The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-11-09
THE BARoN's DAUGHTER.
I" The pleasanlst angling Is 70 see the hsn
Cur With her golden oars The silver stream
And grsediIv deyour the treacherous baii'
oI 'f.r Rsatrire ~ SutKSPRaRE.

nd QrpadIV tcyOuI the tfSdCuStSu' 49,
So angle we for Beatrice. p SnsKsrEsRs.
Wberefore so sad aud silent, Helen,
mine p, was the question Of the fair Agnes
Mon,ressor TO her fair cousin, the daughter
and heir Of the Lord Scrope, as, followed Dy
good retinue Of waiting gentlewomen' grooms
and pages, they threaded with solemn dignlty
that might have done honor to older dames'
the narrow winding woodland path that dlvi-
ded the CLASSY mere, at the side OF which they
had been flying their falcons, from the ample
park dotted with noble groups OF venerable
oaks, baihed in the sunshine that surrounded
the baron's stately mansion Of Beau Repaire.
What hath troubled thee, Helen, that thou
sittest on thy jennet as mute as the merlin on
thy wrist Art thou wroih at myself for child
ing the Lord Devereux from thy bride rein
or-alack that knight so lately from the gay
court of France, should know so little how to
construe fair maiden's wishes, when her
words say one thing and her looks another!--
is that same Arthur Devereux fallen into dis
grace for the too readily obeying thy behests !
What aileth thee, veet cousin, thou The heir
ess Of these broad lands; for whose fair grace
the champion strives in the lists; and the
minstrel at the board; thou to hang dropping
over thy saddle bow, as sad as a little turtle
dove that has lost its mate-whist /, thy poor
kinswoman, and thy very bower maidens,
Margaret and Cicely, are as blithe as SO many
larks Fie on thee, sweet cousin! This
wayward humor is fiat treason against thy
happier destiny Betrothed to the man whom
thou best lowest! at the kings command! and
with thy lord and fathers approval
"Why there il is ~ responded the fair He
len, suddenly refining in her palfry, and turn
ing towards her cousin with an air of desola-
ton that conirasled strongly with the spright-
ly demeanor of her young kinswoman. :. Have
not cause now for melancholy, think'st thou,
to be bestowed by the kings behest upon the
Lord Devereux, SO that, love me, or love me
not, he must needs espouse me And to be
the daughter Of wealthy baron, into whose
ear all men seem bounden to pour false feign-
ings Oh that | were as little in debt to
fortune as thou art, Agnes, that might for
once hear words oftruth.
And the pretty spoiled child sighed and it
may be--for suspect that the sad rogue
called Human Nature played beauties and
heiresses the same tricks in the days of bluff
king Hal as in the reign of our sovereign lady,
Victoria---it may be that she thought she
would prefer faltery, even from the lips of the
Lord Devereux. Her cousin smiled with some
archness. Perhaps she perceived, or thought
she perceived, that what the fair heiress really
wanted was praise in a newer and more pi-
quaint form.
"Nay, an thy melancholy have no deeper
root than a lovers courtesy, sweet cuz, II gage
my velvet hood against thy broidered whim-
pie, that find thee medicine. Hearken,
Helen! this brisk October wind is gathering
to a tempest. The golden leaves Of this
close beechen alley are falling about our ears,
and the clouds gathering above our heads as
though the very blessed skies were part and
parcel of our council The rain that admon-
ishes us to seek shelter, will drive the falcon
er's from the spot by the mere. Put thy steed
to its full pace dearest We must win afore
these gallants to the great hall of Beau-Re-
paire: and there thou must hide thee behind
the warder's great carved chair. No! no!
sit thee down there, as though overweight by
the sport Of the riding, and fall asleep; that
were the cunninger device; and then when
the Lord Deyereux espyeth his lady and mis-
tress, as he and my valet, Philip Poynngs,
pass through with their hawks, mark and he
speak not as soothfastly as if thou vert thy
poor pennyless kinswoman with no dover but
her merry heart, instead of the rich heress
Of the Lord Scrope."
So said; SO done. The fair cousins rode
as for life and death; and not only reached
the goodly mansion of Beau Repaire before
the party from the lake; but had plenty Of
time to adjust the Lady Helens costume
and position, so that she could enact the part
of the Sleeping Beauty as naturally and be-
comingly as possible That the attitude was
natural, she had satisfactory proof after Agnes
and her waiting women had retired Her
old nurse, passing accidentally that way, hav-
ing testified nurse-like anxiety on the score
of her catching cold, and even evinced some
disposition to awaken her by way of averting
the danger; whilst the good baron, her father,
happening also to cross the hail. and seeing
his darling, as he believed, asleep, took in
credible pains to mitigate his iron tread, and
s,ine as far as possible, the jingling of sword
and spur, lest he should disturb her slnmbers.
In short, 50 admirable was the counterfeit,
that the only person Except those in the Sc
cret) not taken in, was the baron's favorle
masliff, Wolf, who looked up in her face with
an expression which seemed at once to detect
the counterfeit, and 10 wonder, like an honest
animal, as he was, what could be The posi-.
BILE motive for such deceit
AT last, according to Agnes prediction,
Lord Devereux and Sir Philip PoyningS en-
tered the hall, and after some talk of the fall
con flown and the game taken, Of jesses and
lures, and certain beagle called Donzelle,
and riding palirey hight Lancelot, the
good knight appeared suddenly to perceive
the fair lady who filed so drowsiIy the
warders chair
"Ah! Thy bonnibelle y said he in low
voice
Although her eyes were closed, Helen felt