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226 I begged him to proceed.

"I have observed," he continued, with a certain degree of pride and happiness, "that you entertain what I believe to be a very high opinion of the people and conditions of life here; but although our longevity is about three times that of the inhabitants of other lands, still the end comes, for we are mortals, and it is the regret at losing those we love that makes such a large portion of our lives, that might otherwise be happy, so full of sadness. My father removed here, with his young family, during the time of the lovers, and when there were very few people. Alas! how well I can now remember the many happy years passed with my sisters, brothers, and youthful playmates along the shores of this then secluded lake. But time rolled on here as elsewhere, and when, in due course, it was arranged that I should seek a home for myself, I left my parents, and settled on the land a long distance away from them. Still, I used to return periodically, and was happy, until one summer the bitter fact cruelly forced itself upon me, that he whom I loved was no more. It seemed as if an eagle had driven his claws deep into my heart, and retained his savage grip with a ferocity that extinguished the least hope of it