CHAP. XII. "When I fee fuch games "Play'd by the creatures of a Power, who fwears "So hollow and fo falfe-I feel my heart COWPER. WHILE the daughter of Dr. Orwell was enjoying the happiness with which the return of Henry Sydney had infpired her breast, a happinefs rendered doubly dear by the approving smiles of her refpected parent; emotions of a lefs placid nature agitated the fair bofom of her fifter beauty. In the breast of Julia Delmond all was turbulence and perturbation. While following the courfe of an unreined imagination, fhe experienced that deluding fpecies of delight, which rather intoxicates than exhilarates, and which, by its inebriating quality, gives to the fanguine votary of fancy a difrelifh for the common enjoyments of life; the eagernefs with which her mind grafped at the idea of an extraordinary extatic felicity, agitated her whole frame, and deprived her of peace and reft. Still the pursued the flattering dream of fancy, and kept her mind's eye fo fixt upon its airy vifions, that the at length believed in their reality, and what appeared at first the mere fuggeftion of imagination, feemed in the fequel the certain dictates of truth. That in General Villers Mr. Vallaton fhould find find a father, at firft feemed barely poffible; then probable; then more than probable, it was next to certainty, or rather certainty itself. All that now remained was to find means for effecting the difcovery in a manner the most ftriking and pathetic. For this purpofe fhe called to her remembrance all the fimilar events in her most favourite novels; in thefe inftructive books the difcovery of the hero's parents had always appeared to her a catastrophe particularly interefting, and the idea that fhe fhould now have it in her power, not only to witnefs, but to be a principal actor in fo tender a fcene, filled her heart with extacy. After much deliberation, fhe at length fixed upon a most delightful plan for introducing Vallaton to the houfe of his long loft parents; but as part of it depended on the indulgence of her father, the found it neceflary immediately to procure his confent to its execution. In order to conceal the agitated ftate of her mind, fhe had, on pretence of indifpofition, abfented herself from breakfast, and begged to be excufed from her ufual attendance in her father's chamber; nor did fhe now approach it with that cheerful alacrity which had hitherto led her fleps to his door. Inftead of lightly tripping, in her ufual manner, to make the fond enquiry after his health, fhe now ftole through the paffage as if afraid of being feen; and on opening his door was feized with fuch a palpitation and embarrassment, that he had twice demanded who was there, before The mufstered fufficient courage to advance towards the couch on which he lay. For the first time in her life the now feared to meet the fcrutinizing eyes of her father, for, for the first time of her' life, the had fomething to conceal. The flame of of being fufpected to be the dupe of prejudice had prompted her affent to the clandeftine meeting with Vallaton; to that shame fhe had facrificed her feelings of propriety, and now felt a confcioufnefs of deferved blame, which not all the applaufes beftowed upon her conduct by her enlightened preceptor could palliate or remove. While Vallaton fpoke, his arguments appeared irrefutable, and the light in which he placed the prejudices of her father, made them fufficiently contemptible in her eyes; but the inftant the found herself in her father's prefence, a mingled fentiment of affection and refpcct took poffeffion of her mind; the high fentiments of honour he had fo carefully inculcated, recovered their influence in her breast; and the fhame of having fwerved from them, by encouraging the clandeftine addreffes of the philofopher, overwhelmed her with mortification and difquiet. It is now time to introduce the father of Julia to the reader's acquaintance, for which purpose we hope the following sketch of his life will not be deemed an impertinent digreffion. HISTORY OF CAPTAIN DELMOND. CAPTAIN DELMOND was the fon of an officer of diftinguished merit, who loft his life in the field of battle, leaving to his only child the inheritance of his fword, his honour, and his valour. The young man was then in his seventeenth year, an enfign in his father's regiment, The fame ball which tore in pieces the body of the the gallant father, ftruck the standard from the hands of the no lefs gallant fon; who, ftarting from the ground, bravely recovered the colours as they were about to be taken poffeflion of by a party of the enemy. The fpirited behaviour of young Delmond upon this occafion happened, fortunately for him, to be mentioned at the table of a certain General, in the very moment when the fuccessful efforts of his cook, in dreffing a turbot of uncommon excellence, had extorted his warmest approbation. The praife of the turbot and of the enign were repeated alternately; and it was, perhaps, owing to the happy affociation of ideas thus produced, that the memory of the noble General, which, upon fuch occafions, was very apt to be imperfect, now ferved him fo well, that he remembered young Delmond in the next promotion, He was by this circumftance raised to the rank of lieutenant. The two nations then at war, having at length facrificed fuch a quantity of human blood, and expended fuch a portion of treasure, as was deemed fufficient for the amufement of the governing powers on either fide, thought proper to make a peace; and after a few preliminaries, in which the original caufe of difpute was not once mentioned, and things were put as nearly as poffible into the fame ftate in which they were at the commencement of hoftilities, its ratification was formally announced. The wretched remains of thofe numerous armies which in the beginning of the contest had marched forth, elate with health and vigour, were now returned to their refpective countries; fome to languith out their lives in hofpitals, in the agony of wounds that were pronounced incura ble; ble; fome to a wretched dependance on the bounty of their families, or the alms of strangers; and the few whofe good fortune it was to efcape unhurt, according to the feniority of their regiments, either difbanded to fpread habits of idienefs and profligacy among their fellow-citizens, or fent into country quarters to be fattened for fields of future glory. The regiment to which young Delmond belonged, was difpofed of in the laft-mentioned way. It was ordered into the north of England; and the divifion of it to which he was attached, quartered at a small village in a very remote fituation, and above ten miles distant from the rest of his military affociates. As it was a fine fporting country, the diverfions of hunting and fhooting afforded for fome time fufficient employment to his active mind; but the winter fetting in earlier than ufual, and with uncommon severity, he was not only deprived of thefe fources of amusement, but by the badness of the roads cut off from all communication with his brother officers, whofe fociety he had hitherto occafionally enjoyed. In this dilemma he had recourfe to reading, and foon difcovered that books were really capable of affording fome degree of entertainment. The pleasure which refulted from this discovery daily increafed, and he foon found it little inferior to that which is derived from any of the methods ufually employed by the modern fons of Mars to murder that worst of enemies, Time. If it loft in comparison with the lounge at the milliner'sshop, it was, at leaft, fully as amusing as looking over the bridge, that never-failing refource for every vacant hour; and though less exhilarating than drinking, gambling, or intriguing, it was, perhaps, |