The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 5 of 5)Burney, Fanny
History
The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 5 of 5)
Burney, Fanny
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Refugees -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Refugees -- Fiction; War stories
In a state of mind so utterly deplorable as that of Juliet, this grand,
uncouth monument of ancient days had a certain sad, indefinable
attraction, more congenial to her distress, than all the polish, taste,
and delicacy of modern skill. The beauties of Wilton seemed appendages
of luxury, as well as of refinement; and appeared to require not only
sentiment, but happiness for their complete enjoyment: while the nearly
savage, however wonderful work of antiquity, in which she was now
rambling; placed in this abandoned spot, far from the intercourse, or
even view of mankind, with no prospect but of heath and sky; blunted,
for the moment, her sensibility, by removing her wide from all the
objects with which it was in contact; and insensibly calmed her spirits;
though not by dissipating her reverie. Here, on the contrary, was room
for 'meditation even to madness;' nothing distracted the sight, nothing
broke in upon attention, nor varied the ideas. Thought, uninterrupted
and uncontrouled, was master of the mind.
Here, in deep and melancholy rumination, she remained, till she was
joined by the Baronet; who toiled after his fair charge with an eager
will, though with slack and discourteous feet.
'Do you divine, my beauteous Wanderer,' he cried, 'what part of the
globe you now brighten? Have you developed my stratagem to surprize you
by a view of what, perhaps, you thought impossible, something curious,
and worthy of attention, though more antique than myself?'
Juliet tried, but vainly, to make a civil speech; and Sir Jaspar, after
having vainly awaited it, went on.
'You picture yourself, perhaps, in the original temple of Gog and Magog?
for what less than giants could have heaved stones such as these? but
'tis not so; and you, who are pious, must view this spot, with bended
knees and new ideas. Dart, then, around, the "liquid lustre of those
eyes,--so brightly mutable, so sweetly wild!"[12]--and behold in each
stony spectre, now staring you in the face, a petrified old Druid! for
learn, fair fugitive, you ramble now within the holy precincts of that
rude wonder of other days, and disgrace of modern geometry, Stonehenge.'
[Footnote 12: Mason's Lady Coventry.]
In almost any other frame of mind, Juliet, from various descriptions,
joined to the vicinity of Salisbury, would not have required any
nomenclator to have told her where she was: but she could now make no
reflections, save upon her own misery; and no combinations, that were
not relative to her own dangers.
Sir Jaspar apologized that he had not more roughly handled the farmer
and his wife, for their inhospitality; and frankly owned that it was not
from the milkiness of his nature that he had been so docile, but from an
ardent eagerness to visit Stonehenge with so fair a companion.
Juliet, alarmed, demanded whether he had not taken the route by which
they were to meet his valet?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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