Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-07-24
THE aMAID OF ATHENS

of whom Byron asked back his heart Of whom
Moore and Hobhouse, and the poet himself have
written so much and so passionately, has for
gotten the sweet burthen of the sweetest oflove
songs; and taken the unromantic name, and fol-
lowed the unromantic fortunes OF Scotchman!
The commodore proposed that We should
call upon her on our way to the temple of Jupi-
ter this morning. We pulled up to the town in
the barge, and landed on the handsome pier
built by Dr. Howe, who expended thus most jul
diciousy, a part OF the provisions sent from
our country in his charge, and finding Greek
in the crowd, who understood little Italian,
we were soon on our way TO Mrs Blacks. Our
guide was fine, grave looking man Of forty,
with a small cockade on his red cap, which in
dictated that he was, some way, in the service
of the government. He laid his hand on his
heart, when asked him if he had known any
Americans IN Egina. "They built this" said
he, pointing to the pier; the handsome granite
posts of which We were passing at the moment.
They gave US bread, and meat, and clothing,
when we should otherwise have persisted" Ii
was said with a look and tone that thrilled me.
l felt as if the whole debt of sympathy, which
Greece owes to our country, were repaid by this
one energetic expression of gratitude.
We stopped opposite small gate, and the
Greek went in with our cards. II was small
stone house of a story and half with rickety
flight Of wooden steps at the side, and not
blade of grass or sign OF flower in court or
window If there had been but geranium in
the porch, rose tree by the gate, for de-
scription'S sake.
Mr. Black was out--Mrs. Black was ia We
walked up the creaking steps, with Scotch ter
rier barking and swapping at our heels. and were
met at the door by, really, pretty woman
She smiled as apologized for our intrusion, and
a sadder or sweeter smile never saw. She
said her welcome in a few simple world Of lta
Ian, and l thought there were few sweeter vol
ces in the world. l asked her, if she had not
learned English yet. She colored, and said,
"No, signore!' and the deep red spot in her
cheek faded gradually down, in tints painter
would remember. Her husband, she said, had
wished to learn her language, and would never
let her speak English. began to feel preju-
dice against him. Presently, a boy of, perhaps,
three years, came into the room an ugly, white
headed, Scotch-looking little ruffian, thin-lip-
ped, and freckled and my aversion for MIR.
Black became quite decided "Did you not
regret leaving Athens" asked. Every much,
sgnore,n she answered, with half sigh; shut
my husband dishkes Athens" Horrid Mr..
Black! thought |.
wished to ask her Of Lord Byron, but had
heard that the poets admiration had occasion
ed the usual scandal attendant on every kind of
pre-emnence, and her modest and timid man.,
ners while they assured me of her purity of
heart made me afraid 10 venture where there
was even possibility of wounding her. She
sat i'm dropping attitude on the coarsely-
vered divan, which occupied three sides Of the
little room, and il was difficult to believe, that
any eye but her husbands had ever looked up
on her, or that the "wells of her heart" had ev-
ever been drawn upon for any thing deeper
than the simple duties of wife and mother.
She offered us some sweetmeats, the usual
Greek compliment to visiters as we rose to go,
and laying her hand upon her heart, in the beau
tifu. custom of the country, requested me to eX-
press her thanks to the commodore for the ho-
nor he had done her in calling, and to wish him
and his family every happiness. A servant girl,
very shabbily dressed stood at the side door,
and We offered her some money, which she
might have taken unnoced. She drew herself
up very coldy, and refused it, as if she thought
we had quite mistaken her. In country where
gifts of the kind are so universal, it spoke well
for the pride of the family, at least
turned after We had taken leave, and made
an apology to speak to her again; for, in the in
terest ofthe general impression she had made up
on me, had forgotten to notice her dress, and
was not sure that could remember single tea
ture of her face. We had called Unexpectedly,
of course, and her dress was very plain. A red
cloth cap bound about the temples with CO.
lored shawl, whose folds were mingled with
large braids of dark brown hair decked with
tasSe of blue silk which fell to her left shoulder
formed her head dress. In other respects she
was dressed like an European. She is little
above the middle height, slightly and well form
ed, and walks weakly, like most Greek women,
Her skin is dark and clear, but her color looks
to me consumptive. Her teeth are white and
regular, her face oval and her forehead and
nose form the straight line of the Grecian mo-
del-one of the few instances have ever seen
of il. Her eyes large and of soft, liquid ha-
Eel, and this is her chief beauty There is that
looking out of the soul through them," which
Byron always described as constituting the love-
Illness that most moved him. / made up my
inint, as we walked away, that she would be
1.,rrgs H.
and the unpreposSessing circumstances in which
we found her, had uncharmed thought. all
pcetical delusion that would naturally surround
her as the "Maid of Athens We met her as
simple Mrs Black, whose Scotch husbands ter
rieT had worried us at the door, and we left her
feeling that the poetry which she had called
forth from the heart of Byron was her due by
every law of loveliness.
CAMP MEETING NOTICE.