Page:Gothic Stories.djvu/51

 to his country, crowned with victory and fair renown; and inherited the rich domains of his ancetors.

Adela was in the prime of beauty, and poeed a uceptible heart. In her air and apect, dignity was mingled with weetnes: for in the dipoition of her mind, concious elevation of entiment was oftened by amiable and mild affections.

Edwin, a gallant youth, animated with the generous love of arms, mit with the renown of Albert’s Prowes, and ambitious of profiting by the narrative of his exploits, repaired with other warriors to his hopitable catle. His eye, keen and piercing, indicated a fiery, vigorous, and active pirit. His form was well fitted to kindle deire in the boom of tender maids: and the heart of Adela was not inenible to his merit. Their paion was mutual. He gazed on her unaffected charms with atonihment; for, till then, he had never felt the tender anxiety, the retles longing and languihment of love. Ambition had been the governing paion of his oul: but the fiercenes of ambition now yielded to a foter though no les ardent deire. He no longer dicoured in keen rapture of marhalled hots, of lited fields, and feats of venturous daring; but languihed on the ineffable attractions of a roeate complexion, and a tender melting eye. The vehement impatience of the warrior was lot in the complacency and penivenes of the lover.

Albert, perceiving this change in his deportment, demanded the caue. Edwin replied in candid and repectful guie: he told him, without reerve, of the impreion made on his oul by the peerles beauty of Adela; and, with the ardency of youthful paion, beought him to ratify his incere attachment by wedlock. “And who art thou,” aid the haughty baron, “who pretends to the love of Adela? What feats of heroic prowes hat thou atchieved? Or is thy ancetry ditinguihed among the chieftains of the outh? Thy hield is incribed with no valorous atchievement: nor are thy deeds, nor the deeds of thy fathers, reheared by