Supposing that the mysterious attempts upon the prince's life had succeeded, she would then have been free--free to bestow herself upon the object of her ardent passion, and by so doing secure his happiness as well as her own. As yet the heart of Paula had cherished no sentiment unworthy her position as a wife; but how frequently have the purest-minded, the noblest-hearted persons allowed themselves to be tempted and beguiled, for a short period, by thoughts which, without assuming the form of desires, but merely presenting themselves as _suppositions_, would, if realised, have assuredly produced the blackest crimes! How many gentle and resigned females, constrained to bear the most cruel and brutal usage from husbands, who might well be won to better conduct by the angelic patience of their heart-broken partners, have involuntarily exclaimed, "Ah me! why did I not choose a generous, noble-minded man, instead of such a tyrant as fate has given me?" There is nothing murderous in this perhaps involuntary regret, which expresses neither the hope nor expectation of seeing an end to the daily tortures the unoffending victim endures; and yet in this simple sentiment is contained the germ of passions that might lead to crime--even to murder itself; it is the natural instinct of self-preservation, aware of imminent danger from which it seeks the means of escaping. With many, whose trials and sufferings have called forth the bitter exclamation before alluded to, the burst of feeling ends there; they submit to their destiny, which henceforth presents one long unbroken path of sighs and tears. While others, endowed either with more acute and susceptible feelings, or a smaller share of resignation, relieve their oppressed hearts by crying, "Oh were I but free from my chains and him who thus enforces my slavery!" While some, more desperate or more outraged, will call upon the friendly aid of death to release them from the thraldom of their tyrant! Let the consequences--the full import of these several laments be fully analysed--let these _wishes_ be thoroughly examined, and it will invariably be found that, in a smaller or lesser degree, they all point to _murder_! And what was it but a stern and fatal _necessity_ which led Macbeth on, step by step, to commit the gradual increase of crime to which he at last arrived? And how many well-meaning persons have looked back, with astonishment and fright, at the numerous guilty acts they have committed under the influence of what at first appeared to them a right and justifiable motive!