The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-10-08

amy HCNSN
the conversation, became silent, or answered
his brother only in monosyllablcs, and that
not always to the purpose, AS they entered
the hall, the hats and cloaks displayed there
showed that as Henry supposed, they were
not the earliest visitors. George paused tor a
moment, and then said " You must go IN
without me, Henry" "Show me to a room
where there is no company" he continued,
turning to a servant, "and take this card INTO
Mrs. Duflield-be sure to give it to Mrs. Dut-
field herself"
The servant bowed low to the commanding
stranger, and Henry, almost mechanically,
obeyed his direction, muttcrlng to himself,
=" Free and easy, upon my honor" lie had
scarcely entered the usual reception room,
and made his bow to Mrs. Duiiield, when
the servant presented his brothers card. lie
watched her closely, and saw a smile playing
over her lips as her eyes rested upon it. She
glanced anxiously at Miss Harcourt,and cross
ing the room to a group in which she stood,
she drew her aside. After a few whispered
words, Mrs. Dufield placed the card in Miss
Harcourt's hand. A sudden flash of JOY ira
J dated every feature of her beautiful tace,and
Henry Manning saw, that but for Mrs. DUFF
fields restraining hand, she would have rush
ed from the room, Recalled thus to a rccol-
lection of others, she looked around her, and
her eyes met his. In an instant her face was
covered with bushes, and she drew back with
embarrassed consciousness,-almost immedl-
ately, however, she raised her head, with a
proud, bright expression, and though she did
not look at Henry Manning, he felt she was
conscious of his observation, as she passed
with a composed yet joyous step from the
room.
Henry Manning was awakening from a
dream. 1t was not a very pleasant awaken
ing, but as his vanity, rather than his heart
was touched, he was able to conceal his cha
grin, and appear as interesting and agreeable
as usual. lie now expected with some impa-
tience the denoumcnt of the comedy. An
hour passed away, and Mrs. Duflicld's eye be-
gan to consult the marble time-piece on her
mantle. The chime for another half hour
rang out, and she left the room and returned
in a few minutes leaningon the arm of George
Manning.
"Who is that ?-What noble looking man
is that ?" were questions Henry Manning
heard from many-from a very few only the
exclamation, elbow odly he is dressed! Be-
fore the evening was over, Henry began to
feel that he was eclipsed on his own theatre
that George, if not in the fashion, was yet
more the fashion than he.
Following the proud, happy glance of his
brothers eye,a quarter of an hour later, Hen
ry saw Miss Harcourt entering the room in |
an opposite direction from that in which he
had lately m If this was a ruSe on her
part to veil the c%onncxion between their
movements, it was a ~fruitless caution. None
who had seen her before could now fail to OBJ
serve the softencd character of her beauty,
and those who saw
A thousaed blushing apparitions start
Into her face
whenever his eyes rested on her,could scarce
ly doubt his influence over her.
The next morning, George Manning brought
Miss Harcourt to visit his mother, and Mrs.
Manning rose greatly in her son Henry's es-
timation, when he saw the affectionate defer
ence evinccd to her by the proud beauty.
GLOW strange my manner must have seem
ed to you, sometimes" said Miss Harcourt to
Henry, one day. 81 was engaged to George
long before | met you in Europe, and though
| never had courage to mention him to you,
| wondered a little that you never spoke of
him. never doubted for a moment that you
were acquainted with our engagement"
81 do not even yet understand where and
how you and George met"
I'VE met at home-my father was Cover
nor of the Territory-State now-in which
your uncle lives-our homes were very near
each others, and so we met Almost daily whlie
| was still a child. We have had all sorts OF
adventures together, for George was a great
~favorite with my father, and | was permitted
to 90 with him anywhere. He saved my life
twice-once at the imminent peril Of his own,
when with the wiIfulncss Of a spoiled child, |
would ride u horse which he told me | could
not manage. Oh! you know not half his no.
blencss," and tears moistened the bright eyes
Of the happy girl.
Henry Manning was touched through all
his convcntionalism, yet the moment after he
said, " George is a fine fellow, certainly, but
| wish you could persuade him to dress little
more like other people"
81 would not if | could" exclaimed Emma
Harcourt, while the blood rushed to her tenn
pie; fashions and all such conventional regu-
~lations arc made for those who have no innate
perception of the right, the noble, the beauti-
ful-not for such as he-he is above fash
ion"
What Emma would not ask, yet she did
fail to recognize as another proof of COR
rect judgment, when George Manning laid
aside his western costume and assumed one
remarkable.
Henry Manning had received a new idea,-
that there are those who are above the fash
ion. Allied to this was another thought,
in time found entrance to his mind that
would be at least as profitable to devote our
energies to the acquisition of true nobility of
soul, pure and high thought and refined taste,
as to the study ofthose conventionalisms which
are but their outer garment, and can at best
only conceal for a short time their absence.
A PRoFANE SwEARER NoNPLUssED.-
In Schoharie county there lives a man whose
addiction in swearing is such that his name
has become a by-word and reproach but by
some internal thermometer he so graduates