Page:Edgar Huntly, or The Sleep Walker.djvu/121

 Clithero's, pervaded by these proofs of inimitable excellence, and thrillingly alive to the passion of virtuous fame, and the value of that existence which he had destroyed, should be overborne by horror at the view of the past.

The instability of life and happiness was forcibly illustrated, as well as the perniciousness of error: exempt as this lady was from almost every defect, she was indebted for her ruin to absurd opinions of the sacredness of consanguinity, to her anxiety for the preservation of a ruffian, because that ruffian was her brother. The spirit of Clithero was enlightened and erect, but he weakly suffered the dictates of eternal justice to be swallowed up by gratitude: the dread of unjust upbraiding hurried him to murder and to suicide, and the imputation of imaginary guilt impelled him to the perpetration of genuine and enormous crimes.

The perusal of this volume ended not but with the night. Contrary to my hopes, the next day was stormy and wet: this did not deter me from visiting the mountain; slippery paths and muddy torrents were no obstacles to the purposes which I had adopted. I wrapped myself and a bag of provisions in a cloak of painted canvass, and speeded to the dwelling of Clithero.

I passed through the cave, and reached the bridge which my own ingenuity had formed. At that moment torrents of rain poured from above, and stronger blasts thundered amidst these desolate recesses and profound chasms: instead of lamenting the prevalence of this tempest, I now began to regard it with pleasure: it conferred new forms of sublimity and grandeur on this scene.

As I crept with hands and feet along my imperfect bridge, a sudden gust had nearly whirled me into the frightful abyss below. To preserve myself, I was obliged to loose my hold of my burden, and it fell into the gulf: this incident disconcerted and distressed me. As soon as I had effected my dangerous passage, I screened myself behind a cliff, and gave myself up to reflection.

The purpose of this arduous journey was defeated by the loss of the provisions I had brought: I despaired of winning the attention of the fugitive to supplications, or arguments tending to smother remorse, or revive his fortitude: