482 Lucy Austin, 



an interview while in Italy. My friend was seated in the middle of 

 a sofa, and I beside him, while, on the other side, Lucy, with her arm 

 through his, occasionally participated in the conversation with a 

 naivete in exact accordance with the opinion I had formed of her from 

 the first moment. As we were thus occupied, a small Italian grey- 

 hound belonging to Miss Austin came frisking into the room ; but not 

 succeeding in attracting its mistress's attention, it commenced a series 

 of gambols round Whip, who still lay dozing under the table. The 

 sportiveness of the intruder however was quickly moderated by re- 

 ceiving from Whip a nip in the face, from which the blood flowed rather 

 copiously; and Lucy, distressed for her pet, left the room to procure 

 the assistance of the servants. My former grudge towards the cause 

 of the accident was revived; and I was about to punish him when a 

 messenger announcedj that the gentleman with whom Leader had 

 engaged to shoot was in attendance. " Presently," said he, taking his 

 gun and whistling to Whip, who slowly obeyed the call. " Dinner at 

 six, Ned ; shall be back at five ; Lucy, and your own ingenuity must 

 find you amusement in the mean time;" and so saying he shook me 

 by the hand, smiled, and left the room. 



On his departure I felt a sort of melancholy excitement I could 

 not account for. The day was oppressively hot one of those gloomy 

 sultry days indicative of thunder-storms, when all nature seems like a 

 wearied man seeking in vain for repose. With an irksomeness be- 

 fitting the occasion, I strolled into the garden, and thence into a small 

 burial-ground attached to a diminutive church just by. Here I com- 

 menced a desultory perusal of the epitaphs of the " rude forefathers 

 of the hamlet." When I had thus consumed an hour or so, I seated 

 myself on a tombstone, and began to admire the extreme beauty 

 of ihe site of my friend's mansion, and of the little temple of God. 

 The latter was situate upon a gentle acclivity, as most old country 

 churches are, while the ground appropriated to the remains of the 

 simple villagers ran quite down to the edge of a picturesque and at 

 this place no inconsiderable stream. Willows, weeping-ash, and 

 other trees of a larger growth were tastefully scattered over the 

 ground, and by the water's side formed an avenue above all places 

 I ever saw befitting " the luxury of woe." Rooks cawed ceaselessly 

 from a neighbouring grove of giant elms. The scarce perceptible 

 breath of heaven whispered moaningly through the profuse ivy with 

 which the church was covered ; and, added to the hoarse roar of two 

 distant falls of the river over ledges of rock, and the drowsy hum of 

 a flour mill, begat a feeling of luxurious lethargy deliciously con- 

 genial to the speculative mood in which I was. My reverie was 

 somewhat abruptly disturbed by a light joyous laugh, such only as 

 youth and innocence could give. I turned, and at about twenty 

 yards from me saw Miss Austin standing on a rustic bridge of grace- 

 ful and elegant proportions, that crossed the stream in a single 

 span. On either side a hand-rail afforded the passenger a hold, and 

 in the middle some two or three feet of the rail could be removed at 

 pleasure, so as to admit of the bridge being swung round in half to 

 allow of boats carrying sails to pass boating by the way being one 

 O f Leader's favourite pastimes. 



' Four o'clock, four o'clock, Mr. ," said the beauteous girl, 



