Unnumber’d suitors came;
Who praised me for imputed charms,
And felt or feign’d a flame.
With richest proffers strove;
Among the rest young Edwin bow’d,
But never talk’d of love.
No wealth nor power had he;
Wisdom and worth were all he had,
But these were all to me.
He caroll’d lays of love,
His breath lent fragrance to the gale,
And music to the grove.
The dews of Heav’n refin’d,
Could nought of purity display
To emulate his mind.
With charms inconstant shine;
Their charms were his, but woe to me,
Their constancy was mine.
Importunate and vain;
And while his passion touch’d my heart,
I triumph’d in his pain.
He left me to my pride;
And sought a solitude forlorn,
In secret where he died.
And well my life shall pay;
I’ll seek the solitude he sought,
And stretch me where he lay.
I’ll lay me down and die;
’Twas so for me that Edwin did,
And so for him will I.”
And clasp’d her to his breast:
The wond’ring fair one turn’d to chide,—
’Twas Edwin’s self that prest.
My charmer turn to see
Thy own, thy long-lost Edwin here,
Restor’d to love and thee.
And ev’ry care resign:
And shall we never, never part,
My life,—my all that’s mine?
We’ll live and love so true;
The sigh that rends thy constant heart,
Shall break thy Edwin’s too.”
While this ballad was reading, Sophia seemed to mix an air of tenderness with her approbation. But our tranquillity was soon disturbed by the report of a gun just by us, and immediately after a man was seen bursting through the hedge, to take up the game he had killed. This sportsman was the ’Squire’s chaplain, who had shot one of the black-birds that so agreeably entertained us. So loud a report, and so near, startled my daughters; and I could perceive that Sophia in the fright had thrown herself into Mr. Burchell’s arms for protection. The gentleman came up, and asked pardon for having disturbed us, affirming that he was ignorant of our being so near. He therefore sat down by my youngest daughter, and sportsman-like, offered her what he had killed that morning. She was going to refuse, but a private look from her mother soon induced her to correct the mistake, and accept his present, though with some reluctance. My wife, as usual, discovered her pride in a whisper, observing, that Sophy had made a conquest of the Chaplain, as well as her sister had of the ’Squire. I suspected, however, with more probability, that her affections were placed upon a different object. The chaplain’s errand was to inform us, that Mr.
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