LODORE.
BY THE
AUTHOR OF "FRANKENSTEIN."
Men are like politic states, or troubled seas.
Tossed up and down with several storms and tempests,
Change and variety of wrecks and fortunes;
Till, labouring to the havens of our homes,
We struggle for the calm that crowns our ends.
FORD.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET
(SUCCESSOR TO HENRY COLBURN.)
1835.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
LODORE
CHAPTER I
Even sorrow lovely!
BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER.
Mr. Villiers now became the constant visitor of Mrs. Elizabeth and herniece; and all discontent, all sadness, all listlessness, vanished inhis presence. There was in his mind a constant spring of vivacity, whichdid not display itself in mere gaiety, but in being perfectly alive atevery moment, and continually ready to lend himself to the comfort andsolace of his companions. Sitting in their dingy London house, thespirit of dulness had drawn a curtain between them and the sun; andneither thought nor event had penetrated the fortification of silenceand neglect which environed them. Edward Villiers came; and as mistflies before the wind, so did all Ethel's depression disappear when hisvoice only met her ear: his step on the stairs announced happiness; andwhen he was indeed before her, light and day displaced every remnant ofcheerless obscurity.
The abstracted, wounded, yet lofty spirit of Lodore was totally dissimilarto the airy brightness of Villiers' disposition. Lodore had outlived astorm, and shown himself majestic in ruin. No ill had tarnished thenature of Villiers: he enjoyed life, he was in good-humour with theworld, and thought well of mankind. Lodore had endangered his peace fromthe violence of passion, and reaped misery from the pride of his soul.Villiers was imprudent from his belief in the goodness o