CHAPTER XIX. He saw a sight of beauty, warlike towers, Phineas Webb. FOR Some time after his landing, Vaughan enjoyed only the amusements of soldiership. His joining the regiment as a volunteer had been no impediment to the friendly and generous intercourse of his comrades; a commission which followed him out, and which he received with the higher gratification as it was procured by Gordon's interest, and sent with a letter from Julia, as her "present to her gallant cousin," soon removed any feeling of inferiority; and all around him was made for the excitement and indulgence of his active and vivid sensibility. Lisbon has long become familiar to the British traveller; but, at that moment, it was seen, as it will perhaps never be seen again. The war had filled the capital with an influx of the opulent and various population of the provinces; the contrast of colours, features, and costumes; the bold and vigorous coun. tenance of the natives of the Tralos Montes, contrasted with the rich olive hue and delicate features of the Creole from the South, American possessions of Portugal, and those ágain placed beside the bronzed skin, the. fiery eye, and the haughty brow of the. descendant of the old Moorish blood that. had once lorded it over the land; the infinite mingling of dresses native and foreign, the turbans and caps, and purple shawls, and embroidered mantles; the monkish habits mingled with the uniforms of the Portuguese and British soldiery; all formed a moving picture of incessant liveliness, variety, and captivation. To a stranger, the churches, in all countries of the Continent, are among the first objects of curiosity, as they are among the most accessible. Vaughan often strayed into those lofty and magnificent temples, and, under the influence of twilight, made deeper and more lovely by the hues streaming through windows covered with the heraldry of kings and the forms of saints, in all the glorious colourings of sky and gem; listened to the service chaunted by the monks in some distant chapel. At other times, on coming from the theatre or the ball-room, he has taken one of the boats that ply constantly on the Tagus, and fallen down the river to enjoy the delicious night of the south; and with his solitary boatman wandered' away, listening to the sounds of festivity as they decayed along the shore; or caught by some sweet voice singing to the harp in one of the verandas that so often lie open to the breeze from the vineyards of the Alentejo; or, as all sank in the distance, lying on his oars to gaze upon the city in the moonlight, almost realizing the vision of an oriental tale, the immense piles of noble building, rising crescent over crescent from the curve of the shore, a host of marble palaces, convents, and public edifices, lifting their white fronts and embattled roofs and gilded spires to the summit of the hill; while the moon, in the full and powerful splendour of the southern sky, covered this mighty theatre, to which the Colosseum were but a toy, with a flood of silver. At other times, on some of the delicious evenings of the season, he would mount his horse, and ride away from the tumult and confusion of the city, to indulge himself with the spectacle of the groups of peasants mingling in the national dance with all the spirit and gaiety of their country. War had not yet extended its ravages to the spot which they had inhabited from their birth; and, till actually compelled to seek safety by flight, they did not suffer gloomy anticipations to interfere with their little fêtes, those smiling holidays endeared to them by custom, and which climate and inclination alike fitted them to enjoy. The peasants of both Spain and Portugal seem musical by nature. From the humblest and most unpromising roof, the sounds of the guitar, the mandolin, or the castanets, often attract the ear of the stranger; and those innocent recreations relieve them from haying recourse to the idle and worthless occupations with which other lands contrive to dissipate their hours of leisure. Their movements in the dance, though untaught and unstudied, are yet striking, and not without grace; and their very dress, so well calculated to display their attitudes and figures, adds greatly to the picturesque of the whole. Sometimes, tempted by the fineness of the day, he urged his rambles to a length that surprised himself; but the infinite variety of objects prevented the way from appearing tedious; or if at any time he was wearied, the door of the cottage was always open to invite him to enter, and partake of the peasant's fare; or did he arrive at a spot where: those hospitable dwellings became more thinly scattered, he was secure of finding the luxury of a vineyard to invite him to refreshment and repose. Sometimes his thoughts or his dreams wandered to England; but it was to wish that the Continent was alike free to all; and that it was in his power to transport those whom he most loved and valued far away from the moody atmosphere of their own skies to that land of sunshine and flowers, which had already begun to spread its invigorating influence over his own frame. Continual exercise under a genial sky can scarcely fail to produce an inspiring effect upon the health and spirits. Vaughan's heart, buoyant with life, soon resisted all temptations to be sad, though his situation was far from one of unmixed happiness, or brilliant prospect. If there was any thing that he sighed for at that moment, it was to be engaged in more active service. He could hardly hope for promotion while stretched at his ease in the shelter of some overhanging wood or glowing orange grove, or wandering a spectator through the streets of a festive city. The narrowness of his circumstances, too, pressed upon his feelings; but there were luxuries and amusements open to him in the aspect of nature, and of those he largely partook. No where is the aristocracy of rank so rigidly preserved as in the army. He was sometimes disconcerted to perceive a coxcomb, whose manners and narrow ideas betrayed his mind, and whom money alone had evidently raised, claiming deference as |