ur veil immediately. Obey me this moment
Antonia, for you know that I cannot bear contradiction--'

Her niece was silent, but made no further opposition to Don Lorenzo's
efforts, who, armed with the Aunt's sanction hastened to remove the
Gauze. What a Seraph's head presented itself to his admiration! Yet
it was rather bewitching than beautiful; It was not so lovely from
regularity of features as from sweetness and sensibility of
Countenance. The several parts of her face considered separately, many
of them were far from handsome; but when examined together, the whole
was adorable. Her skin though fair was not entirely without freckles;
Her eyes were not very large, nor their lashes particularly long. But
then her lips were of the most rosy freshness; Her fair and undulating
hair, confined by a simple ribband, poured itself below her waist in a
profusion of ringlets; Her throat was full and beautiful in the
extreme; Her hand and arm were formed with the most perfect symmetry;
Her mild blue eyes seemed an heaven of sweetness, and the crystal in
which they moved sparkled with all the brilliance of Diamonds: She
appeared to be scarcely fifteen; An arch smile, playing round her
mouth, declared her to be possessed of liveliness, which excess of
timidity at present represt; She looked round her with a bashful
glance; and whenever her eyes accidentally met Lorenzo's, She dropt
them hastily upon her Rosary; Her cheek was immediately suffused with
blushes, and She began to tell her beads; though her manner evidently
showed that She knew not what She was about.

Lorenzo gazed upon her with mingled surprise and admiration; but the
Aunt thought it necessary to apologize for Antonia's mauvaise honte.

''Tis a young Creature,' said She, 'who is totally ignorant of the
world. She has been brought up in an old Castle in Murcia; with no
other Society than her Mother's, who, God help her! has no more sense,
good Soul, than is necessary to carry her Soup to her mouth. Yet She is
my own Sister, both by Father and Mother.'

'And has so little sense?' said Don Christoval with feigned
astonishment; 'How very Extraordinary!'

'Very true, Segnor; Is it not strange? However, such is the fact; and
yet only to see the luck of some people! A young Nobleman, of the very
first quality, took it into his head that Elvira had some pretensions
to Beauty--As to pretensions, in truth, She had always enough of THEM;
But as to Beauty....! If I