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mality. A flight of steps of a plainer kind, 

 with a mere parapet on the sides, led up to 

 this upper terrace underneath the shrubs 

 and exotics. 



All this gave me emotions in my youth, 

 which I long imagined were merely those 

 of early habit; but I am now convinced 

 that was not all : they also arose from a 

 quick succession of varied objects, of va- 

 ried forms, tints, lights and shadows ; they 

 arose from the various degrees of intricacy 

 and suspense that were produced by the no 

 less various degrees and kinds of conceal- 

 ment, all exciting and nourishing curiosity, 

 and all distinct in their character from the 

 surrounding landscapes. I will beg my 

 reader's indulgence for going on to trace a 

 few other circumstances which are now no 

 more. These steps, as I mentioned before, 

 led to an upper terrace, and thence through 

 the little wilderness of exotics, to a summer- 

 house, with a luxuriant Virginia creeper 

 growing over it : this summer-house and the 

 creeper— to my great sorrow at the time, to 



