23 
intercourse with my mystery environed hermit 
friend soon dissipated this peculiar delusion, 
and most happily assured me of the true real- 
ity of my pleasant and profitable relationship 
with the “ old hermit.” 
Enjoying his fullest confidence, I soon learned 
during my pleasant associations with the “ old 
hermit,” that he had suffered a most trying 
sorrow in the loss of a beautiful daughter, the 
whole joy of his quiet, earnest life. Of noble 
lineage, his great wealth and vast territorial 
estates enabled him to give full and devoted 
attention to the study of Nature, the love of 
which was strong in him. 
HIS LOST IDOL. 
He was a born naturalist; and eschewing 
the empty dissipations of high life, he was hap- 
piest, when with his only child, the idol of his 
heart, he rambled among the wide expanses of 
Nature within his own possessions. His lovely 
daughter, left motherless at an early age, was 
the sole companion of the Count during these 
delightful rambles, and as she grew into beauti- 
ful young womanhood, he watched her daily 
with the keenest solicitude and the deepest af- 
fection. One day, while he was absent on one 
of his usual rambles, after a prolonged stay, he 
returned at evening to his luxurious home, and 
was surprised to receive no demonstrative wel- 
come from his idolized child. Entering the 
house he inquired of the servants where their 
