Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-03-15


find burst between his fingers os a bomb.
But of such men. and those who work for
them, there need be no discourse between
u.s.
.Ofsuch men | fear there must be dis.
course between US, it we are to discourse
at oil, and in speaking not forget ourselves
CHAPTER XII.
They babe eacl, other goodnight, and lay back
in their chairs al opposite sides the fire. Collins
went TO sleep. But Walsingham sat revolving the
conversation that had passed and his present po.
si,ion. He thought that he saw most distinctly The
iallacy of his hosts views az TO poetry ; and judged
from this evenings experience that he was not d
very acute ieasoner, SO far NJ least, MS reason is
carried on by analysis. He also regarded him Ms
narrow aud partial in all his feelings and aims,
viewing many things with urdue violence, and with
undeser,ed indifference turning from others. The
mind, lie said TO himself, Of this recIuse resembles
a smiths forge, with is small glowing light, It's
deep imaginative shadows, the strenuous image Of
the workman, and The weigh'y and colossal process.
SEES to which the whole is devoted. SWELL" he
thought, "lct others forge crowbirs and plough.
shares, may, even weapons & armor : enough for me,
IN my sunny chamber, with vine leaves round the
windows. TO mould graceful figures, or even to en-.
grave he small and unoblrusive gen." His mind,
however, did not rest here. He could not escape
from The feeling that, after all, there was in Col.
Inns an earnest though rugged and painful force Of
some Kind, whether OF will, or imagination, which
bore down the poet. This energy but half UNDER
stood itself. and was ~unaccompanied by any sense
OF The grace FIJI, the harmonlus the complete, without
which life TO Walsingham appeared SO bare and
empty. II was u character which, in its dim but
broken strength, and large though Interrupted out.
line. seemed 10 him more imposing than any other
he had known, than all that he conll find IN himself.
His cuI iosily and his sympathy with the mysterious
were awakened, and were excited the more by his
ignorance Of The previous history, which IN spite of
fervid %Iongings after II high course OF human action,
had thrown Collins into this solitude Il %brooding,
aimless hermit.
Now. 40 was his custom, he began to collect and
arrange all he knew Of the man, and The recent cir.
cumsrances that had brought them acquainted
But here his thoughts were turned into Il different
direction. for, with the events of the evening, the
image OF Maria recured TO him. lie recalled his
previous feelings Of admiration Tor her his delight
in her pure, urselisi elevation Of heart ; his own
intellectual superiority, which had enabled him to
see over and round her opinions and The GOODNESS
and weakness of his faith in invisible realities,
compared with her dcvoul and practical reliance.
| The unspeakablc loneliness of her whole being PEE
scented itself anew TO him and he reflected with
how mncl, pleasure he had been able to give her
fresh knowledge, and to set her mind in movement
in new directions. For while his suggestions and
ideas rooted themselves in her. and re-appcarcd IN
gentler and more attractive forms ~ her demeanour
aud language, she had seemed to him Il nymph.Iike
Grecian girl, catching new hints Of melody and
themes of verse from Il sage master, by her voice
and instrument, her sunny beauty and lyrical CLAN.
res lending 10 them roundness, f1uency, and a thrill.
ling sweetness. Lastly, he reviewed The singular
hour that he had spent with her in the ruined
church. and was conscious ola mingled rush of pain
and ioy while he revived FIR a moment the Tree aud
mourning fight of heart with which they had
seemed 10 live together in ,he tempest and rise upon
its wings above ,ie ordinary restraints of custom
and reserve. Ii was a less selfish train Of emotion
more elevated and enthusiastic than he had almost
ever experienced. But along with the remem-
brance Of il came that Of The discovery of her secret
affection, though for whom he could not divine.-
From this lie would fam have Withdrawn his
attention, for he habiiually endea,oWed TO turn
away from all painful considerations. But the
facts were too recent, and she was still too near
him. A few feet and a thin ceiling were all that
divided him from ,he sleeping girl. Love with his
torch ligtrd the poets imagination up The dark
stairs. lie seemed 10 see the beautiful and animal.
ed head now reclining in still unconscionsnes ON
The pillow The delicate and benign hand aud roun.
ded arm escaping from The folds designed 10 hide
them I; the smooth eyclids, with their dark iasEes
closed, and The fall, half parted lips. Over all The
enchanted picture of his fancy he viewed The silent
dream world opened TO her 81 irit, with many
images of which his own was one, Blended in The
FROM, and a dark and fiery cloud Of destiny, like
The smoke ofthat nights confdgration, opaque 10
him, though for her transparent, hiding the main
and central figure so lncOmparably dear to Maria.
The hour of twelve came. The clear picture of
the lady in her chamber vanished, The long and
busy past, with its prominent and struggling forms
broke az once upon him. He had now before his
ewes together, Arthur and Sir Charles, Wilson and
Hastings, Musgrave and Walsirsham. The stu
dent. the baronet, The farmer, the traveller, The d.
vine, the poet-each seemed 10 him perfectly dis.
timer, yet as TO each he had IA train Of eviden, re.
membranes, and each he lancied was himself. So
might lie have stood in The midst Of many large
mirrors, each brigh, and speckless, but each Of
differently colored glass, a blue, "A red, "A green, a
60 lden, an amethyst, a white. and seen himself,
his own form, face gesture and expression of coun-
tenance reflected in each Of The mfaces, but with
tn. difference o! coloring. But again it seemed that
The difference overbalanced the identity, and that
he beheld only 20 many several figures passing for
the same one man bv wearing q mask the fac sim.
ilie of lns face. As The honr glided on, the various
forms grew less and less distinct though his inward
! recollection Of their history was still clear. lie
now turned his eyes upon the sleeping Counlenance
of Collins, with lis bold and harsh lines still full Of
melancholy and energetic meaning and with hair
no premamrely gray, shading the fTrowed brow
and beating temples. All the impressions of The
evening came upon him with rcdoubled power. He
saw in that face IA long inscription 10 which he re.
required the kew. Even without its help, he knew
Of IL concerted zeal and rorrid yigor, now perhaps
in lis objects and experience, but having a depth
and genuineness Of life found in few among man.
kind, aud especially rare in prolusely accomplished
and refined periods and classes. He said 10 him.
SELF understand and can paint a thousand modes
OF human existence, from the hero aud the sage,
, IN tho 1lmspl tho child and Tho r,1a h,,b,...,