"Away," cried, Elvina, impatiently. "Alas! thou knowest but too well I cannot hate thee." "Oh! transporting acknowledgment!" exclaimed Don Ferdinand, in an ecstacy; "repeat it, repeat it, my Elvina ! "Repeat it!" cried she faintly, and hiding her face against the shoulder of Olivia; "Oh never! nor think to triumph from the weakness of my heart; even by the spirit of him whom your rash hand so prematurely hurried to the grave, I swear to fulfil the promise I made him.” "You may doom me to the rack," said he, passionately, "but you cannot erase from my mind the words you have just uttered. Oh, my Elvina!" in faltering accents he added, "what tears have not our fathers caused us!" A deep sigh burst from the struggling bosom of his beauteous mistress. "Oh! had my sire," she cried, hurried on in spite of herself by the feelings he had awakened, "fallen by any other hand than thine, thy presence then to my afflicted soul would have been a certain consolation, my grief would have yielded to thy sympathy, my tears would have been checked by seeing thine mingle with them. But go,' she wildly added, "the shades of night befriend your lonely way-begone then, for never could I survive the suspicions that must be excited should you be discovered here." "Adieu then," said Don Ferdinand, in accents expressive of mingled passion and despair; "adieu then," kissing his hand to her as he retreated towards the door. "Most beloved, most adored! I go a dying life to lead, till thou hast fixed my doom.” For some minutes after he had disappeared from her sight Elvina remained motionless; then throwing herself on a couch, she gave way, in convulsive sobs and broken exclamations, to the wild anguish of her heart, to the despair with which the sudden destruction of all her flattering hopes and expectations had filled her " Oh cruel fate!" she exclaimed, "Oh fatal difference! one day, one hour to misery bequeaths my future years?" Olivia besought her to try and compose herself and think of taking some repose!" "Oh talk not to me of repose!" she passionately interrupted, "while such contending passions rend my breast, while love and duty thus struggle with equal violence for empire over me-yes, with shame I confess Don Ferdinand still combats my father in my heart." "And why with shame?" demanded Olivia ; "Oh! you should as much glory in the passion you feel for him as in the one he entertains for you. You cannot complain of your fate, since it rests with yourself whether it shall be happy or miserable. 'Tis in your power to absolve Don Ferdinand, to pardon the noble youth, and reward his merit, and justice demands you should do so. If, as St. Valery I wished him possessed of your hand, a thousand times more do I now that I know him the son of the marquis Almeria; and should you persevere in refusing him your hand, you will, though unwillingly, commit an act of the greatest injustice." "Of injustice!" repeated Elvina, raising her head to look at her; "surely I misunderstand you. Can it be denominated an act of injustice to avenge the death of my father, and refuse my hand to him who slew him? Tell me what it is you meant by the expression.' 66 Question me not," replied Olivia, in an agitated manner; only say you abandon your present intentions against Don Ferdinand." "Never!" returned Elvina with vehemence ; "that I feel I cannot cease to love him, that my heart is distracted in the cruel conflict between love 1 and duty, I acknowledge. Alas! I could not, if I would deny it: but my soul is still the same-still am I resolved to maintain my fame, though at the expense of all I hold most dear." "You seek then to destroy Don Ferdinand?" said Olivia, emphatically. "Oh, dreadful idea!" cried Elvina, shuddering; "to what a sad alternative am I reduced!" Then throwing herself on her knees "Oh! strengthen, support me heaven!" she added; "in this arduous conflict, uphold my sinking resolution, enable me to resist the arguments by which it is assailed, the still more dangerous pleadings of my own heart! Ah, Olivia! torture me not by further solicitations, nor by espousing the cause of Don Ferdinand, let me imagine you totally forgetful of the kind friend of many years.' "Heaven knows," said Olivia with tears, touched to the soul by this indirect reproach, "I grieve for his fate; but still there is a consideration that urges me to plead for Don Ferdinand." "I will not ask you to explain it," said Elvina, as she rose from her kneeling posture, "since determined on the measures I shall pursue. In your anxiety for my happiness, I see clearly you forget the lasting stigma I should draw upon myself, were I to` act otherwise than I intend." Pursuant to her resolution, the ensuing morning found her preparing for her visit to court. In vain her heart pleaded for Don Ferdinand-in vain her fancy pictured him under the most seducing formsin vain the tender, the affectionate Olivia, anxious for her happiness, and interested in the fate of the noble youth, knelt to implore her to relinquish her intention. She persevered in it, from a conviction of being under a sacred obligation to revenge her father, CHAP. X. Her brimful eyes, that ready stood, DRYDEN. WITH a heart torn with anguish, Don Ferdinand regained the convent. Elvina's involuntary acknowledgment, of not being able to banish him her heart, far from lessening, rather heightened his misery, since, in proportion to the strength of her affection for him, must her distress be, he was aware, at the idea of appearing as a foe against him. From all that had passed in their recent interview, he could not avoid thinking, an opinion in which Don Julio concurred with him, that but for the dread she entertained of being accused of giving him secret' encouragement, she never would have persevered in her intention of doing so ; and consequently not without rage could he reflect on the malice of Don Rodolph, to whom he attributed the information which had awakened that dread, and thus rendered still more distant than ever, all hope of a happy termination to his present sufferings. In the midst of his regrets, he was surprised by the presence of his father; apprized of the informa tion received at court, and the steps to which it had led, his haughty soul took fire; and with a party of five hundred gallant cavaliers, all well mounted and armed, the firm friends and adherents of his illustrious house, and who had assembled for the purpose of aiding him, if necessary, in revenging the insult he had met with, he immediately set out for the convent, in order to rescue his son, should he unfortunately find him a prisoner, and thus prevent his hereditary enemies, the De Laras, from obtaining any triumph over him. His joy at finding he had eluded the search made after him was unspeakable, not only as it saved him the painful necessity of opposing the commands of his sovereign, but as it furnished him with an opportunity of pointing out to him how he might immediately signalize himself. The A Moorish fleet had that day been seen shaping its course towards Seville; in consequence of which the guards were doubled in every direction. event justified the fears this measure implied; towards dusk it was discovered entering the port, only waiting for the covert of the night to storm the city; and all became a scene of immediate confusion there, troops pouring in from every quarter, and anxiety visible in every countenance. For his son to take the lead in repelling the invaders, was the ardent wish of the marquis; he proposed his immediately heading the gallant troop at their command, and either obtaining a glorious death in teaching their ancient enemies to yield, or else such a triumph as should appease the anger of the king, and perhaps obtain his interference with Elvina. At the prospect of signalizing himself, of achieving some exploit which should add still greater lustre to his name, the soul of Ferdinand regained its wonted animation; and quickly arming himself, he |