"Remember, Julia, that you have not my permission to ask your friend
until the twentieth--we can stay but one night at Mr. Miller's, but if
Anna is to spend the winter in Park Place, we will return this way from
the Falls, and take her with us to the city."
"Thank you, dear aunt," cried Julia, kissing her with an affection that
almost reconciled Miss Emmerson to the choice--while Charles Weston
whistled "Hail, Columbia! happy land!"
Julia saw that Antonio pitied her impatience--for the moment he arrived
in sight of Mr. Miller's house, he put his horses to their speed, and
dashed into the court-yard in the space of a few minutes. For a little
while all was confusion and joy. Anna seemed delighted to see her
friend, and Julia was in raptures--they flew into each other's arms--and
if their parting embrace was embalmed in tears, their meeting was
enlivened with smiles. With arms interlocked, they went about the house,
the very pictures of joy.--Even Antonio, at the moment, was forgotten,
and all devoted to friendship. Nay, as if sensible of the impropriety of
his appearance at that critical instant, he withdrew himself from
observation--and his delicacy was not lost on Julia. Happy are they who
can act in consonance with their own delicate sentiments, and rest
satisfied with the knowledge that their motives are understood by those
whom it is their greatest desire to please!--Such, too fortunate
Antonio, was thy lot--for no emotion of thy sensitive mind, no act of
thy scrupulously honourable life, passed unheeded by thy Julia!--so
thought the maiden.
It has been already mentioned that the family of Mr. Miller was large;
and amid the tumult and confusion of receiving their guests, no
opportunity was afforded to the friends for conversation in private.
The evening passed swiftly, and the hour for bed arrived without any
other communications between Julia and Anna than whisperings and
pressures of the hands, together with a thousand glances of peculiar
meaning with the eyes. But Julia did not regret this so much as if
Antonio had been unknown--she had been in his company for four days, and
knew, or thought she knew, already, as much of his history as Anna
herself.--But one thought distressed her, and that was, that his
residence might be far from the house of her aunt. This reflection gave
the tender-hearted girl real pain, and her principal wish to converse
with Anna in private was to ascertain her future lot on this distressing
point. No opportunity, however, offered that night, and Julia saw that
in the morning her time would be limited, for Miss Emmerson desired Mr.
Miller to order her carriage to be in readiness to start so soon as they
had breakfasted.
"When, dear aunt, am I to give Anna the invitation," said Julia, when
they were left alone, "if you start so early in the morning?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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