LOVE AND MADNESS. 19 



to be absent from Ireland for some time, and during that interval, 

 the progress of her mind to perfect collectedness continued uninter- 

 rupted ; but her former memory seemed to decay with her disease, 

 and she gradually forgot her lover. 



Long protracted illness ensued » and her spirits and constitution 

 seemed to droop with exhaustion after their former unhealthy ex- 

 citement, till at length, after a tedious recovery from a series of 

 relapses, her faculties were perfectly restored ; but every trace of 

 her former situation, or the events which had occurred during her 

 illness and residence in Dublin, had vanished like a dream from her 

 memory, nor did her family ever venture to touch her feelings by a 

 recurrence to them. 



In the mean time W returned, and eagerly flew to embrace, 



after so long a separation, her who had never passed from his 

 thoughts and his remembrance. Her family felt for him the warm- 

 est gratitude and affection, from the consciousness that he had been 

 the main instrument in the restoration of their daughter, but the 

 issue of this interview they awaited with the most painful suspense. 



She had long ceased to mention his name, or betray any symptom 

 of recollecting him; he seemed to have passed from her remem- 

 brance with the other less important items of her situation, and this 

 moment was now to prove to them whether any circumstance could 

 make the stream of memory roll back to this distracted period of her 

 intellect. 



From the shock of that interview W never recovered. She 



received him as her family had anticipated ; she saw him as a mere 

 uninteresting stranger; she met him with calm, and cold politeness, 

 and could ill conceal her astonishment at the agitation and despair 

 of his manner, when he found too truly that he was no longer re- 

 membered with the fond affection he had anticipated. He could 

 not repress his anxiety to remind her of their late attachment, but 

 she only heard his distant hints with astonishment and haughty sur- 

 prise. He now found that the only step which remained for him 

 was to endeavour to make a second impression on her renovated 

 heart; but he failed. There was still some mysterious influence 

 which attached their minds, but the alliance on her part had totally 

 changed its former tone, and when she did permit her thoughts to 

 dwell upon him, it was rather with aversion than esteem ; and her 

 family, after long encouraging his addresses, at length persuaded 

 him to forego his suit, which with a heavy and a hopeless heart he 

 assented to, and bade her adieu for ever. 



But the die of his fortune was cast ; he could no longer walk 

 heedlessly by those scenes where he had once spent hours of happi- 



