[Footnote 13: No doubt most of my readers will prefer their own
translations of my mottoes to any I could offer them; but for those who
choose to avoid this trouble, I add my imitations, which claim no other
merit than that of giving a general idea of the spirit of the original
passage.
They through the wood their path descried,
Which climb'd the shaggy mountain's side;
Dark, narrow was the winding way,
O'er many a piercing stone it lay.
But when they left the forest's shade,
A spacious platform stood display'd,
On which a palace rose in sight,
The smiling scene of gay delight.
]
In proportion as Mrs. Galton and Augustus approached Eltondale, their
regrets increased from their anticipation of so soon parting with
Selina; whilst, on the contrary, her spirits seemed to rise with the
varying scene. Almost every object was new to her, and, as such, was a
fresh source of enjoyment. It would be impossible to describe Selina's
astonishment when she entered Leeds. She had never before been in any
large town; for though York was within thirty miles of the Hall, it had
been, in point of intercourse, as much beyond Sir Henry's circle as
London itself. The throng of people, the constant bustle of passengers,
the gaiety of the shops, and above all the comfort, and even elegance of
the hotel where they slept--were all to her subjects of agreeable
surprise. Even the rapid motion of the carriage whirled on by the post
horses, whose pace was so different from the sober gait of poor Sir
Henry's antiquated steeds, animated and delighted her. And will the
confession be forgiven?--such was her ignorance, or perhaps her
frivolity, that she not only felt, but was vulgar enough to acknowledge
a childish pleasure in the races the postillions frequently entered into
with the stage coaches. Augustus was enchanted with the _naÔvetÈ_ of her
observations, and gazed with delight on her sparkling eyes and changing
colour, which needed no interpreter to express her varying emotions. But
Mrs. Galton sighed to think how that pliability of disposition, that
now rendered her so bewitching to others, might hereafter become
dangerous to herself. Lady Eltondale, finding Mrs. Galton and Mordaunt
were determined to accompany Selina to the end of her journey, had
written a polite invitation to them to remain at her house some days;
but they had both resolved not to avail themselves of this tardy
civility, even for one night; however, unforeseen delays having
occurred, they did not reach Eltondale till past nine o'clock in the
evening. It was a dark stormy night; the wind, which blew in tremendous
gusts, had extinguished the lamps of the carriage, and they with
difficulty found their way through a thick wood, that climbed the side
of a hill on which the house was situated; but when they emerged from
this Cimmerian darkness, the superb mansion broke upon their view in an
unbroken blaze of light. The exterior rivalled the elegance of an
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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