The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1856-08-07

thwart his schemes and, as for me, 1
was an infant but two years old when
Mr.. Gray died, and he was removed to
bis old family mansion, my father taking
possession of it to hold until Warner
came of age, and this would be in ten
years to come. l have loved him al
ways my heart never questions or
doubts the strength of its attachment );
too well | know the wildness of its
idolatry. .'t .
Our education was always conducted
by private tutors until l grew to be a
tall girl of fifteen, then it was thought
best to send me to London to finish, ,
as it was said. How vivid are the i'm
pressons made on my mind during
those first few days at Madam Ally's.
Isabel Mortimer had been there some
three years, and this is why my parents
selected it as the best place for me. l
had never met my cousin, but | had
heard much of her wonderous beauty
and perfection and frightened as l
was by the cold, stiff looking drawing
room, and still more dreadfully formal
madam, l scarcely dared to raise my
eyes when the servant threw back the
door and announced Miss Mortimer
This is your cousin, said my father,
leading me forward and placing my
hand in Isabclla's. She stopped down
and kissed me very quietly, but not
coldly and she held my small, sun
burued hand in her own white fingers,
while she talked to my father with all
the confidence Of a woman Of the world,
and asked great many questions, now
and then addressing one to me.
was afraid to cry when my father
left me, and in trying to choke back
the tears, l bade him good bye in a
constrained and chilling manner. Oh
why are we ever false to our fast i'm
pulses it is only when our hearts have
became sin-stained and world-hardened,
that they are stony. l never saw my
father after that day he died while |
remained at school.
A few words must suffice the descrip-
ton of my school life.
roomed with Isabel, and from the
fact that | was the cousin of the bril-
Ian md popular Miss Mot,jner, | re
ceiyed many attentions ana escaped
many annoyances. Isabel was decided
ly popular; in the performance Of every
duty she was model of propri'ty /;
there was nothing mean or weak i'll her
character. Affable to all, none seemed
to dare address her with familiarity !;
the very heads Of the institute We're
more deferential in speaking to her
than to any of the other pupils. She
did right for the love Of right ; to pass
creditably through her school life was
due to her character and position in
society but there was no heart in
her performance of duty-it was all
hard work.
No living being could say they ever
saw my cousin manifest any affection
for her school mates, yet she was not
selfish, nor do think she entertained
any exalted opinion of herself; but she
had erected in her own mind stand
ard of human perfection, to which she
could not attain herself, and all others
fell still farther short of doing so.
She smothed every difficulty from my
path unconsciously she implanted some
of her strength of character to me-
Frai from childhood, l had fallen into
habit of continually repining and fret
ting. l was impatient of control =
Isabel taught me to bear silently those
ills that could not be relieved and |
learned from her example so as to con
troll myself, that l needed not to feel
the rule of others.
1t was commencement day, and my
cousin was to graduate the highest
honors of the school we're to be conferr-
ed upon her and in every exercise Of
the day she took prominent part.
Any ordinary girl of eighteen would
have hecn exalted by the occasion but
l remember that when nearly all the
audience had arrived, her dress not been
sent up from the maDtua making hands.
Everything was in confusion. She was