d continued them with a happiness which never
once suffered even a momentary decrease.

Of all the pleasures which a man finds in the society of a woman whom he
loves, are there any superior, are there many equal, to the pleasure
of reading out of the same book with her? On what other occasion do the
sweet familiarities of the sweetest of all companionships last so long
without cloying, and pass and re-pass so naturally, so delicately, so
inexhaustibly between you and her? When is your face so constantly close
to hers as it is then?--when can your hair mingle with hers, your cheek
touch hers, your eyes meet hers, so often as they can then? That is, of
all times, the only time when you can breathe with her breath for hours
together; feel every little warming of the colour on her cheek marking
its own changes on the temperature of yours; follow every slight
fluttering of her bosom, every faint gradation of her sighs, as if
_her_ heart was beating, _her_ life glowing, within yours. Surely it is
then--if ever--that we realize, almost revive, in ourselves, the love
of the first two of our race, when angels walked with them on the same
garden paths, and their hearts were pure from the pollution of the fatal
tree!

Evening after evening passed away--one more happily than another--in
what Margaret and I called our lessons. Never were lessons of literature
so like lessons of love We read oftenest the lighter Italian poets--we
studied the poetry of love, written in the language of love. But, as for
the steady, utilitarian purpose I had proposed to myself of practically
improving Margaret's intellect, that was a purpose which insensibly and
deceitfully abandoned me as completely as if it had never existed. The
little serious teaching I tried with her at first, led to very poor
results. Perhaps, the lover interfered too much with the tutor; perhaps,
I had over-estimated the fertility of the faculties I designed to
cultivate--but I cared not, and thought not to inquire where the fault
lay, then. I gave myself up unreservedly to the exquisite sensations
which the mere act of looking on the same page with Margaret procured
for me; and neither detected, nor wished to detect, that it was I
who read the difficult passages, and left only a few even of the very
easiest to be attempted by her.

Happily for my patience under the trial imposed on me by the terms on
which Mr. Sherwin's restrictions, and my promise to obey them, obliged
me t