O.jQ TIIK Pl'ltlTAN S DAUGHTER. 



to instil, to take root in her mind — she would laugh, and be as free and 

 joyous, as though Broomsgrove was the happiest place in" the world. 

 The elasticity of her mind was a foil to the sombre air of the mansion 

 — for Grace Desrick, with all her quickness and intelligence, could 

 never be brought to understand that religion was meant as a source of 

 sadness or sorrow : her guileless heart knew nothing of the horrors of 

 repentance, for there was no act she could look back to, and feel even 

 regret at its .commission. 



When she had attained her eighteenth year, she was still as gay and 

 happy as she had been when a child. Of the world, she knew scarce any- 

 thing ; her education had taught her but little of its ways — and a father, 

 with every care and attention, cannot supply a mother's place to a girl. 

 But, suddenlv, the merry Grace Desrick seemed to have lost much of 

 her wonted cheerfulness, and no one could say why or wherefore ; it 

 was in vain her father questioned her, whether was there aught to 

 make her unhappy ; she had no cause to be so, she replied, for she felt 

 happier than ever — and yet Sir Ralph could not but observe she was 

 not the same gav laughing girl she had been but a few months past : 

 there was an air of abstraction about her at times, as if her thoughts 

 wandered far away — it was not that she was imbued with the gloomy 

 spirit of religion, that her father had so often striven in her childhood 

 to impress upon her mind, — she attended, with propriety, to its forms 

 and principles, but not as an ascetic. In vain did he endeavour to dis- 

 cover the cause, for he could not gain his daughter's confidence. 



Hereford contained, at this time, among the parties of the legitimate 

 sovereign, one Sir Edward Euldigh, who, not having compromised himself 

 by any outrageous act against the existing Protectorship, was allowed 

 to retain possession of his estates ; but his son (some said with, and 

 others without, the consent and approbation of his father,) had taken a 

 very active part in the intrigues of the Stuarts ; yet, as Sir Edward 

 openly disclaimed all participation in the schemes of his son, and nothing 

 could ever be proved against him, tending to involve him in any of the 

 plots, it had been deemed advisable to allow him to remain unmolested. 



Not much was known by anyone of Mark Eveleigh, his son. He was 

 supposed to be on the continent, in attendance upon the exiled monarch, 

 but this was merely conjecture : some said he was wild and reckless, 

 possessing all tlie faults and vices of a cavalier, without any of their 

 redeeming qualities ; but as this was the character given him by the 

 Puritans, it was to be received with some doubt ; all the reports seemed 

 to agree in calling him like Sir Edward in outward appearance, which 

 was equivalent to saying, he was a gentleman of good breeding, and in 

 person well looking ; and that, we believe, was nearly all any one in 

 Hereford or its neighbourhood knew of one they had scarcely ever seen. 



But Mark had recer.tly left the continent, and was staying in the 

 neighbourhood of Hereford, his father's house not being considered a 

 safe residence for him ; for though his person was not well known in 

 the town, or perhaps scarce at all, save by his father's servants, it was 

 thought prudent to avoid all risks, and he had been, therefore, on a visit 

 at a friend's, whose mansion and grounds adjoined Broomsgrove. It 

 had chanced, that wandering one day with his dogs about the banks of 

 the Wye, he had met the pretty Grace, and was surprised at seeing, in 



