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296 tender pity. And this is the dearest privilege of the poet—to soothe the sorrowing, and to excite the languid hour; to renovate exhausted nature, by awakening it with the spiritual and the elevated; and bringing around our common hours shadows from those more divine.

Ethel was, however, interrupted by the appearance of her maid bringing her chocolate, and a message, that a young person below was very anxious to see her. "Show her up immediately," was Miss Churchill's reply, who was, however, a little startled when she found that her visitor was her former attendant, Lavinia Fenton. But her first glance at the young actress was enough: she was pale, thin, and the trace of tears were yet recent on her cheeks. She had been very wrong to leave her mistress as she had done; and to Ethel's quiet and secluded habits her having gone on the stage seemed absolutely awful; but she was obviously suffering; and the only question was, how that suffering could be assisted? Ethel approached her kindly, and made her