Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1862-05-24
Irying's Love.


cy of Washington Irving. While upon every
other point or pecularity of the great wri-
ter's character and career his familiar friends
have taken pains to inform the wide circle
OF his admirers, an aggravating reticencc has
always met the questioning of those who
were curious as to why matrimony made no
part of his experience.
There were occasional md very vague re-
fcrences made to "lang syne" love-so
dimly distant in the past as to have the air
of tradition-and the manner of mentioning
which made Irving appear the model of con-
stancy, if not the hero of romance. But
the circumstance of his bachelorhood re-
mained simple, patent, unexplained fact /;
the theme of many wonderings, the warp
and woof ofmuch imagining-nay more, the
substructure of thousand sweet sympathies
outgushing from other hearts whose loves
had not been lost but gone before.
1t is doubtful if secret of the sort-all
things considcrcd-was ever before so care.
fully and completely kept. For once the
impeltinent were held at bay, the prying
were baulked, and the sympathetic even,
discouraged. The time for its disclosure
had not come, and surely when intimates
and relatives were debarred from the remo-
} test reference to the subject in the hallowed
home circle of the literary bachelor, it was
| but proper that the truth should burst forth
upon the world, if at all, in Irving's own
selected time and in his own pathetic Ian
guage.
1t was while engaged in writing his
History of New York" that Irving, then q
young man Of twenty-six, was called to
mourn the somewhat sudden death of Ma
tilda Hoffman, whom he had hoped to call
his wife. This young lady was the second
IL o IT
sister of those two talented men, Charles
Fcnno Hoffman, the poet, and Ogden Hoff-
man, the eminent jurist.
In her fathers Office Washington Irving
had essaycd to study law, and with every
prospect, if industrious and studious, of
partnership with Mr. Hoffman, as well as a
matrimonial alliance with Matilda. These
high hopes were disappointed by the decease
of the young lady on the 2Gth Of April, 1909,
in the eighteenth year of her age.
There is pothos about Irving's recital of
the circumstances of her death, and of his
own feelings, that is truly painful and tear
impclling. He says:
''She was taken i'll with a cold. Nothing
was thought of it at first, but she grew
rapidly worse, and fell into q consumption.
| cannot tell you what | suffered.
/ saw her fade rapidly away beautiful and
more beautiful and more angelical to the
very last Twas often by her bedside; and
in her wandering state Of mind she would
talk to me with Il sweet, natural and affect
. ing eloquence that was oyerpowcring |
saw more of the beauty of her mind in that
dclirious state than had ever known before.
Her malady was rapid in its career, and
hurried her off in two months. Her dying
struggles were painful and protractcd. For
three days and nights | did not leave the
house and scarcely slept. / was by her
when she died; all the family were assem-
blcd round her, some praying, Others weep
ing; for she was adored by them all. Twas
the last one she looked upon.
cannot tell you what horrid state of mind
| was in for long time. | seemed to care
for nothing; the world was a blank to me.
l abandoned all thoughts of the law.
went into the country, but could not bear
solitude, yet could not enjoy society. There
was a dismal horror continually in my mind,
that made me fear to be alone. had often
to get up in the night and seek the bedroom
of my brother as if the having a human
being by me would relieve me from the
frightful gloom of my own thoughts
Months elapsed before my mind would re-
sumo any tone-but the despondency | had
suffered for long time in the course of this
its catastrophe, seemed to give tone to my
my whole character, and throw some clouds
into my disposition, which have ever since
hung about it. il | seemed to drift
about without aim or object, at the mercy
of every breeze; my heart wanted anchor
age. | was naturally susceptible, and tried
to form other attachments, but my heart
would not hold on; it would continually
recur to what it had lost and whenever
there was a pause in the hurry of novelty
and excitement, ! would sink into dismal
detection. For years ! could not talk on
the subject of this hopeless regret; could
not even mention her name but her image
was continually before me, and dreampt of
her necessarily"
Such was the language in which Irving
poured forth his sorrows and sad memories
in letter written many years ago to lady
who wondered at his cclibacy and expressed
the wish to know why he had never married
Can words more graphically describe the
shipwreck of hope, or more tenderly depict
the chivaric devotion of faithful lover
How swectly, too, docs Irving portray with
his artist pen the lineaments of his loved
one ! He says, in the same letter. THE more
| saw of her, the more had reason to adj
mire her. Her mind seemed to unfold itself
leaf by leaf and every time to discover new
sweetness. Nobody knew her SO we'll as !,
for she was generally timid and silent but
|, in manner, studied her excellence
Never did meet with more intuitiye recti-
tude of mind, more native delicacy, more
exquisite propriety in word, thought and
action, than in this young creature, l am
not exaggcrating what l say was acknowl-
edged by all that knew her. Her brilliant
little sister used to say that people began by
admiring her, but ended 10y loving Matilda.
For my part idolized her. felt at times
rcbuked by her superior delicacy and purity,
and as if was coarse, unworthy being III
comparison"
Irving seldom or never mentioned this sad
event, nor was the name of Matilda ever
spoken in his presence. Thirty years after
her death Irving was visiting Mr.. Hoffman,
and granddaughter, in drawing ont some
sheets of music to be performed upon the
piano, accidentally brought with them a
piece of embroidery, which dropped upon
The floor "Mashington," said MIR. Hoffman,
"this is piece of poor Matilda's workman
/ ship"
Ills biographer describes the effect as
. Ioloot,;o 0IIo had bpan conyprsinu in the