The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-09-18
Romantic Incident id Lord Byron's
Iife ~

Life.
Now that the Countess Guiccioli memoirs
are TO be published, the following extract
from letter OF Benjamin W est will be read
with ffesh Interest, The letter was written
fiom Pisca, Italy, in 1929:
"on the day appointed, I arrived at two
o'clock, and began the picture. found
him bad sitter. He talk ID al the titie.
and aeked multitude OF Questions about
America-how liked Italy. what thctight
OF the Italians. ETC.. When he was silent he
was better sitter than befrc; for he no.
sumed a countenance that did not belong TO
piece for .Childe Harold Ia abotit IN
hour our first sitting terminated, and I re.
turned TO Leghorn, scarcely able to per.
suade myself That this was the naughty
rnisanthrope whose character had always
appeared SO enveloped In gloom and frys,
terry, for I do not femember ever To hats
met with manners so gentle and attractite.
"The next day returned an5 had
another sitting Of an hour. during which he
secmed aH~iousto know what should make
OF my undertaking. While was painting,
the window from which received tny lieht
became suddenly darkened, aud heard a
voice exclaim, \ troppo belloi' turned
aud discovered beautiful female stuopinp
down to look in, the ground ON the outside
being on n level with the bottom Of the
window. Her long golden hair hutig down
dbout her face and shoulders, het complies
ion was exquisite and her smile completed
one OF the most rofnahtie looking heada set
off, as it was, by the bright sun behind Il.
which had ever bebed. Lord Byron In.
rited her 20 come 10, and intfodioed het f8
me as the Countess Guiccioli. He ses,,aa
very fond of her, and was glad of her
presence, for the playful manner which hs
ASSUMED toward her made him much bets
ter sitter.
The hext day was pleased 10 fhd ihat
the progress which 1 had made In his ,its.
ness had given satisfaction, for, when we
were alone, he said that he had particular
iavor to ask OF me--would grant itf
said should be happy to oblige him; and
lie enjoIned me to the fattering task Of
painting the Countess Guiccioli's portfait
for HIM. On the following morning beSa,
1t, and after that they sat alternately. He
give me the whole history of his conhestioa
with her. and said that he hoped Il wUuld
last forever; at any rate il should fiot bs
his fault " 1t did not His other attaoh
mehts hdd beeh broken OF by no fault o.
his.
al ~as by this time sufficiently intimate
with him to answer his questions de- 10 wha.
Thought of him before had seen hin
He lddghed nueh at the ideh which / t,sa
formed Of him. and said. Well yoa end
me like other people, do you motif He
often afterward repeated; 'Ahd Cd you
thought me fine fellow, did yohf' re-.
member once telling him, that f,otwith.
standing his vivacity; thought myseH cor.
rect in at least one estimate " biSb made
; of him, for 1 still conceived thai he lsas NO.
happy hnaH. He inquired earnestly what
reason had for thinking co. and asked
him IL he had ever observed in Httis chill,
dren' after paroxysm Of grief; that they
had at intervals b cohvulsi1e or tfeintlous
j manner Of drawing a long breath: wher.
8 ever had observed this. In pefsohs of o
4 DaHta"er ars. had always fouaa that u
came from sorrow. He said The thought
g was new to him. and that he %oild make
. Use Of It," '..t