Alonzo and Melissa; Or, The Unfeeling Father: An American TaleMitchell, I. (Isaac)
History
Alonzo and Melissa; Or, The Unfeeling Father: An American Tale
Mitchell, I. (Isaac)
Gothic fiction; Love stories; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
"A young lady of this city, with whom I am well acquainted, and to whom,
indeed, I am distantly related, whose father is affluent, whose
connections are eminently respectable, whose manners are engaging, whose
mind is virtue, whose elegance of form and personal beauty defy
competition, is the cause, sir, of this mission.--Early introduced into
the higher walks of life, she has passed the rounds of fashionable
company; numberless suitors sighed for her hand, whom she complaisantly
dismissed without disobliging, as her heart had not yet been touched by
the tender passion of love. Surprising as it may, however, seem, it is
now about six months since she saw in her dream the youth who possessed
the power to inspire her with this passion. In her dream she saw a young
gentleman whose interesting manners and appearance, impressed her so
deeply that she found she must be unhappy without him. She thought it
was in a mixed company she saw him, but that she could not get an
opportunity to speak to him. It seemed that if she could but speak with
him, all difficulties would at once be removed. At length he approached
her, and just as he was about to address her, she awoke.
"This extraordinary dream she had communicated to several of her
acquaintance.--Confident that she should some time or other behold the
real person whose semblance she had seen in her dream, she has never
since been perfectly at ease in her mind. Her father, who has but two
children, one beside herself, being dotingly fond of her, has promised
that if ever she meets this unknown stranger, he will not oppose their
union, provided he is respectable, and that, if worthy of her hand,
he will make him independent.
"On my return from the inn the evening I first saw you, I told my
sister--I beg pardon, sir--I was wandering from my subject--after I
first met you at the inn, I fell in company with the lady, and in a
rallying way told her that I had seen her _invisible beau_, as we used
to call the gentleman of the dream. I superficially described your
person, and descanted a little on the embellishments of your mind. She
listened with some curiosity and attention; but I had so often jested
with her in this manner, that she thought little of it. At the play last
night, I had just been speaking to her when I came to your box: her eyes
followed me, but no sooner had they rested on you, than she fainted!
This was the cause of my leaving you so abruptly, and not returning. We
conveyed her home, when she informed me that you was the person she had
seen in her dream!
"To me only, she preferred disclosing the circumstance at present, for
reasons which must be obvious to your understanding.--Even her father
and mother are not informed of it, and should my mission prove
unsuccessful, none except you, sir, she and myself, I hope and trust,
will ever know any thing of the matter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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