MADAME DE STAEL-HOLSTEIN’S DELPHINE, 
have loved him, that I have lost hims and 
I will be faithful to the memory which I 
shall ever retain of him: it will bea pleasing 
sentiment, the object of a melancholy un- 
tainted with bitterness: I will. request his 
picture of M. Barton; and I will ever pre- 
serve it, as the portrait of a hero in romance, 
of which the original no longer ‘exists. I 
had already for some time begun to lose the 
hope of meeting a man who should possess 
all the affections of my heart: the matter is 
now reduced to certainty ; and that certainty 
is all that is required, to resign myself in 
peace to advancing ald age.” 
It appears to have been the intention 
of Madame de Stael, to exhibit in the 
two characters, of Matilda and Del- 
phine, the effects of Christianity and 
Deism on the human character. They 
are both young and handsome women, 
but while all the graces of character are 
lavished on Delphine, every effort is 
made to render Matilda cold, unattrac- 
tive, and even disgusting. Not so 
Rousseau —enemy as he at times was to 
the Christian religion, he yet ‘makes 
Julie the most amiable of women, and 
_ when she dies, what deist does not ad- 
mire her truly christian end! - 
Leonce recovers of his wounds, arrives 
at Paris, and, of course, falis in love 
with Delphine instead of Matilda. Now 
comes on the charming play of senti- 
mentality: while she even makes him 
the first avowal of love, (p. 158.) while 
she gives him every encouragement, 
passing hours and hours of the utmost: 
confidential intimacy with him, she 
would not, on any account whatever, 
yilt her cousin, Matilda; her union with 
once is to be that of kindred minds 
alone! a mere refined Platonic attach- 
ment! It happens, however, that Ma- 
dame de Vernon (whose character is 
drawn in a very masterly manner, and 
is by far the most striking of any in the 
work) has the sagacity to discover the 
alienation of Leonce from her daughter, 
and the address to destroy for the mo- 
‘ment his attachment to Delphine, by 
ully exposing some of her imprudent 
‘conduct to him. This leads us to notice 
the very blameable conduct of Delphine, 
in the affair of ‘Theresa d’Ervins, a mar- 
‘tied woman, who has imbibed a most 
fiolent passion for M. de Serbellane. 
When, this adulterous attachment is first 
ade knowa to Delphine, by Mons. de 
bellane,. instead of manifesting the 
ignation which a virtuous christian 
Woman would not have failed to have 
617 
done, she recommends Theresa to the 
protection of her paramour. 
«* Yes!’ said I «I shall not be afraid to 
demand of the man who has seduced her, to 
act as her guide and her brother, in this cri- 
tical situation. ‘Theresa is more-impassioned 
than you: she loves you more ardently than 
you love her: it is therefore your duty to 
direct her: the one of the two parties who 
cannot live without the other, is the party 
subject to the other's dominion. Theresa 
has neither relatives nor friends in Paris: do 
you watch over her with the care of a gene- 
rous and affectionate protector: repair the 
wrongs you have done to her, by those vir- 
tues of the heart which are all the offsprin 
of kindness.’ 1 felt myself animated as 
spoke these words, and laid my hand on 
M. de Serbellane’s arm: he took hold of 
it, and approached it to his lips with an ex+ 
pression of feeling, of which Theresa alone” 
was the object.” 
After some time this intrigue is disco~ 
vered by the husband, and Delphine is 
guilty of the astonishing imprudence, to 
say the least of it, of permitting the 
lovers to have a parting interview in her 
house. This is discovered by the hus- 
band, who bursts into the room, and 
demands instant satisfaction of M. de 
Serbellane. They adjourn to a proper 
place, and the poor husband receives 
his satisfaction, that is to say, he is run ; 
through the body, and expires on the 
spot. By an act of generosity, on 
the part of Delphine, Theresa’s repu- 
tation is saved, at the expence of her 
own: Mons. de Serbellane is supposed to 
have been concealed in her house as her 
lover; and the duel with M. d’Ervins 
is attributed to a political dispute: Del- 
phine confides to Madame de Vernon 
the care of informing Leonce of the real 
state of the case, which she engages to 
do, and then wilfully neglects. In con- 
sequence, the impetuous Leonce, the 
victim of jealousy, instantly marries 
Matilda. In process of time, the trea- 
chery of Madame de Vernon is disco- 
vered, and then the smothered flame of 
Leonce’s love bursts forth again with 
double fury. A reconciliation soon takes 
place between the lovers—they meet 
daily, pass hours alone together. Del. 
phine glories in her love for the husband 
of her cousin, and satisfies her consci- 
ence with the hope that Matilda will re. 
main ignorant of the attachment, and 
with their mutual determination that 
the connexion shall be purely spiritual, 
The consequences are sufficiently obvi- . 
