ng
himself within her extended arms, and burst into tears.

Mr. Hamilton hastened towards them. "Our beloved Herbert is happy," he
said, solemnly, as he wrung his nephew's hands. "Let us not mourn for
him now, Edward, but rather rejoice, as were he amongst us he would do,
gratefully rejoice that the same gracious hand which removed him in love
to a brighter world was stretched over you in your hour of peril, and
preserved you to those who so dearly love you. You, too, we might for a
time have lost, my beloved Edward. Shall we not rejoice that you are
spared us? Emmeline, my own Emmeline, think on the blessings still
surrounding us."

His impressive words had their effect on both his agitated auditors.
Edward gently withdrew himself from the detaining arms of his aunt; he
pressed a long, lingering kiss upon her cheek, and hastily conquering
his emotion, clasped Sir George Wilmot's extended hand, after a few
minutes' silence, greeted all his cousins with his accustomed warmth,
and spoke as usual.

There had been one unseen, unthought-of spectator of this little scene;
all had been too much startled and affected at Edward's unexpected burst
of sorrow, to think of the stranger who had entered the room with him;
but that stranger had looked around him, more particularly on Mrs.
Hamilton, with feelings of intensity utterly depriving him of either
speech or motion. Years had passed lightly over Mrs. Hamilton's head;
she had borne trials, cares, and sorrows, as all her fellow-creatures,
but her burden had ever been cast upon Him who had promised to sustain
her, and therefore on her it had not weighed so heavily; and years had
neither bent that graceful figure, nor robbed her features of their
bloom. Hers had never been extraordinary beauty, it had been the
expression only, which was ever the charm in her, an expression of
purity of thought and deed, of gentle unassuming piety. Time cannot
triumph over that beauty which is reflected from the soul; and Mordaunt
gazed on her till he could scarcely restrain himself from rushing
forward, and clasping her to his bosom, proclaim aloud who and what he
was; but he did command himself, though his limbs trembled under him,
and he was thankful that as yet he was unobserved. He looked on the
blooming family around him--they were children, and yet to them he was
as the dead; and now would she indeed remember him? Edward suddenly
recalled the presence of his friend, and springing towards h