The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-06-30
SELECTED STORY.
Miss Dundas,

III & 4 MDSS U9naaSo
It was in the general sitting room of
Bento's hotel at Cintra that first met Miss
Dundas. We were about to return to Eng
LAM, after heightened residence in the sunny
South, and had adjourned to Cintra to take
a last farewell of scenes endeared to US by
many pleasant associations, as well as by
their own intrinsic beauty. Miss Dundas
J was on her way from Madira, where she had
, been with an invalid brother. They had
delayed their homeward journey for week,
in order to visit the GLORIOUS Eden," that
has not, 1 verify believe, its counterpart in
the world; thus it happened that we met.
Miss Dundas was neither young nor
pretty-she could never have been pretty,
even in the first flush and glow of youth.
At the time to which | am referring, she
might have been five and thirty. do not
think much of five and Thirty now, but then
it appeared to me quite old. She had a
small slight fgure--yery slight; with a
scarcely perceptible elevation of one should
er pale, thin face, with large forehead
and pointed chin. Her eyes were dark and
soft-sweet eyes that redeemed the face from
/, being positively plain.
Miss Dundas made no attempt to appear
younger than she was in reality, dressing
soberly in quiet colors, and wearing taste
full little head dress-not quite a cap-oyer
her thin, dark hair. Very lady-like and re-
fined looking thought her when we enter
ed the sitting-room, and saw her leaning
back in the deep embrasure of the window,
her small white hands folded in her lap.
Her brother was totally unlike her. ex-
cepting that he, too, was small and slight.
l do not mean to say that Mr.. Dundas was
not a gentleman, but more selfish, cross
grained, ill conditioned morsel of humanity
it has never been my lot to encounter. Miss
Dundas told me afterwards in the course of
conversation that Christers had always
been so delicate that their mother had often
said she scarcely expected he would have
lived to be man: could not help think
ing that if Christopher never had lived to be
a man, society might have recovered the
loss. We were thrown good deal togeth-
er; MIR. Dundas was unable to take much
exercise, and Miss Dundas was glad to Join
US in our excursions about the neighbour
hood.
On the Friday evening, the gentlemen of
our party joined US, amongst them one who
well, never mind; it is not my story l am
going to tell With the others came Do
mimic Moore, the younger son of DR. Moore,
the head of the old established house of
Moore & Staunton, merchants at Lisbon. We
were always glad to see Dominic Moore.
We knew no harm of him, if but little good.
and he was easy tempered and amusing He
was long-legged, active, vivacious, rattle
pated individual, of about six or seven and
twenty years of age, good looking enough,
with merry, twinkling eyes, and an abun-
dant crop of ruddy hair.
On the Saturday morning he reused us
up early with the information that there
were eight donkeys waiting for us; our des-
: tination was the Cork Convent thence to
Colares, and home by the Varia. Miss
Dundas rode on quietly with one of the
7 elder ladies; Dominic Moore, his long legs
]. almost touching the ground, dressed in o
white linen jacket with red sash and Pana-
ma hat brandishinga long pole in his hand,
made himself conspicuous as usual. Some
times galloping on as fast as his little quad
ruped could be made to go; then wheeling
suddenly round, calling upon us for Gods
sake not to break our necks, or if we did,
not to let him see US; jumping off his don
key to give kiss to little peasant girl
{ trudgIng to Cintra in the hope of finding a
market for her fine knitting or piuue EN-.
+ broidery or standing up in his stirrups to
reach an overhanging pomegranate or tempt
ing branch OF nuts !; it was a mercy that I'M
fortunate animal he bestrode ever reached
home alive leaigaas -,
am moi going to trouble the reader with
a description of the cave of ST. Honorius. OF
the Cork Convent, or even of the magnifi-
cent scenery between that very uncomforta-
bic place and Colares, as nv business al
present is not with the monks of old. moi
with the beauties of nature, but with Miss
Dundas.
- In the afternoon, after our return, we dis
persed about the shady rooms and garden al
inclination prompted. How well 1 remem
Der that day; sitting on rustic bench will
MY companion. every detail seemed photo
graphed on my mind. The sky of intenes
blue; the castle and convent-crowned noun
tain peaks in the blaze of sunshine seel
above the thick .foliaged lemon-trees AMI
the luxuriant overarclling vines: the gloy
and glitter and gorgeousness of coloring
the scent OF the heliotrope; the sound q
Joaclim's voice on the other side of tn
wall, droning an interminable modinh
ABOUT Martha and her shepherd; the screec
OF Inc parrot on its perch at the foot of til
81 garden steps; the heavy thud of the owe
81 rlpe lemons as now and then one fell fror
= the trees how vivid it all is to ME eve
now! Az De me In one of the side allie,
! noticed Miss Dundas walking I'D an
down, and smiled as 1 saw that Domin
moore was her,companion; theyseemed {
a lneepgruous She. however, was evident
sdsilstfnlng with interest and amusement. viii
ne was talking eagerly as usual That CIV
Mng e'ieft for Lisbon, and the foilowir
week we sailed. Ny heart was aching vii
recent parting, and the gentle companio