rpassingly graceful. She had some coquetry, and more caprice,
liking and disliking almost in the same moment, and had not been three
days in the abbey before she threw out all the lures of her beauty and
accomplishments to make a prize of her cousin Scythrop's heart.

Scythrop's romantic dreams had given him many pure anticipated
cognitions of combinations of beauty and intelligence, which, he had
some misgivings, were not realised by Marionetta, but he soon became
distractedly in love, which, when the lady perceived, she altered her
tactics and assumed coldness and reserve. Scythrop was confounded, but,
instead of falling at her feet begging explanation, he retreated to his
tower, seated himself in the president's chair of his imaginary
tribunal, summoned Marionetta with terrible formalities, frightened her
out of her wits, disclosed himself, and clasped the beautiful penitent
to his bosom.

While he was acting this reverie, his study door opened, and the real
Marionetta appeared.

"For heaven's sake, Scythrop," said she, "what is the matter?"

"For heaven's sake, indeed!" said Scythrop, "for your sake, Marionetta,
and you are my heaven! Distraction is the matter. I adore you, and your
cruelty drives me mad!" He threw himself at her feet, and breathed a
thousand vows in the most passionate language of romance.

With a very arch look, she said: "I prithee, deliver thyself like a man
of the world." The levity of this quotation jarred so discordantly on
the romantic inamorato that he sprang to his feet, and beat his forehead
with his clenched fist. The young lady was terrified, and, taking his
hand in hers, said in her tenderest tone: "What would you have,
Scythrop?"

Scythrop was in heaven again.

"What but you, Marionetta! You, for the companion of my studies, the
auxiliary of my great designs for mankind."

"I am afraid I should be but a poor auxiliary, Scythrop. What would you
have me do?"

"Do as Rosalia does with Carlos, Marionetta. Let us each open a vein in
the other's arm, mix our blood in a bowl, and drink it as a sacrament of
love; then we shall see visions of transcendental illumination."

Marionetta disengaged herself suddenly, and fled with precipitation.
Scythrop pursued her, crying, "Stop, stop Marionetta--my life, my love!"
and was gaining rapidly on her flight, when he came into sudden and
violent contact with Mr. Toobad, and they both plunged together to the
foot of the stairs, which gave th