"
For an instant the buried tenderness of early youth and the fluttering
hopes which accompanied it, seemed to have revived in his bosom, and
the idea to have flashed upon his mind that his image might be
connected with her secret woes--but he rejected the thought almost as
soon as formed.
"What could her grief be?--she had all she loved,
And he who had so loved her was not there
To trouble with bad hopes, or evil wish,
Or ill repress'd affection, her pure thoughts.
What could her grief be?--she had loved him not,
Nor given him cause to deem himself beloved,
Nor could he be a part of that which prey'd
Upon her mind--a spectre of the past."
The cause of her grief was a matter of rural comment in the
neighborhood of Newstead and Annesley. It was disconnected from all
idea of Lord Byron, but attributed to the harsh and capricious conduct
of one to whose kindness and affection she had a sacred claim. The
domestic sorrows which had long preyed in secret on her heart, at
length affected her intellect, and the "bright morning star of
Annesley" was eclipsed for ever.
"The lady of his love,--oh! she was changed
As by the sickness of the soul; her mind
Had wandered from its dwelling, and her eyes,
They had not their own lustre, but the look
Which is not of the earth; she was become
The queen of a fantastic realm: but her thoughts
Were combinations of disjointed things;
And forms impalpable and unperceived
Of others' sight, familiar were to hers.
Pages:
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176