Romance of the Pyrenees. By a La dy (Continued from page 17.) CHAP. LVIII. .

WHILE all this important bufifiefs was tranfacting, the duca di Manfredonia, with conte Elfridi, eturned from Tufcany. They had learned by the ducheffa's letters a full account of the fafcinating fugitives, and came back to Naples on the wings of impatience to behold them. Her exertions for perfonal fafety had for a while fufpended the grief of Viola, but not fubdued it; and the moment the gained a place of refuge the funk under the weight of her forrows, which feemed to prefs more heavily upon her heart from the fhort refpite the had from them; and for feveral weeks after the reached Naples fire was too ill to leave her

chamber.:

converfation, given in words of fimple eloquence, fpoken

Clementina felt feverely the loffes the lind fo recently fuftained: but the Bad not now the death of both her parents to deplore, nor to mix with her forrow the dreadful idea of being, the caufe, though the innocent one, of the murder of her father and her Encle: the therefore more speedily recovered from her grief, and was feen by the duca and his friend fome find before Viola could appear to drem.

So foftly, that, like flakes of feather'd flow They melted as they fell ;'

DRYDEN.

he faw her, heard her, loved her, and defpaired.

Lorenzo di Manficdonia was per haps not fo ftrikingly handfome as don Ambrofio di Montalvan, but he was more intereftingly fo: the expreffion of his countenance pourtrayed more fentiment, more fense and fweetnefs, than. Ambrofio's, and fpoke more to the heart than to the fancy: his figure was faultlefs fymmetry and grace; his difpofition, his temper, his heart, his talents, were the perfection of human nature. Yet he doubted his own powers of gaining the affections of the fafcinating marchefat depreciating his own merits, he thought it would be prefumptuous in him to aspire to her, whom he confidered the perfection of every beauty, every virtue under Heaven and the difparity of their years, he believed, independent of every other barrier, would prove an infurmountable one, fince Clementina's. quite old man' was then in his thirty-fourth year. But to rescue Clementina from the odium of abfur dity, we must remind our readers, that it was natural for a girl not quite fixteen to confider a perfon more than double her own age as very old; and the duca thought Viola would look upon him as much too old to appear in the character of her lover. with all his fenfe and penetration he was here mistaken; for, after two

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2.

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But

The duca di Manfredonia was tharied almoft to fafcination by the beauty, wit, and manners of Clementina but still he felt impatient to behold that phenomenon, a girl not yet feventeen, who could encounter difficulties and dangers in the moft formidable fhape, to fly from a lover, young, beautiful, feducing, and his country's hero, merely becaule he was a profligate. At length he faw Viola in all that interefting languor her forrows threw around fation, every paffing moment difcoher; he faw her move in the perfec- vering to one, fome before, 'undifcofion of graceful dignity; he heard vered mental treasure, in the other's her bewitching voice, her fafcinating poffefon: they felt existence only in February, 1808.

months paffed conftantly in his fortetv, it became the firft with of Vio la's heart. They neither now knew happiness but in each other's conver

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ach other's fociety and yet the dua's attachment remained as perfect fecret to the marchefa as her prediection was to him, until accident revealed the long-hidden fource of many a figh and bluth, of all that pentive, reflefs fadnefs, that tinged the cheeks and heaved the bofom of Viola, and ftrongly marked the man

ners of Lorenzo.

earlieft days I have known you fly, from the fcent of a tuberofe, as you would from contagion; what can have made thefe fo precious to you?

The queftion, the inquiring eye, of Clementina awakened the confcioufnefs of Viola: her voice, her look, her burning blufhes as the ftrove in vain to account for this fudden fondnefs for what he had ever before hunned, conveyed to the throbbing heart of Lorenzo the most joyful tidings it had ever known. Ardently he now entered the lias, with many competitors, for her favour, and upon the day the completed her feventeenth year the marchefa of Palermo was united to the duca di Manfredonia.

The marchefa of Paleinio was only to be seen to be admired. Many fuitors appeared, all of whom the inftantly rejected; and after each of thefe rejections the ducheffa ftrongly urged Lorenzo to try his fortune; but still doubting the probability of his fuccefs, he feared, by avowing his paffion, to make Viola's refidence with his grandmother unpleasant to Conte Elfidii was one of thofe inher. At length the blind urchin, weary digent nobles who fwarm in Naples, of concealment, called in Flora to af- and who by his uncommonly great fift him. From Viola's earlieft days talents, and infinuating manners, the perfume of the tuberofe had been gained the friendship of Lorenzo, too powerful for her nerves. Loren- who had been of confiderable fervice zo, not knowing this, one day pre- to him in pecuniary arrangements, fented her with a beautiful branch and upon every occafion in which he he had juft gathered. They were could evince his regard. The conte the gift of Lorenzo; the placed them was one of those common characters in her bofom, and in a few moments fo frequently to be found in great after fell fenfelcfs on the couch upon men's houfes-fpecious, artful, which the had been fitting. The watchful of his own intereft, and feduca, all terror, agony, difmay, dulous to conceal all his imperfe&tifummoned affittance: the room was ons from thofe he withed to please, initantly ventilated, and all specifics or to deceive; and he was fo entertried. Viola was juft recovering-taining a companion, fo polished, fo Lorenzo hanging over her in almoft learned, fo apparently amiable, that distracted anxious tenderne.s-when he flood high in the efiimation of the Clementina, drawn thither by an ac- duca and his grandmother, neither count of her coufin's ille's, ruthed of whom entertained the flightcft in, and, at one glance developing the fufpicion to his difadvantage. caufe of this fudden indifpofition, grafped at the tuberoles, exclaiming, Thele odious flowers have made her ill.'

The beauty, genius, and playful gaiety of Clementina made a deep impreffion upon the heart of the infidicus Elfridii, whofe perfon was good and face rather handfome: but he feared a repulfe, as he was by four years Lorenzo's lenior in age,

This fentence Toufed at once the fcarcely recovered Viola-Oh! leave my flowers,' he cried: 1 would not part with them for who had dreaded fo much from the worlds.' difproportion of years between his Viola and himfelf; and above all, Clementina had no fortune. He

• Not for workds ?' exclaimed the amazed Clementina. From your

therefore

therefore concealed his attachment a child, a ftrong attachment comwithin his own breaft until he faw menced between them; and when the marchefa, Clementina's equal in Lorenzo arrived at manhood, and youth, beauty and accomplishments, was the admiration of all who faw ter fuperior in mental endowments, him, the idol of all who knew him, in rank and fortune, beftow herfelf he became the model from which the upon a man double her own age, young Altidore formed himself. To and that a very noble provifion had be thought in any refpect like his en made by Viola for her beloved friend was the higheft gratification of outin. Then the wary Elfridii his heart, and to equal him in perfecommenced his fuite. Clementina tion the height of his ambition; and ughed at his paffion, caricatured even had Clementina Stanhope pofimfelf, and then thewed him all the felfed fewer captivating attractions, adiculous forms her lively imagina- fhe would have been the choice of on had pourtrayed him in. Def- Altidore, because the refembled the iring to fucceed with her, he ap- wife of Lorenzo. lied to the young ducheffa, to exert er influence with her coufin in his avour. But Viola poffeffed too much delicacy of mind to interfere where the knew gratitude would farifice every thing to her wifhes. Befides, Elfridii was no favourite of ers Although, as her Lorenzo's end, the treated him with the utmoft efpect and deference, yet for worlds le would not fee him the hufband of er beloved Clementina. Difappointed in his fuccefs with ola, Elfridi applied to her bufand. But all Lorenzo's intereft ith Clementina was before engaged y another friend, Altidore (conte diofto's only fon), who had come om Tufcany to attend the nuptials Lorenzo; and the vindictive El, incenfed at the duca and dutella not efpouling his caufe, and mpelling Clementina to be his wife, olved to avenge his bitter difapintment upon them.

Altidore di Modena was then in stwenty-fourth year, uncommonhandfome, fenfible, learned, amia, and with manners highly refined captivating. By inter-marriages e families of Manfredonia and Arito were connected, and by a long rued and almost hereditary friend ip they lived in habits of intimacy defpite of diftance. While LoZ was yet a youth, and Altidore

Altidore's mother had died juft before Viola took refuge in Naples, and it was a vifit of condolence to Altidore which caufed the duca's abfence at that period. Griet for his deceafed parent prevented Altidore from vifiting Naples until the nuptials of Lorenzo, when the beautiful Clementina captivated his fancy and won his heart. He was not doomed to figh in hopeleffaels: the attachment was inutual, the confent of conte Ariofto readily obtained; and the moment Elfridii found his rival was accepted, he quitted Naples, full of vindictive ire. The day preceding the marriage he returned, apparently calm, and reconciled to his bitter difappointment: but it was the dreadful calm and reconciliation that meditated revenge infpired. He attended the nuptials; and when kneeling at the altar, whilft the marriage benediction was pronouncing, he folemn ly pledged himself to vengeance by blafting the happiness of his friend and Viola, whom he accufed as the deftroyers of his peace.

fa di Manfredonia was confiderally on, and every evil. When Elvira had attained her fifth year, her licentious. mother was called to that rank and confequence the panted for, by the death of the old conte, and for two years difgraced the title of Ariofto by the most reprehenfible conduct, and died in her twenty-feventh year a mar tyr to her own profligacy. Her then cicitbeo, in a fit of jealoufy, by poifon rid the world and conte Ariofto of a worthless woman.

augmented, by the birth of a lovely boy, whom they named Orlando. The dowager ducheffa was enraptured at beholding and clafping a great grandchild in her arms: but the did Hot long furvive this happy event; the lived refpected to a fine old age, and was lamented in death by all who had felt the influence of her virtues. Eer grandfon and his amiable Viola were fincere mourners: her death was the fift blow their connubial felicity received; they felt it deeply, and the forrow it occafioned feemed tin&tured with fad prefages of the future mifery of their lives. They quitted Naples almoft immediately, where every fcene fo forcibly remind ed them of the parent they deplored, and removed to the caftle of Manfiedonia; where we now will leave

Elvira was too exact an epitome of her mother, in perfon and difpofition, to be dear to her father's heart. He trembled for the vicious bent of her inclinations, and, with a hope of mending them, injudiciously fent her from him, for her education, to one of the most auftere convents in France, the rigid rules of which nuttured the feeds of evil already fown in them for a time to their grief for their her mind. To deceive her fevere excellent grandmother, to to carefs guardians fhe now each moment betheir fafcinating child, and to enjoy fieved neceffary; and while her unthat thort period of connubial happi- derftanding was highly cultivating, nefs the wicked allowed them to ex- her heart's vices increafed and multiperience, and introduce our readers to plied: and when recalled to Palino, fome new charactersat the defie of Ifabella, her father's fecond wife, he appeared with beauty of face and figure dazzling to behold, with manners foft, elegant, and wearing the femblance of every virtue; for art had encompaffed her heart with the moft impenetrable veil, to hide from every eye the unhallowed thrine of vice," The amiable fabella idolized her, her young brother adored her; while her father, charmed and aftonifhed, felt reproach within himfelt for his former unkindnefs, and ftrove, by affectionate indulgence, to wipe away all recollection of the paft. But Elvira's was that direful mifchief which loves to feed on the remembrance of injuries paft, and even when finiling to brood on vengeance: her father was her abhorrence, and her mother's deteftation of him with her own were twined together in her heart's coLe by

Alphonfo conte Arioflo, father to Altidore, had in his juvenile days committed many indifcretions, and not the leaft among them was marrying, unknown to his family, a beautiful plebeian girl, who poffeffed more art than virtues, whilft the had the addrefs to make the reverie appear to every fuperficial obferver. Soon after the infatuation of the moment was paft, the character of Aurora unfolded itself to the repentant and ditmay ed Aiphonto. He thuddered at the unfortunate ftep he had taken, and, notwithilanding the violence, arts, and ambition of Aurora, conuived to keep his marriage fecret during his father's life; in confequence of which the only offspring of this fatal correction was left to the care of Aurora in its early childhood, and Elvira di Modena learned her firft leffons in the fchool of art, diffimulati

by the dæmons of hatred and re

.venge.

The fecond marriage of conte Ariofto had taken place in about a year after the death of Aurora; and as he had chofen his firft wife from amongst the dregs of the people, he foared to an oppofite extreme, and felected his fecond from the defcent of princes, one of the highest families of the Spanish hidalgos, not more pre-eminent for its uncontaminated blood than for its fpotlefs honour. Ifabella was one of the most lovely fcions of this ancient tree. In making the continental tour, after

depravity and the treachery of conte Vicenza, who had, a few years prior to this period, emancipated from the guardianship of her father, and fquandered at the gaming-table and in other licentioufnefs, the little fortune his faithful guardian had care. fully augmented for him.

Ever anxious for the world's favourable opinion, Elvira, too late, began to tremble for the confequenc es of her own conduct, and fileneing every argument of ambition. within her breast, condefcended to fo licit an immediate union with conte Vicenza. Her artful blandithments,

her at the Spanish court, was fafcinated, and became a fuccefsful woner. One child only fprung from this aufpicious union, Altidore, the father of our heroine, the patron of Diego, whofe fimple flory bore teftimony to his early worth,

the death of Aurora, Alphonfo faw co-operating with his tears of conte Ariofto, led him on to demand Elvira in marriage; when her father, indignant at Polydore's diffipated conduct, to which he was no stranger, refufed his confent, and in the moft determined manner commanded his daughter to give up every idea of an union with conte Vicenza.

About the period Elvira was recalled from France, conte Ariofo became guardian to Polydore corte Vicenza, a youth of uncommon beauty, talents, and every captivating grace; but in depravity of heart only could he be equalled by Elvira. A congeniality of fentiment foon drew their kindred hearts to each other. But Polydore's fortune was fmall, and Elvira's depended folely upon her father's pleasure; and ambition pointed out other paths to them than love and poverty.

This was the dreadful fignal for Elvira's long premeditated vengeance. Her father was almoft immediately taken ill of a lingering illnefs, that baffled the fkill of the faculty, and which terminated his exiftence very fhortly after the marriage of his fon. He breathed his laft tigh in the arms of his daughter, whofe exemplary care and filial tendernefs to her fa ther, during his illaefs were the admiration of all Tufcany. She fcarcely ever left his chamber from the moment he was confined to it; adminiftered all his medicines and nou. rithment herfelt; and her affliction upon his decenfe was fo violent, that he was reduced by it to her bed, where the was contined for fome weeks, refufing all medicinal ad vice. To roule her from this un availing forrow, her affectionate unfufpecting brother, himself a prey to real griet, advited a change of fcene, and as loon as the was able to undertake the journey, his Clementina contigned her to the care of the

The duca di Manfredonia was the rich prize Elvira refolved to gain but he beheld her with indifference, and refifted all her blandifhments, even when the appeared in the alluring form of well-acted forrow up on the death of Ifabella; and shortly after, his marriage with Viola cut off all her hopes for a fhort time, Notwithstanding this attempt upon the heart of Lorenzo, Elvira's attachment to Polydore remained unConquerable; and in an unguarded menient he fell a victing to her own