Sunday dispatch. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1845-1854, 1852-04-18

L0OG Qll0 ~)llt11 ::
OR, THE
Story Of Agnes Fitzhenr
HThe night was dark, and the wind BILE
keenly over the frozen and rugged heath, whe
Agnes, pressing her moaning child to h
bosom, was travelling on fool to her father
habitation
"Would to God had never left it !" she G.
claimed, as home and all its enloyments roI
IN fancy to her view and think my reade
Will be ready TO join in the exclamation, whe
they hear the pSor wanderers history
Agnes titzhenry was the only child OF a T
spectacle merchant an country Own, wh
having lost his wife when his daughter W;
very young, resolved for her sake to form Z
second connexion. To the steady, manly affe
ton OF father, Fitzhenry joined the fon
anxletles and endearing attentions of mother
ana his parental care was amply repaid by tn
love and amabe qualities Of Agnes. He wa
not rich; yet the profits of his trade were sue
as to enable him to bestew every possible ex
pense on his daughters education, and to la
up considerable sum yearly for her futur
support; whatever else he could spare from
his own absolute wants, he expended in pro
curing comforts and pleasures for her. "Wba
an excellent father that man is l'' was the fire.
quent exclamation among his acquaintance
:" And what an excellent child he has wei
may he be proud of her." was as commonly th
answer to it.
Nor was this to be wondered at. Agne
united to extreme beauty of face and neraon
every accomplishment that belongs to her own
sex, and great degree Of that strength of mint
and capacity for acquiring knowledge supposed
TO belong exclusively to the other
t@For this combination of rare qualities, Agne
was admired; tor her sweetness of bemper, he
Willingness to oblige, her seeming uncosaoiOus
ness OF her own merits, and her readiness t.
commend the merits of others-for these still
rarer qualities, Agnes was beloved and sh,
seldom formed an acquaintance without at tn,
same time, securing friend.
Her father thought he loved her (and per
haps he was right as never father loved chile
before; and Agnes thought she loved him a.
child never before loved father. 81 will moi
marry, but live single for nay fathers sake u
she often said but she altered her determine.
tio4 when her heart, hitherto unmoved by the
addresses of the other sex, was assailed by an
officer in the guards, who came to recruit in the
town in which she resided
Clifford, as | shall call him, had not only q
fine figure and graceful address, but talents
rare and various, and powers of conversation
so fascinating, that the woman he rs Hetrayed
forgot her wrongs in his presen nd the
creditor, who came to dun him for { vnent
u
oblige him by citing him incur still more
Fatal perverSlOn OF uncommon abilities
This man, who might ho~-e teus 1T Ii'-s'ols ~
look I'D to him as its best pride IN prosperity
and its best hope IN adversely, made no other
use of his talents than to betray the unwary OF
both sexes, the one TO shame, the other to Pc
cuniarv difficulties; and he whose mind was
capacious enough to have imagined schemes to
aggrandize his native country, the slave of sor-
did selishness, never looked beyond his own
i i i
tented with the achievements OF the day. II ne
had overreached a credulous tradesman or be-
guiled an unsuspecting woman.
But to accomplish even these epaltry triumphs,
great knowledge of the human heart was ne
cessary, power of discovering the prevailing
foble in those on whom be had designs, and o.
converting their imagined security into then
real danger. He'sOon discovered that Agnes
who was rather inclined to doubt her possess
ing in an uncommon degree, the good qnalitis:
which she really had, valued herself with no
unusual blindness, on those which she had not
She thought herself endowed with great powe
to read the characters of those with whom sht
associated, when she had not even discrimina
ton enough to understand her own and, while
she imagined that it was not in the power o
others TO deceive her. she was constantly ii
the habit of deceiving herself
Clifford was not slow to avail himself of thi
weakness in his intended victim; and, Will,
had escaped her observation, with hers he hat
made himself thoroughly acquainted But no
content with making her faults subservlent t.
his views he pressed her virtues also into hi
service; and her affection for her father, tina
stronghold, secure in which Agnes would hav
de6ed the most violent assaults of temptation
he contrived should be the means Of her de
feat.
have been thus minute in detailing the VAR
Gus and seducing powers which Clifford pos
sessed, not because he will be principal hgur
In my narrative, for, on the contrary, the chic
Characters in it arc the Father and Daughter
but in order to excuse as much as possible tn
strong attachments which he excited in Agnes
Love-" says Mrs. Inchbald, whose know
ledge of human nature can be equalled only b
the humor with which she describes Its tolhe
and the unrivalied pathOs with which she e,
hibits distresses-" love, however rated
many as the chief passion of the heart, is but
poor dependent retainer on the other pa
ions-admiration, gratitude, respect, esteem
pride in the object; divest the boasted sens
zion of these, and it is no more than the lmpre'
sion of a twelvemonth, by courtesy, or vulgs
error, called love-" And of all these ingredient
was the passion of Agnes composed. For tn
graceful person and manners of Clifford sh
felt admiration and her gratitude was excite
by her observing that, while he was an obJet
Of attention to every one wherever he appeared
his attentions were exclusively directed
accomplishments, might have laid claim to I'll
hearts even of the brightest daughters of tasl
lon in the gayest scenes OF the metropolis
seemed to have no higher ambition than to al
pear amiable in the eyes of Agnes, the humid
toast Of an obscure country town. Besides, h
superiority of understanding and brllllancy
talents, called forth her respect, and his app
rent virtues her esteem ; and when to this hlg
idea of the qualities of the man was added
knowledge of his high birth and great expect
tions, it is no wonder that she also felt the las
mentioned, and often perhaps the greatest, Il
citement to love, "pTlde In the object"
When Clifford began to pay those markt
attentions to Agnes, which ought always c
due encouragement from the woman to who
they are addressed, to be followed by an off
of marriage, he contrived to make himself
much dishked by the father as admired by Il
daughter yet his management was artft
that Fitzhenry could not give a sufficient re
son for his dislike, he could only declare i
existence and, for the first time in her lii
Agnes learned to think her father unjust al
capricous
Thus, while Clifford ensured an acceptan
OF his addresses from Agnes, he at the sar
time secured a rejection of them from Fit
henry; and this was the object of his wisht
as he had decided aversion to marriage, al
knew besides, that marrying Agnes would d
appoint all his ambitious prospects an life. al
oring on him the eternal di0pleasure of h
father
Atlength after playing for some time wi
ner hopes and fears, Clifford requested Fit
henry to sanction with his appreciation his a
dresses to his daughter and Fitzhenry, as
expected, coldly and firmly declined the hon
OF his alliance. But when Clifford mentione
as If unguardedly, that he hoped to prevail
MS father to approve the marriage alter it hi
taken place, if not before, Fitzhenry proud
told him that he thought his daughter much t.
good to be smuggled into the family of any on
while Clifford, piqued in his turn at the warm
OF tltzhenrys expressions, and the dignity
his manner, left him, exulting secretly in /
consciousness that he had his revenge, for
Knew that the heart of Agnes was irrecoverat
his.
Agnes heard from her lover that his suit W
rejected, with agonies as violent as he appe;
ed to feel
" What |" exclaimed she, can that affe
tlonate father, who has till now anticipated n
wishes, dlsappolnt me in the wish nearest
my heart 2"
In the midst of heE first agitation her faith
entered the room, and, with counte
ance more in sorrow than in anger" /
gan to expostulate with her on the impr
prety of the cennexion which she was des
Gus OF forming. He represented to her Il
very slender income which Clifford possesses
lne lnconvenien to which an officers wife
exposed; and the little chance which there
Tor mans making a constant and domes
husband who has been brought up in an ic
profession, and accustomed to habits of inte
perance, expense, and irregularity
But above all" said he, " how is it possit
that you could condescend to accept the 3
dresses OF man whose father, he himself owl
VIII never sanction them with his approl
Alas Agnes could plead no excuse but Il
sue was IN love, and she had too much sense
urge such plea to her father.
Believe me" he continued, speak II
rom the most disinterested consideration
'0uf interest; for, painful as the idea of pa