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420“
TH1‘ AFFECTING
STORY OF ELVIRA.
The father of Elvira was the
youngest son of a country gentleman,
who possessed an estate of about five
hundred ayear; but as this was to
be the inhcritanize of the elder bro-
ther, and as there were three sisters
tube provided for, he was, about
. sixteen, taken from Eton school, and
apprenticed to a considerable mer-
chant at Bristol. The young gen-
tleman, whose irragination had been
fired by the exploits of heroes, the
victories gained by magnanirnous
presumption, and the wonders disco-
vered by daring curiosity, 'was not
disposed to consider the acquisition
of wealth aslthe limit of his ambition,
or the repute of honest industry as
the total of his fame. ‘He regarded
his situation as servile and ignomini-
ous, as the degradation of his genius,
and the preclusion of his hopes; and
longing to go in search of adventures,
‘he. neglected his business as unwor-
thy of his attention, heard the re-
inonstrances of hismaster with a
kind of sullen disdain,'2nd after two
wins legal slavery, made his escape,
and at the next town enlisted him-
selt as a soldier; not doubting but
that, by his military merit and the
fortune of war, he should return 11
general oflicer, to the-confusion. of
those uho would have buried him in
the obscurity of a compting-house.
He ‘found means effectually to elude
the Inquiries of his friends, as it was
of the utmost importance to prevent
‘ha’ 0f5Ci0U$ endeavours to ruin his
Project and obstruct his advance-
ment. . ‘ ; .
He was sent with other recruits to
Lfmdolla and soon after quartered
with the rest of his company in a
pan of tthe'country, which was so
remote from all with whom he had
(headed a discovery. thug?
wALm:n’s tunxzmtum tsntoaznuz,
......-r-4
It happened that he went-one 53)’
to. the house of a neighbouring 3"’
tlcman with his comrade, who :35
become acquainted tynh the chalil 6:1‘
maid, and by her interest adznntc
into the l;itchen.- Tlf'5 $e“tle‘mn’
whose age‘ was something more Im‘
sixty’ had been about two years Irlnan .
ried to at second wife, 8 YUWK W” and
who had been W6" “‘l””“miidud
lived in the polite “'01”! b”l'Vha 1.3
fortune. By his Iirst wife, who 1:3
been dead about ten Years’ -: W3,‘
several children ; the’ )"’”“F::d he,
a daughter, who had Just en ,.
scvcntecth yea!’ 5' 5]“-' was ‘E23503,
for her age: had 3 5“ iiiniiui ; ‘
good features, and W35 ‘tlf; do“ for
but her father, .Wll05‘v' v“.‘ch asdm
her was mere instinct: 35 mac rl - neg’
of a brute fgr its.y0U!1;',Est“3::siZnp05,
lectctl here ucattorh . ,- our
sible for him, he said, to live 3“)
her; and as he could ttot.=IneSsan
luve her attended bl’ 3 30?; remo
Proper masters ll) 21 P13“ ugered
from London, she was 9 ,0lishe
continue illetcrate and “flit Ii‘,
she knew no cxttcrtaititflilll, the ”sc,,,
than a game at l’01“P5 “ll congdguty
vauts ; she became tltcli‘ “Or i
and trusted them In return’ where
she think herself h3PPY' any
but in the kitche:n-
As the capricious
father had never canal.
to
di
.fection, she perceived :6‘. S11‘
‘his marriage .w1Ih.0“t .g
I
suffered no new rcStF3lil,?ttrE(:n
mother, who 0b53""‘?d” been us?‘
satisfaction, tl131.M‘55.h.d rs
to hide herself from “5-ngeyiase .
ther knowing how 10 and chose
rather to conceal hcr '5 ’ than to
cluding her fmm c"ml?wi'icr to 3v‘
supply them by Plmmg . ‘
boarding-school.
. Miss, who had bee I
that she expected her swcc r
that‘ they were 10‘ 13.“ mcr Ygcrupltp
down stail‘5: and: “'"h"ut,any mall‘ ,
. B at
n to1dhbc3art,:gd
10
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