Page:A Sicilian Romance (1792) vol. 1.djvu/80

 forbore to mention my brother even to me, but frequently when she thought herself unobserved, she would steal to her harpsichord, and repeat the strain which she had played on the evening before his departure.

"We had the pleasure to hear from time to time that he was well; and though his own modesty threw a veil over his conduct, we could collect from other accounts that he had behaved with great bravery. At length the time of his return approached, and the enlivened spirits of Julia declared the influence he retained in her heart. He returned, bearing public testimony of his valour in the honours which had been conferred upon him. He was received with universal joy; the count welcomed him with the pride and fondness of a father, and the villa became again the feat of happiness. His person and manners were much improved; the elegant beauty of the youth was now