the mode of passing over to Ilfracomb ; and if it required any other mark to fix the identity of that personage beyond my friend's description of him, it was to be found in the boatman's statements, that the doctor was extremely inquisitive as to the resources of the surrounding country in rivers, lakes, and streams; and what description of fly was the most taking. Even this confirmation, as it appeared to me, of the identity of at least one of the party, gave a momentary rise to the barometer of my spirits, which communicating itself to my outward man, rendered me for that day more amiable in the eyes of my half-doubting hostess. I had invited, by the particular desire of the lady and gentleman, my Irish friend to pass the next day at their house; and, according to old Launcelot's express orders, he was to “bring his night cap wi' him." The presence of my countryman made the next day pass off most pleasantly to all parties; when, taking his leave of me, he insisted on my giving him my com pany for the entire of next day at Clifton. Affecting much indifference for the pleasure of my visit, I was suffered to depart without a frown, or a lecture, and set off after breakfast, intending to take Mrs. Pudish's in my route for the chance of picking up a letter, or newspaper; but there were neither for me; however, the garrulous post-mistress embraced the happy moment of leisure to tell me all about my dark beauty, (as she sarcastically called her,) and her aged spouse. Making a virtue of that necessity which I saw was unavoidable, I sat down, and lent an impatient ear to the old lady, who commenced her story by an observation which, had she duly weighed and considered, ought to have kept her silent. "It is no affair of MINE, to be sure, sir, but I thought I would just tell you something about the extraordinary match between Patty Goodman and her old uncle Launcelot." Pausing for breath, and my thanks, which I declined offering, the dame proceeded: "Yet it is a hard thing, after all, to be married to an old man; is it not, sir?" "Sometimes," I answered. "Sometimes! always; morning, noon, and night. Well, as I was saying, it was an odd match, for Mrs. Sinnot is to the full forty, if not more, years younger than old Launcelot, and was. reared under his roof from her childhood; and although her mother was his first wife's sister, and his own cousin, the people do say—but there's no stopping some tongues; that's neither here nor there. After his wife's death Patty's mother became his housekeeper: he was not then quite the rich man he is now; but he was always well to do, and a rackety kind of old fellow; and if every one had his own; he would have a pretty progeny about him! but I am not censorious; I only repeat what my neighbours, who know him better, say :-but, sir, as I was telling you, after Patty's aunt died, her mother became his housekeeper, and little Patty was brought into the house. Her father had been a seafaring man, and after her third year was never heard of in this part of the country; the poor mother was put to all kinds of drudgery, and, after a faithful servitude of many years, she died when little Patty was only sixteen years. of age. The old man was going close upon sixty; had been very prosperous in the world; sold his farm and mills in Wiltshire, and purchased the estate on which he now resides. "Young Patty was still considered as no better than an upper servant, when all at once the old gentleman dressed her out in finery, took her constantly in the chaise |