o value. They have pursued
me across the sea, and, besides, I have obtained my dearest treasure."

The astonished Eveline hid her face in the bosom of her husband, while
tears of happiness fell fast. Bewildered, amazed at the discovery of
the rank of her lover, she knew not what to say; but amid all her
confusion, prevailed triumphantly a sense of sparkling joy, of full
contentment, and of radiant hope.

"Why should I conceal from you, noble Winthrop, from you, my valued
friend, Sir Christopher, or from any of you, my other friends, with
whom I would leave no unsatisfactory remembrance of myself, the little
romance that brought me among you," continued the Earl. "Know, that a
second son of the deceased Earl of Cliffmere, I wooed, in the
character of an humble painter, the sweet daughter of Edmund Dunning.
He aspired higher than to unite the destinies of his only child with
those of an unknown artist, and looked coldly on my suit. He left
England with her, and I, unable to endure the pangs of separation,
desired to follow. My mother knew of my attachment from the beginning,
and to my entreaties yielded her acquiescence to my desires, for she
loved me greatly, and had informed herself of the worth of her to whom
I had given my heart, but required me to wait for the permission of my
father (absent at the time on the continent) before I followed Eveline
to this new world. That permission I received, and straightway
departed. Still I continued to conceal my true name and station from
even Eveline herself, for a reason, perhaps, more romantic than
rational; for, with selfish jealousy, I chose to be loved for my own
sake, nor did I mean my secret should be revealed until I had
presented my wife to my parents,--but the curtain has been
unexpectedly lifted, and ye know all."

"I congratulate you, my lord," said Winthrop, "and will venture to do
so also in the name of all present, upon the auspicious termination of
your fortunes among us, and only lament that so little time is left us
to express our respect. When returned to our dear mother England, from
whose bosom we are self-banished, yet whom, with filial reverence, we
love, we trust that you will not forget your brethren in the
wilderness. It is upon the far-seeing judgment of those in high
places, as well as upon the zeal of the people, [all under God,] that
we rely to assist us in extending the material and earthly power of
our country, as well as in spreading the doctr