The lock of her hair was now in the hand of Sebastian, his eyes were intently fixed on it, without his seeing or thinking of it; the complete distinction of all his hopes was contained in this fatal letter; the bright vision of gratitude had vanished, and misery’s last blow stunned both thought and feeling. Such a benumbing influence was on him, that he remained nearly on the same spot from sunrise to sunset without food or sleep, or the consciousness of wanting either. It happened that towards evening a sudden storm drove some countrymen into the cavern for shelter. The noise they made roused Sebastian; on seeing him, they naturally concluded that he had taken refuge from the same motive with themselves; and entering into conversation with him, he learnt that there was then a vessel in the bay of Setuval bound for Brazil. He no longer contemplated with lively emotions a voyage to the new world, but he was sick of that which he inhabited; and to the wretched, change of place seems ever desirable. He accompanied the men to Setuval, where he fortunately procured a passage in the ship described, and she sailed at midnight. While the vessel was tossing among the turbulent waves of the Atlantic, Portugal’s self-exiled monarch had leisure to arrange those events, which by their painful rapidity had unsettled his reason: he gave up the hope of happiness; with a moody smile he gave up the hope of blessing his benefactress; but still it was not possible for him to abandon the expectation of regaining his rights, and with them the power of benefiting others. For him there was no middle station; he must either mount again to empire, or sink to utter desolation; and it was only in the active duties of sovereignty that he could lose the remembrance of his present sufferings. Since Kara Aziek was lost,--and alas! how sad to think she was self-condemned for his sake! private affections had no claim on him, except indeed in the person of Gaspar, (for the worth of Don Emanuel was yet to be proved.) What a sterile scene did life then present! he pondered over the present and the future, till his heart took so deep a print from despair, as to make him wildly doubt whether he had ever known what happiness was. In this state he was ill-adapted to share in the noisy garrulity of his fellow voyagers; he shunned their society, sitting retired in an obscure part of the vessel, from the deck of which he seemed to be stupidly watching her track through the waters.