224
a husband vulgar and jealous.     From this time
I was interested.     I could see she was not happy,
and soon after left alone in  the house, I made her
acquaintance through the medium of such slight cour-
tesies as occasionally carrying her coal-hod upstairs &c
or attentions at the table.                                 Leading a
desultory artist existence, mostly working in my own
room, it would often happen, going in or out that
I saw her sitting alone at work in the parlor, on
such occasions entering into conversation.     I found in
her not any very brilliant wit or abstruse ideas, but
a refreshing artlessness of thought and manner that
increased my interest as they gave indications of an
affectionate nature pure and sensitive.  I loved al-
ready, but could not make up my mind to leave.
For 8 years* I had been free from the tender passion,
and the feeling was too fresh and new to give up
readily.    I trusted to my powers of dissimilation to
keep it secret.    No frail son of Adam was ever worse
confounded than I on discovering that my regard was
seen and returned.     I passed a sleepless night revol-
ving in my mind a thousand plans; to one alone did
duty prompt � departure.     I determined on it, but
delayed till too late.   Our feelings could no more be dis-
guised, we loved passionately and purely.   A dishonest
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     *  This ignores Allom�s little niece, and also the
little girl at the Boston Boarding-House.