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Show 384 RICHARD IIURDIS. 0 HAP'l'E R LI l ANO'l'lllm VICTIM. "llad we ucver loved so kindly, Tind we nc,•er loved so blindlyNevct• met. or never pnt·te<l, " ' e had ne'er been hroken·henrt.ed I"-TIUltNS. \.YE completed our preparations at an_ early h·?lur, '~H1 h~~ '1 . i ht were ready to depart on our WOI k of pOll : c mtc ll g d . . t to n-o forth en masscj it was icnrcd that, l:iO 'llTtlllgC It ,lS JIO 0 • d 'bJ • .. ~ . . . y would occasion apprehensiOn, an possJ ) 1f seen, om au a , ·l . 1 ns By twos and lC'ad to a tlctcction and defeat of '' I om P a . . d 'tl tl:recs ;hcr~forc, our men set forth, at Uiffcrent per~o. s, ~~~ t~ • I t t I . g difl'crcnt routes, we '\ Cl c a the undcn>tuuding t 1a' H <Ill 1 k . t . '\t far-tl "D·:ty Blind" by one o'c oc ·,or \\0,' rendezvous at 10 • • ' 1 t make with the first blush tltest. The onshught we propose( o b I. d ,'th Coloof tbe rooming. I remained, with two others, e_ t;n. ~;tlcn with nel Gr;tfton, until the designated hour drew 1 mg J,O' t' 1~ with emot ions excitiug in the lust degree, and great y ~-o~e ~:~~~ure for each other, I mounted my steed, and we took ou P the place ngrccd on. h maiden, Let us now return, for a few moments, to the un appyf 'cs l 1 1 . 1 to gloom rom ,, · whose bridal-night was so sudc en y c l£ll1~C·( of her Horrows. t ivily. \Ye were pcrmitte~ . to _sec ~~Owllll~l~l her fnthcr gaYC VVhen first ~trick~n by.~~~ 1~::~e!~~~~::~~tself in a single, sudden of her felon_- o~er, ler gt J • • • me time after, l.l complete pros-shriek, a famttng-fit, and, {Ol so R t ntivo medicines were tration of all her physical powers. es or. b •I' ed to be in a. d . ly wlten she was e tev g iven her, an Jt was on ) tl er retired to her own deep and refreshing slumber, that tor mo l apartment. 'rho medicines had fa iled to But the maiden did not sleep. bl' d ess and for-work for h er that oblivion, that momentary ID n ANOTHER VICTI\f. 885 getfulness, which th . 'l'ltc desire to relieve ~r. ~voro cl:m·tta~ly intended to occasion. led Iter to nn undouU cr mo~h~r s anxtety, which she witnessed, her ~;onows so far as t~cd oflott at composure, nud she subdued . . . put on the aspect of a r1uiet, npatl,ctic con<lttJOn, ·whtch she wns very far from enjoying. She seemed to. sleep, nnd, as .the ho~r wus late, lter mother, availing ltcrsclf ?f the opportumty, _retired for the night, leaving her daughter 1n clw_rge of a f<tvonte nurse, who remained in tl1e U}>artmcnt. Julta, who was no ~ess watchful than suffering, soon discovcrcJ. that her companwn slept. She rose gently, and hurrietl ou her clothes. llcr very sorrows strengthened her for an effort totally inconsistent with her prostration but a little while before; and the strange and l)Crilous circumstances in which Eberly stood }Jrompted he1· to a degree of artfulness which was alike fore ign to her nature and education. 'l1he seeming neces~ sity of tl1e case could alone furnish its excuse. She believed tLat the l ife of the youth was jeopardcd by his llositiou. I n the fi rst feeling of anger, her father had declared Lim to be lia. Lie to the last punishments of the law, and, in the same breath, avowed himself, as an honest magistrate, bound to infiict them. She was t·csolvcd, if possible, to defeat this resolution, and to save the unhal)PY youth, whom, if she might no longer look upon with respect, she, at least, was still compelled to love. Without impugning the judgment of her father, she felt tho tlwught to be unendurable which told her momently of the ex· treme peril of the criminal; and, under its impulse, she was nerved to a degree of boldness and strength quite unlike the submissive gentleness which usually formed the most couspicu. ous feature in her character and deportment. We have already seen that it was no part of Grafton's desire, whatever might be the obnoxiousness of Eberly to the la.ws, to bring him to t rial. Thougl1 evidently connected with the bantlitti that infested the country, and, strictly speaking, liable to all the consequences of their crimes, yet the evidence had been conclusive to Grafton that tho unhappy youth had shared in 11one of their performances. Could he have proved specifically any one offence against him, Grafton must have brought l1im to punishment, and would Lave done so, though his henrt writlted at its own resolution ; but it was with a feeling of relief, if not 17 |