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Rh which knit his destiny to that of the beloved Oriana! As the voyager securely sinks to rest, whilst the vessel bearing him calmly floats upon the unruffled surface of the deep, and dreams not of the tempest that may suddenly expose him to the fury of the elements, so Philimore, reposing on the bliss of the moment, yielded himself a willing captive to the fervour of love, whilst every thought of care or anxiety for the future was banished from his breast.

The sisters had each conceived the highest opinion of Philimore; their confidence in his virtue was unbounded, they thought it impossible he could err,—so replete with goodness, possessing morality without bigotry, the profoundest intellectual attainments without pride or self-superiority; with his equals gentle yet gay, with his inferiors mild and condescending; though his person might not be termed handsome, his tout ensemble was highly agreeable. With recommendations such as these, was it possible for him not to excite an interest proportionate to his talents and virtues?

Oriana deeply acknowledged their sway; and Rosilia, oh! how often had she wished in secret that Douglas, to his more polished, fascinating, and brilliant manners and mien, had united the