pace; he himself was to be at the caftle to prepare for the melancholy ceremony. He fettled with his hoft, mounted his horfe, and fet off for De Courville Castle. (To be continued.) The ADVENTURES of EMMA. (From the Ranger.) (Continued from p. 13.) HE confufion and furprise of TEmma, at the humble pof How much indebted am I then to her, (replied the bon), for this interview, which gives me an opportunity to unfold the fentiments of a heart devoted to you alone.— No longer fhall fuch beauty, formed to fhine in palaces, be concealed in a cottage-accept my affections, and command my fortune. Indignant blushes dyed the cheeks of Emma, at a proposal, which the could not mifconceive, and all the pride of wounded delicacy ruth ture of the baron, could only being into her bofom, fufpended for heightened by his addrefs. She had inftantly retreated a few paces from the door which the had vainly attempted to open, and fupported herfelf with difficulty against a book-lege thus to infult the daughter of cafe. a moment its natural timidity, and animated her to pronounce these words: That fortune, my lord, from which you affure the privi a peasant, can neither dazzle my Be not alarmed, charming Em- vanity, nor tempt my ambition; ma, (faid the baron, in a voice of my humble birth infpires in me no affumed foftnefs) you fee before you pride, but that of virtue, and the a man, who, till he beheld your poffeffion of no dignity, but that of incomparable beauty, never com-confcious innocence. Allow me to pletely loft his liberty. Regard me retire, my lord, my father doubtless no longer as the mafter of your wonders at my abfence. father, but as the flave and lover of his daughter, and who only waits her commands to fhew by his obedience the truth and generofity of his fentiments. Your father, froward beauty, waits my pleasure in the castle (returned the baron, with a look of anger): your compliance or rejection of my generous offers will deDuring this fpeech, Emma's gen- cide his future fate.-Recollect, tle frame was agitated by a variety Emma, the extent of my power; of inexpreffible emotions. Amaze--dread my refentment, or deferve ment, fear, and indignation pre- my gratitude,-they each fhall be vented her interrupting the baron; unbounded. If you will reward but when, on his rifing and advanc-my paffion, your father fhall refide ing to her at the clofe of his in this caftle, freed from the toils of fpeech, he attempted to take her fervitude, the witness and partaker hand, of those benefits which my love fhall heap upon you. Receive this cafket of jewels, as a trifling earnest of a liberality which fhall know no li mits. My lord, (faid the, fhrinking from his touch) you must permit me to affure you, that I have no with but to return to my father; in his cottage, all my ideas of happinefs are centred. Condefcend While the baron difplayed the fparkling treasure to the eyes of the un ! unambitious Emma, fhe pufhed then from her with disdain. Once more, my lord, (faid flie) let me affure you, that I have a heart impenetrable to vanity, or to any grandeur to which the power of wealth could raise me. the meannefs of your birth, and the grovelling fentiments of your foul. Uttering these words he took a key from his pocket, and throwing it on the ground, left her at liberty; fhe inftantly feized the opportunity to unfasten the door, and to But, (cried the baron, interrupt- efcape; haftening through the hall, ing her, foftening the natural fero-inftead of turning towards the ofcity of his features and gazing ten-fices by which the had entered it, derly on her) is your heart impe- fhe took advantage of the great netrable to love, and cannot it be door, that ftood open, and defcendmoved to yield a generous return to ing a flight of fteps with a celerity fentiments fo fincere? Let me owe urged by her fears of detention, to mutual affection that which you he flew across the court, darted deny to ambition; and accept the through the iron gates, and gained honours which shall be offered you, the end of the front avenue in a as tributes due from my gratitude few moments. She then stopped, rather than as bribes to allure your for want of breath, and funk, almost compliance. fpent, under the fhade of a lofty elm.-Recollecting, however, that fhe was not beyond the reach of purfuit, fhould the enraged baron change his mind, and attempt to recall her, the arofe, and cafting an apprehenfive look towards the caftle, the perceived her father advancing towards her with flow steps. Affured by his prefence, the hefitated not to wait his approach; and he had no foer reached the fpot where the ftood trembling to receive him, than they clafped each other in a filent embrace: but Emma, urged by the dread of a moment's delay, entreated her father to fufpend all interrogations till they fhould have regained their cottage, which they had no fooner reached, 'Never, never! (replied Emma) my heart will ever continue as untouched by love, as by your proffered gifts;-it is proof against every fentiment, that would injure my honour and debase my virtue ! I understand you, prefumptuous girl (returned the baron): you would raise your daring hopes to fhare by legal ties my name and rank. No, (exclaimed Fmma) could you floop fo low as to demand my hand in an honourable alliance, my heart would reject the offer, and my tongue disclaim an union, which no entreaties could induce, no authority compel me to accept !-After this honeft confeffion, my lord, you will suffer me to quit your pre-than they each gave vent to the agifence. tations which mutually oppreffed them. The enraged baron was now raised to a pitch of refentment which banished at the moment every paffion but that of anger. Mortified pride ftung him to the quick; and viewing her with a look of contempt, 'Tis well, (faid he) your audacity has difpelled the charm of beauty: unworthy of a prepoffeffion which covers me with difgrace, you may return to that obfcurity and indigence, which befit The enraged baron, in the firft emotions of his refentment, had been induced to banish from his pre good old man, who never yet had formed a with beyond the fufficiency which his humble ftation had always allowed him, heard this cir-fence the woman who had prefumed cumftance, with cold indifference; but out of refpect to the baron, waited his pleafure.-He was introduced into a pavilion in the garden, and requested not to quit it till the baron, who proposed to join him there, fhould have difmiffed him. He remained above two hours in vain expectation, the steward at length entered, and informed him .that he had liberty to depart, as the baron's fentiments were changed in regard to him, from the ungrateful rejection, which Emma had prefumed to offer to propofals that did her but too much honour, and would have raised her and her family to a fituation which must have rendered them the objects of envy to the furrounding peafantry. Bernard, ftrongly agitated, replied to this harangue, then may I truly glory in my child, whofe fteady virtue teaches her to refift the treacherous arts of feduction, and to fpurn at an elevation which would fink her far beneath her lowly birth and humble education. Let me haften from a fpot once the refidence of worth and honour, but now become the scene of infamy and fhame." Have a care, old man, (replied Du Val) how you tempt the vengeance of your mafter by fuch daring language. I fear no danger, (interrupted Bernard) but the lofs of honour, and own no real mafter but that Power Omnipotent, who guarding the innocent, forfakes only the guilty! Having thus faid, he reached the lodge; the porter opened a private gate which admitted him through the avenue, where he joined, as we before related, his beloved daughter. The to defpife his offers, and reject his love. A momentary hatred took poffeffion of his mind; but it foon gave place to fofter fentiments ;— her beauty, the fimple elegance of her form, her unftudied graces, and even the innocence which he meditated to deftroy, returned to his imagination; and difappointed paffion once more raged with greater violence than ever. In the first. tranfports of his anger, he had commanded Du Val to difmifs Bernard with contempt as an object beneath his future notice; he now fummoned again into his prefence this trufty meflenger, this confidential friend of all his vices. wily minion foon pacified the perturned fpirit of his lord, with that fubtle flattery, which he well knew how to adminifter; he artfully and refpectfully ventured to blame the baron, for fetting at liberty the prey which he had once fecured in his net, and advised him to avail himself of the power that his rank gave him over his dependents, and to take by force the object of his wishes from the cottage of her father. Such a method, he doubted not, would enfure his victory over her stubborn virtue, which probably might be affected only to enhance her confequence; or which would certainly yield, when fears for the fafety of her father fhould be roufed, on her feparation from him. This point fettled, Du Val obtained the thanks of the baron for his friendly counfels, and the promife of a large gratuity to recompenfe his fervices, when by his aftance Emma fhould be enclofed once more within the castle` walls. When Bernard had received from his daughter a minute detail of her late vifit, although he rejoiced at her her prefent escape, he forefaw her future danger, and trembled at the fatal confequence which might yet enfue. He knew Morenzi to be devoid of every principle of honour and humanity; he dreaded the influence of his power; and felt his own defencelefs fituation, which he feared would not enable him to protect his devoted child from arbitrary force and lawless violence. After revolving in his mind every poffible circumstance, he had worked up his apprehenfions to fuch a height, as to decide fuddenly that an immediate flight could afford the only means of fecurity from an enemy fo formidable. The castle of Brinon was the fole afylum which he could fix on as eligible: there a fifter of his late wife had lived for many years fuperintendant of the family; and here he hoped he might be permitted to conceal his daughter without danger of difcovery: it was diftant from Bernard's vil lage about twenty miles, and he hoped that they fhould be able to reach it in a couple of days. He propofed the scheme to Emma, who readily undertook a journey which would remove her beyond the power of the dreaded Morenzi. -They had no time to lofe, and, therefore, without further deliberation, began the preparations neceffary for an expedition fo important to their fecurity. Bernard prudently determined to repofe no confidence in any of his neighbours; although he knew himself to be be loved by them fufficiently to fecure their fecrecy, yet he was unwilling to expose them to the baron's refentment, by intrufting them with the fecret of his journey. Bernard took with him his little ftofe, the honeft earnings of induftrious years; Emma made up a final parcel of linen; and neither of them being inclined to repofe, they fat down to a fimple meal, of which, for the fake of each other, although devoid of appetite, they mutually forced themfelves to partake, that they might the better be enabled to encounter the fatigues which they had to undergo. The village clock ftruck eleven,-the hour when they had agreed to begin their journey. Emma took a mournful furvey of the beloved cottage, where the had paffed her life of innocence; fhe caft her eyes upon her fpinning wheel, and fighed; then turning to a wicker armed chair which was the conftant feat of her father, fhe funk into it, and burst into tears.-Alas! (faid fhe) I had hoped for happy years to come, to watch here the calm repofe of him who gave me being ; to tend with duteous affection his declining age, who reared my infancy with anxious love. I, who would wish to be his deareft companion, am doomed to bring forrow on his filver head! Rather (replied Bernard, extending his hand to lead her from a fpot where fond remembrance feemed to arreft her lingering fteps) fay that my Emma was born to blefs her father by her exemplary virtues. I triumph in my child who nobly prefers honourable indigence to fplendid infamy! let us haften from impending perfecution;-let us quit a place, where every moment endangers her liberty and innocence. Emma ftarted up, caft a fearful look around, and encircling her arm in that of Bernard, they quitted the cottage, paffed through the fleeping hamlet, and reached the road which led to their deftined afylum. The moon fhone in penfive majefty, -all was fill,-the gentle breeze of night wafted refrening odours,and folemn filence reigned,-fave the foft notes of warbling nightingales chanting their tuneful fong among the fragrant hedges, or perchance, the diftant bleating of fome wakeful lamb. Emma's delicate frame felt fometimes rather exhauft ed, ed, and obliged her to reft for a few moments; but her fears did not permit her to indulge long in a repofe which endangered her fafety: Bernard comforted her by the affurance that they approached a village where there was a public inn, in which they might venture to take fome refreshment, and where he hoped to procure a chaife, to convey them about twelve miles further, which would place them at an eafy diftance from the caftle of Brinon, and confequently diminish the danger of purfuit, Thus encouraged, the timid Emma moved onwards with renewed courage; and the fugitives reached the inn juft as a travelling carriage drove into the court-yard. While the landlord and his wife were bufily engaged in attending to the newly-arrived guefts, Bernard applied to one of the fervants to accommodate him and his daughter with a room, until a chaife could be got ready for their ufe; his request was granted, and they were fhewn into a fmall apartment that looked into a garden, where they waited with fome impatience the arrival of the carriage in which they were to pursue their little journey. Having urged their requeft to be ferved with expedition, the landlord entered and informed them that by fun-rife they might depend on a chaife, but that he would not fuffer his horfes to leave the ftables, until they had been fufficiently refrefhed to do their duty. Obferving Emma to caft a difconfolate look upon her father, he faid, "your young companion may be weary, I recommend her to take fome reft in a quiet chamber, whither my wife fhall condu&t her." Emma, oppreffed by the fatigue which the had undergone, and finding they had no chance of purfuing their journey for the next two hours, accepted the propofal, and confented to retire into an upper chamber; where reclining upon a bed, juft as fhe was, notwithstanding the agitations of her mind, the funk into a profound repofe. Let us now quit awhile the vir tuous fugitives, to follow Albert into Switzerland. He quitted the village where Emma dwelt, with a heart deeply impreffed by the per fections of a woman, whofe noble rejection of his hand, from the moft delicate motives, had raised her in his esteem. The count de Bournonville, his father, was a man truly refpectable in rank and character; he lived but to promote the happiness of his friends; and had been fo uniformly indulgent to the wifhes of Albert, that he had every thing to expect from his generofity and kindness. The education of this only furviving fon had been cultivated with the utmost attention; he poffeffed a brilliant genius, a folid understanding, and a heart replete with honour, fenfibility, and virtue. The count welcomed his fon with thofe marks of tenderness which promised every thing to the ardent hopes of Alfred. On the evening of his return, impatient to urge a fuit, upon the fuccefs of which his happiness depended, he requested a private audience of his father, who appointed an interview in his closet, before they fhould retire to their separate apartments for the night. They met at the stated hour, each bearing teftimony in his expreffive countenance of the important fecret which oppreffed his heart. The youthful impetuofity of Albert arrefted the count's attention, by an inftant confeffion of his paffion, and by his reliance on parental indulgence to crown his wifhes. The count de Bournonville liftened, without interruption, to the charafter of Emma, painted with all the ardent enthusiasm of love in the glowing colours of perfection. Albert ceafed ;-the paufe of a mo |