Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1843-12-07

He knew that Bertha could not reconcile il to
her sense Of honor, even were it consistent with
her inclination, to continue on the eve Of mar
riage an intimacy with rejected but still aspi-
ring lover. So long as he remained avOwedly
but a simple acquaintance and 4 friend Of her
childhood, she could not deny him her pres
ence without implying all that, were it true,
she would be most anxious to conceal. And
thus he tOttercd ON in the gloom Of fast
deepening twilight, to find its only consUmma-
ton in a night of the blacklist despair.
And Bertha, too, even she had learned in
her Utmost soul to fear if not to dread the great
event of her life, now with rapid strides ap-
had taught her to respect still more the lofty
character Of Adolph, and to esteem his many
virtues. Yet her spirit was awed rather than at
tracted by the greatness of his intellect, and
the majesty of his CONCENTRATIONS. As broth
er, she would have gladly soOthed his hours Of
depression, and cheered him on to laborS, Of
which she would know and seek to know only
that their aim was worthy even Of him. As q
lover, she was chilled by a sense Of his superb
GRITTY, and sat mute and constrained in his pre-
sence. How strange, how painful was the
contrast between an evening shared with her
lover, and one enjoyed with the admiring, SIM
ple-hearted friend of her childhood! With the
former, the romance of her history had been
exhausted on the first evening Of their &C.
quaintance the romance of her affections on
the second. Since then, not one new chord Of
sympathy had been struck between them-and
what without sympathy is love! But when at
length this contrast and these reflections tcO,slH
force themselves upon Bertha's attention, they
only confirmed her the more strongly in what
she deemed the path of duty. Had none such
existed, she might have entreated postpone
ment of their swiftly approaching nuptials. on
some plea connected with the state Of her a.
fections. But could she now ask her noble
preserver and guardian angel to relinquish her
that she found greater pleasure in the society
of another. She would abhor herself If capa-
BILE of ingratitude and fckleness SO monstrouS.
If she should sue for and obtain only post
ponement of their union, would not that DO
certain to aggravate the evil-to increase the
arrangement Of her own heart. and the dam
gerous ascendancy Of now criminal lntatua-
ton Her resolution was fixed; the inter.
course between them continued calm and un.
broken; and on the appointed day, with mist
before her eyes and a fire in her brain, Bertha
Lindorf became the bride Of Adolph Bruner.
Bertha had instinctively concealed from AL.
bert the day of her nuptials-indeed, she had
not trusted herself nor allowed him to speak Of
the matter at all-and when the thunderbolt
fell, it announced that all was over. The mar.
riage had been privately contaminated, and
the parties had Immediately set OFT to visit the
widowed mother Of AdOlph, living at conald-
cradle distance from Gottingen. He heard this,
and sought to hear no farther. raging fever
and delirium overcame him and when his con-
seriousness and health were restored, Bertha, IN
happy ignorance of his misfortunes and Won-
dering at his sudden disappearance, had been
for some time quietly settled in the discharge
of her matronly duties, as the head Of her hus-
bands humble household.
I..A. - EONE
question They who know not that weddcd
happiness can exist but with perfect love-
love born of mutual appreciation and profound
est sympathy-have yet to learn or to escape q
fearful lesson In the union Of Adolph with
Bertha, each had blindly looked to marriage to
reconcile differences which its intimate rela-
tionship could only serve to display more prom
inently, and to supply deficiencies which it
could but render more painful. The very de-
votion of Adolph to his engrossing pursuits,
which in a lover she had regarded with pride,
Bertha found in a husband to require an alb.
straction from and neglect of the petty but
still necdful cares of domestic life, and ha.
bitual taciturnity. Her most urgent question
often remained unanswered because unheeded.
His thoughts were wandering afar. Often did
she desist from endeavors to fix his attention
on some topic in which she could also feel and
express an interest," and retire to her chamber
to weep the tears of bitterness and despair
Her sky had now no gleam-her future no
hope. She had doomed herself to bear the
heavy curse of life devoid Of sympathy. and
must reap as she had sOwn.
Adolph felt-at times acutely-that he had
indeed committed q great mistake, and that
it was now truly to late to repent 1t. In the
presence of his equals, he realized painfully
her intellectual deficiencies and the hopeless
ness Of now attempting to supply them. The
differing currents Of their thoughts refused to
meet and mngle could it be hoped that the
stream of their mutual lives would flow on
TRANQUILITY and happily together Every day
seemed to increase AdOlphs icy abstraction and
add to the burden Of Bertha's s0rrows.
One evening Adolph was absent from his
home, as was not unfrcquently the case, when
arap at the door apprised Bertha Of his sup.
posed return. She opened, and Albert stood
before her I" Do not Spurn me, Bertha !" he
implored, as with shrek Of surprise she had
motioned to close the door " am very i'll
and wretched." He need not have added this:
the first intense wild gaze had revealed vol
she turned and tottered to her freside, and
sank into chair. Albert fsllowed-he had
wildly sought this meeting, determined to re-
veal and to know all In hurried, broken ac-
cents, but with frmness Of purpose, he un-
folded to her the dark picture Of his Brighten
hopes, his crushed affections, his sufierings and
his intense despair. Bertha could not sum-
mon words to command him to desist and leave
her presence for it seemed at that momentd
needless cruelty to torture the heart-brokev
and frenzied youth. He was interrupted by
bursting sobs which would not be repressed,
and when he spoke of his delirium. his illness,
his sufierings, which his attenuated frame and
haggard cOunfenance too well affirmed, she
gave way to torrent Of bursting tears.
Another knock what clouds Of sophistry
and self deceit did il serve to dispcl Bertha
felt how criminal, how insane had been that in
terview, and how deep had been her guilt in
listening passively to avowals Of love from an
other beside her husband. Gladly would she
have welcomed the bolts Of death-she would