Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-08-16
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY,

le,rned her history, and it was one which
touched and interested him deeply. Edith
was the daughter of an expatriated English
man of noble family. He had married an
Italian singing girl, very beautiful, but
with fierce passions, and an unbridled will !;
and some said there was a taint of Gipsey
blood in her veins; that far away back,
among her ancestors, there had been an in
termarriage with wandering daughter of
Egypt. Be this as it may, the mother of
Edith Trevanion was born in sunny Italy,
and from these mixed races had the young
girl sprung, with their passion in her
heart, and their fire in her eye.
Her mother had eloped, when Edith was
quite young, with handsome naval officer,
and two years after, her father fell in duel,
thus leaving her dQubly orphaned. Col
Trevanion had left enough from the ruins
of his once fine estate to educate his child,
and he gave directions that it should be
thus applied, thinking that thorough ed
ucation would fit her to secure for herself
an independence as teacher. But Edith
was older than her years, and when at
twelve years old, she entered the establish
ment of Madame d Arblay, it was with
the firm resolution of never becoming a
governess. Time passed on, and she formed
an intimate friendship with little blue-eyed
Sophie Howard, the future lady of Sena-
tor Floyd.
Never could there have been a wider
contrast between two friends. Sophie was
slight, timid, shrinking creature, with a
very kind heart, and natural grace of
manner, but with very little strength Of
mind or person. She was the most conf
ding being in the world, and entirely with
out that acuteness of penetration, which a
phrenologist would say arises from large
causality. Very different was Edith. And
here, looking back upon her in her youth
and comparative innocence, [ have been
sometimes disposed to withdraw from her
the severity of my condemnation, and
blame, instead, the circumstances which
gave their strong bias to her character, Ger.
tainly helped to make her what she was.-
She gave evidence in her versatility of mind
as well as in the singular character Of hel
face, of the mixed blood that flowed in hel
veins. There were so many conflicting ell
ements in her character. She possessed
great strength as well as great acutenesE
of intellect, and an immense amount of en-
ergy, where energy was necessary to the
accomplishment of her purposes; and yet
she was naturally very indolent and fonc
of ease. 'She has the faculties of an angel,
said Spurzheim, when she CHANGED to b.
present at one of his lectures, Fand the eVi
is stronger yet he added with sigh.
- I ha1ro -eo.,not;.,aor eolrod zaa.solf 5Ybo4h~r
! inheriting, as she did from her father,
vigorous and powerful mental organization
and from her mother weak principles an
strong passions, her course was rather to b
pitied than condemned. But I beg pardon
[ am moralizing, and that was what Edit
Trevanion certainly did not do. In attacf
ing herself to gentle Sophie Howard, he
motives were not wholly selfish. 1t is tru
that Sophie was an heiress, and that by ht
means the orphan designed to secure fl
herself home and position without tt
trials of governessing; yet it is also trr
that she really liked the gentle girl, an
l mingled with her halfcontempt for Sophie
want of worldly wisdom, and intellectu
4 acuteness, was sincere and unaffected re
s pect for the strong faith, fervent piety, al
e changeless consistency of her friend. S
= phie had all the southern warmth of heal
S and when she left school to become the wi
j of Senator Floyd, whose ward and betrot
: ed she had been, almost from childhoo
j she took Edith with her as her bridesmai
t and kept her as a beloved sister and CHI
e ished' companion, to share the home of /
= wifehood. .
Senate Floyd was we'll pleased wi
l. this, as indeed he would have been wi
h any arrangement which gave pleasure
IF his dove-eyed Sophie. His little wife v
it his pet, his darling, and though Miss 7
ID vanion was cordially welcome to his hor
ID and though lie admired her beauty, yet
W pronounced her quite too grand-iloquen
~ superior and stately for his taste, and
ID clared his sweet Sophie was worth do,
of her. Such was the character, and 81
I'd the position of the girl to whom Harold
III Wilton irretrievably lost his heart at
ou first meeting. It would be time vast
ed were 1 to attempt full description of
IS personal appearance. So many pen I
a traits are given, and SO universally are
u heroines Of novels lowered with bear
n that in the worlds of book Edith Tray
ion would be but one among many, W
III in the world of reality she was star,
an the brightest that ever rose upon WASH
is ton.
ng 1t seems but an old story to say
we complexion was of a clear olive, and
eyes large and deeply black, and yet S
Ire eyes, and such a complexion are hardly
as once in cycle of centuries Her
so purplish- black hair was always folded
rs heavy bands about her graceful, haue
On. head, and her figure, with the tiny
ish and the clear, transparent little hands,
an the very impersonation ofelegance and
nifty. But think it was more than
ith thing else the mysterious charm of
ing voice and manners which enthralled
md aristocratic Georgian. In society she
Of dom spoke, but when she did, her '
to was unlike any thing human. As you h
ter it you dreamed of organ-music, in dim
the cathedrals; or, if her tone was gayer,
ent tinkling melody in some sea-shell,
re- with pearls. I said she seldom spoke
dis her silence was never the silence of
Just dence or humanity-it savored more o
ling proud disdain of prince among peas
had Her long eye-lashes drooped languidly
was her strange deep eyes, as if no seen
,uld earth was worth the trouble of lifting t
Sen and to blame or praise she was alike p
was lv Indifferent