Nightmare Abbey

lengthened the duration of his diurnal seclusions in his tower. Marionetta th

enting her lover immediately got the better both of her grief and her sympathy, though not of her curiosity, which Scythrop seemed determined not to satisfy. This playfulness, however, was in a great measure artificial, and usually vanished with the irritable Strephon, to whose annoyance it had been exerted. The Genius Loci, the tutela of Nightmare Abbey, the spirit of black melancholy, began to set his seal on her pallescent countenance. Scythrop perceived the change, found his tender sympathies awakened, and did his utmost to comfort the afflicted damsel, assuring her that h

ezing indifference, she said, 'You are perfectly at liberty, sir, to do as y

tears? Still kneeling, he kissed her hand with rueful timidity, an

old composure: 'No.' Scythrop still loo

hrop, rising, 'if that is the cas

you suppose I do not see through yo

gns? Mar

thinking to quiet your tender conscience with this pitiful stratagem. But do not suppose that you are of so much consequence to me: do not

till, in the simplicity of his spirit, he was preparing to comply. When he had nearly reached the door, Marion

you again,

d before we meet again, one of us will be married,

companied them, acted like electricity on the tender-hearted youth; and, in another

and that it neither is necessary that there should be, nor probable that there would be, a single word spoken from first to last between two sympathetic spirits, were it not that the arbitrary institutions of society have raised, at every step of this very simple process, so many complicated impediments and barriers in the shape of settlements and ceremonies, parents and guardians, lawyers, Jew-brokers, and parsons, that many an adventurous knight (who, in order to obtain t

as we are all sure to be miserable do what we may, there is no need of taking pains to make one a

t he could only stammer out, 'Really, sir, you are too good;

have so recently spoken, certain it is, that during Mr Glowry's absence, which

eous an establishment for his orphan niece, of whom he considered himself in some m

for a time, and at length hesitatingly said, 'My deal sir, yo

eing made by the young gentleman, it was toute autre chose, and was, indeed, in the eyes of his mistress, a most heinous and irremissible offence. Marionetta was angry, very angry, but she concealed her anger, and said, calmly and coldly, 'Certainly, you are much too precipitate, Mr Glow

ngly, 'the devil is come among us sure enough, as Mr Toobad

said Scythrop, gloomily, an

lary, 'I do not very we

e foolish love quarrel, nothing more. Whims, freaks,

, 'these April showers h

r so bad, provided you crack it yourself. I should be very happy to laugh with you, if it would give you any satisfaction;