CHAP. XXXIV. The princefs languishes for want of ΝΕ Pekuah. EKAYAH, being thus reconciled to herself, found that no evil is infupportable but that which is accompanied with confcioufnefs of wrong, She was, from that time, delivered from the violence of tempeftuous forrow, and funk into filent penfiveness and gloomy tranquillity. She fat from morning to evening recollecting all that had been done or faid by her Pekuah, treasured up with care every trifle on which Pekuah had fet an accidental value, and which might recal to mind any little incident or or careless converfation. The fentiments of her, whom he now expected to fee no more, were treasured in her memory as rules of life, and the deliberated to no other end than to conjecture on any occafion what would have been the opinion and counfel of Pekuah. The women, by whom she was attended, knew nothing of her real condition, and therefore fhe could not talk to them but with caution and referve. She began to remit her curiofity, having no great care to collect notions which fhe had no convenience of uttering, Raffelas endeavoured first to comfort and afterwards to divert her; he hired muficians, to whom fhe feemed to liften, but did not hear them, and procured masters, to inftruct her in various arts, whofe lec lectures, when they vifited her again, were again to be repeated. She had loft her tafte of pleasure and her ambition of excellence. And her mind, though forced into fhort excurfions, always recurred to the image of her friend. Imlac was every morning earnestly enjoined to renew his enquiries, and was afked every night whether he had yet heard of Pekuah, till not being able to return the princess the anfwer that the defired, he was lefs and lefs willing to come into her presence. She obferved his backwardness, and commanded him to attend her. "You are not, faid fhe, to confound impatience with refentment, or to suppose that I charge you with negligence, because I repine at your unfuccefsfulness. I do not much wonder at your your abfence; I know that the unhappy are never pleasing, and that all naturally avoid the contagion of mifery. To hear complaints is wearifome alike to the wretched and the happy; for who would cloud by adventitious grief the short gleams of gaiety which life allows us? or who, that is struggling under his own evils, will add to them the miseries of another? "The time is at hand, when none shall be disturbed any longer by the fighs of Nekayah my fearch after happiness is now at an end. I am refolved to retire from the world with all its flatteries and deceits, and will hide myself in folitude, without any other care than to compofe my thoughts, and regulate my hours by a conftant fucceffion of innocent occu pations, pations, till, with a mind purified from all earthly defires, I fhall enter into that ftate, to which all are haftening, and in which I hope again to enjoy the friendship of Pekuah.” "Do not entangle your mind, faid, Imlac, by irrevocable determinations, nor increase the burthen of life by a voluntary accumulation of mifery: the wearinefs of retirement will continue or increase when the lofs of Pekuah is for gotten. That you have been deprived of one pleasure is no very good reafon for rejection of the reft." "Since Pekuah was taken from me, faid the princess, I have no pleasure to reject or to retain. She that has no one to love or trust has little to hope. She 2 wants |