The Morning herald., 1877-01-03
@oh, . burst II linlp Of habit, and "a
wander far away,
On from island unto island at the gate,
ways of the dayl"


ways Of ths dayp
In her presence he might find peace, and |
perpetual rapture in her smile.
In the midst of such meditations a. these
her voice once arose from afar. It was one
Of her own songs, such as she could impro.
wise. 1t spoke Of summer isles amidst the
sea; Of soft winds and spicy breezes OF
eternal rest beneath overshadowing palms
1t waa soft, melting strain-a strain of
enchantment, sung by one who felt the in
toxieation of the scene, and whose genius
impaired il to others. He was like Ulysses
listening to the songs Of the sirens. 1t
seemed to him as though all nature there
Joined in that marvellous strain. 1t was to
him as though the very winds were lulled
into calm, ard delicious languor stole up
on all his serses.
"Sweet, .wset, sweet, god Pan,
Sweet in the fields by the river,
Binding sweet, oh great god Pan,
The sun on the hills forgot to die,
And the lily revived, and the dra-
comfy
Came back to dream by the river"
1t was the sohs OF the sirens.
For she had that divine voice which Of
itself can charm the soul but, in addition,
she had that poetic genius which Of itself
could give words which the music might
clothe.
Nov, as he saw her at distance through
the trees and marked the statuesque calm
of her classic face, as she stood there, SEEM
Ing in her song rather to soliloquise than
to sing, breathing forth her music Tin pro.
fuse strains of unprecedented art" the
very beauty Of the singer and the very
sweetness Of the song put an end to all
temptation.
"This is all folly" he thought. "Could
one like that assent to my wild fancy?
Would she, with her genius, give up her
life to me! No; that devine music must
be heard by larger numbers. She il one
who thinks she can interpret the inspiration
Of Mozart and Handel. And who am lT'
Then there came amidst this music +
still small voice, like the voice Of those
helpless ones at home; and this voice
seemed one of entreaty and Of despair. 30
the temptation passed. But it passed only
to be renewed again. As for Beatrice, she
seemed conscious OF no such effect as this.
Calmly and serenely she bore herself, sing
ing az she thought, as the birds sing, be-
cause she could not help it. Here she was
like one of the classic nymphs-Eke the
genius of the spot-like Calypso, only pas
slonless.
Now, tho more Brandon felt the power
of her presence the more he took refuge
within himself, avoiding all dangerous
topics, speaking only Of external things
calling upon her to sing Of loftier themes
such az those ''cieli immensV Of which she
had sung when he first heard her. Thus
he fought down the struggles Of his own
heart, and crushed out those rising impul-
ses which threatened to sweep him help
lessly away.
As for Beatrice herself she seemed
chaugeless, moved by no passion and
swayed by no impulse. Was she altogeth-
or passionless, or was this her matchless
self control? Brandon thought that it was
her nature, and that she, like her master
Langhetti, found in music that which sat
isfed all passion and all desire.
In about a fortnight after his recovery
from his stupor they were ready to leave.
The provisions in the boat were enough
for two weeks sail. Water was put on
board, and they bade adieu to the island
which had sheltered them.
This time Beatrice would not let Brandon
row while the sun was up. They rewed at
night, and by day tried to get under the
shadow of the shore. At last wind sprang
up; they now sailed along swiftly for two
or three days. At the end Of that time
they saw European houses, beyond VIII b
arose some roofs and spires. 1t was Sierra
Leone. Brandon's conjectures had been
right. On landing here Brandon simply
said that they had been wrecked in the
Falcon, and had escaped on the boat, all
the rest having perished. He gave his
name as Wheeler. The authorities re-
ceived these unfortunate ones with great
kindness, and Brandon heard that a ship
would leave for England on the 9th OF
March.
[ro BE CONTINUED.