him, all that happiness which she sought, all that bliss for which
she longed. His repeated promises confirm her hopes: embraces and
endearments, which increase the ardour of her desires, overmaster her
soul. She floats in a dim, delusive anticipation of her happiness; and
her feelings become excited to their utmost tension. She stretches out
her arms finally to embrace the object of all her wishes and her lover
forsakes her. Stunned and bewildered, she stands upon a precipice. All
is darkness around her. No prospect, no hope, no consolation--forsaken
by him in whom her existence was centred! She sees nothing of the wide
world before her, thinks nothing of the many individuals who might
supply the void in her heart; she feels herself deserted, forsaken by
the world; and, blinded and impelled by the agony which wrings her soul,
she plunges into the deep, to end her sufferings in the broad embrace of
death. See here, Albert, the history of thousands; and tell me, is not
this a case of physical infirmity? Nature has no way to escape from the
labyrinth: her powers are exhausted: she can contend no longer, and the
poor soul must die.

"Shame upon him who can look on calmly, and exclaim, 'The foolish girl!
she should have waited; she should have allowed time to wear off the
impression; her despair would have been softened, and she would have
found another lover to comfort her.' One might as well say, 'The fool,
to die of a fever! why did he not wait till his strength was restored,
till his blood became calm? all would then have gone well, and he would
have been alive now.'"

Albert, who could not see the justice of the comparison, offered some
further objections, and, amongst others, urged that I had taken the
case of a mere ignorant girl. But how any man of sense, of more enlarged
views and experience, could be excused, he was unable to comprehend. "My
friend!" I exclaimed, "man is but man; and, whatever be the extent
of his reasoning powers, they are of little avail when passion rages
within, and he feels himself confined by the narrow limits of nature.
It were better, then--but we will talk of this some other time," I said,
and caught up my hat. Alas! my heart was full; and we parted without
conviction on either side. How rarely in this world do men understand
each other!

AUGUST 15.

There can be no doubt that in this world nothing is so indispensable as
love. I observe that Charlotte could not lose me without a pang