s as Miss Temple.
She praised the flower-garden of Armine. He gave her some account of its
principal creator. The character of Glastonbury highly interested Miss
Temple. Love is confidential; it has no fear of ridicule. Ferdinand
entered with freedom and yet with grace into family details, from which,
at another time and to another person, he would have been the first to
shrink. The imagination of Miss Temple was greatly interested by his
simple, and, to her, affecting account of this ancient line living
in their hereditary solitude, with all their noble pride and haughty
poverty. The scene, the circumstances, were all such as please a
maiden's fancy; and he, the natural hero of this singular history,
seemed deficient in none of those heroic qualities which the wildest
spirit of romance might require for the completion of its spell.
Beautiful as his ancestors, and, she was sure, as brave, young,
spirited, graceful, and accomplished, a gay and daring spirit blended
with the mournful melody of his voice, and occasionally contrasted with
the somewhat subdued and chastened character of his demeanour.

'Well, do not despair,' said Henrietta Temple; 'riches did not make Sir
Ferdinand happy. I feel confident the house will yet flourish.'

'I have no confidence,' replied Ferdinand; 'I feel the struggle with our
fate to be fruitless. Once indeed I felt like you; there was a time when
I took even a fancied pride in all the follies of my grandfather. But
that is past; I have lived to execrate his memory.'

'Hush! hush!'

'Yes, to execrate his memory! I repeat, to execrate his memory! His
follies stand between me and my happiness.'

'Indeed, I see not that.'

'May you never! I cannot disguise from myself that I am a slave, and a
wretched one, and that his career has entailed this curse of servitude
upon me. But away with this! You must think me, Miss Temple, the most
egotistical of human beings; and yet, to do myself justice, I never
remember having spoken of myself so much before.'

'Will you walk with me?' said Miss Temple, after a moment's silence;
'you seem little inclined to avail yourself of my father's invitation
to solitary sport. But I cannot stay at home, for I have visits to pay,
although I fear you will consider them rather dull ones.' 'Why so?'

'My visits are to cottages.'

'I love nothing better. I used ever to be my mother's companion on such
occasions.'

So, crossing the lawn, they entered a beautiful w