University of Virginia Library

THE LOVERS.

Song of Solomon.

To a man who is a little of a philosopher,
and a bachelor to boot; and who, by dint of some
experience in the follies of life, begins to look
with a learned eye upon the ways of man and
eke of woman; to such a man, I say, there is
something very entertaining in noticing the conduct
of a pair of young lovers. It may not be as
grave and scientific a study as the loves of the
plants; but it is certainly as interesting.

I have therefore derived much pleasure since
my arrival at the Hall, from observing the fair
Julia and her lover. She has all the delightful
blushing consciousness of an artless girl, inexperienced

in coquetry, who has made her first
conquest; while the captain regards her with
that mixture of fondness and exultation, with
which a youthful lover is apt to contemplate so
beauteous a prize. I observed them yesterday
in the garden advancing along one of the retired
walks. The sun was shining with delicious
warmth, making great masses of bright verdure
and deep blue shade. The cuckoo, that “harbinger
of spring,” was faintly heard from a distance;
the thrush piped from the hawthorn, and
the yellow butterflies sported and toyed and coquetted
in the air.

The fair Julia was leaning on her lover's arm,
listening to his conversation, with her eyes cast
down, a soft blush on her cheek, and a quiet smile
on her lips; while in the hand that hung negligently
by her side was a bunch of flowers. In
this way they were sauntering slowly along, and
when I considered them, and the scene in which
they were moving, I could not but think it a
thousand pities that the season should ever
change; or that young people should ever grow

older; or that blossoms should give way to fruit;
or that lovers should ever get married.

From what I have gathered of family anecdote,
I understand that the fair Julia is the daughter
of a favourite college friend of the Squire's, who
after leaving Oxford had entered the army and
served for many years in India, where he was
mortally wounded in a skirmish with the natives.
In his last moments he had, with a faltering pen,
recommended his wife and daughter to the kindness
of his early friend.

The widow and her child returned to England,
helpless and almost hopeless. When Mr. Bracebridge
received accounts of their situation, he
hastened to their relief. He reached them just
in time to soothe the last moments of the
mother, who was dying of a consumption, and
to make her happy in the assurance that her child
should never want a protector.

The good Squire returned with his prattling
charge to his strong hold, where he had brought
her up with a tenderness truly paternal. As he
has taken some pains to superintend her education

and form her taste, she has grown up with
many of his notions, and considers him the wisest
as well as the best of men. Much of her time
too has been passed with Lady Lillycraft, who
has instructed her in the manners of the old school,
and enriched her mind with all kinds of novels
and romances. Indeed, her ladyship has had a
great hand in promoting the match between Julia
and the captain, having had them together at
her country seat, the moment she found there
was an attachment growing up between them;
the good lady being never so happy as when she
has a pair of turtles cooing about her.

I have been pleased to see the fondness with
which the fair Julia is regarded by the old servants
at the Hall. She has been a pet with them
from childhood, and every one seems to lay some
claim to her education; so that it is no wonder
that she should be extremely accomplished.

The gardener taught her to rear flowers, of
which she is extremely fond. Old Christy, the
pragmatical huntsman, softens when she approaches,
and as she sits lightly and gracefully

in her saddle, claims the merit of having taught
her to ride; while the housekeeper, who almost
looks upon her as a daughter, intimates that she
first gave her an insight into the mysteries of
the toilette; having been dressing maid in her
young days to the late Mrs. Bracebridge. I am
inclined to credit this last claim, as I have noticed
that the dress of the young lady had an
air of the old school, though managed with native
taste; and that her hair was put up very
much in the style of Sir Peter Lely's portraits
in the picture gallery.

Her very musical attainments partake of this
old fashioned character, and most of her songs
are such as are not at the present day to be
found on the piano of a modern performer. I
have, however, seen so much of modern fashions,
modern accomplishments, and modern fine ladies,
that I relish this tinge of antiquated style,
in so young and lovely a girl; and I have had as
much pleasure in hearing her warble one of the
old songs of Herrick, or Carew, or Suckling,
adapted to some simple old melody, as I have had

from listening to a lady amateur sky lark it, up
and down, through the finest bravura of Rossini
or Mozart.

We have very pretty music in the evenings,
occasionally, between her and the captain; assisted
sometimes by Master Simon, who scrapes
dubiously on his violin; being very apt to get
out, and to halt a note or two in the rear.
Sometimes he even thrums a little on the piano,
or takes a part in a trio, in which his voice can
generally be distinguished by a certain quavering
tone and an occasional false note.

I was praising the fair Julia's performance
to him after one of her songs, when I found he
took the whole credit of having formed her
musical taste; assuring me that she was very
apt; and indeed, summing up her whole character,
in his knowing way, by adding that “she
was a very nice girl, and had no nonsense about
her.”