motion of which, and
the planting of its wonderful flowers, and glorious fruit-bearing trees,
Petrea's heart had first had a foretaste of bliss.

Petrea's appearance imaged her soul;--for this too was very variable;
this too had its "raptures;" and here too at times also a glimmering
light would break through the chaos. If the complexion were muddled, and
the nose red and swollen, she had a most ordinary appearance; but in
cooler moments, and when the rose-hue confined itself merely to the
cheeks, she was extremely good-looking; and sometimes too, and that even
in her ugly moments, there would be a gleam in her eye, and an
expression in her countenance, which had occasioned Henrik to declare
that "Petrea was after all handsome!"

To a chaotic mind, the desire for controversy is in-born; it is the
conflict of the elements with each other. There was no subject upon
which Petrea had not her conjectures, and nothing upon which she was not
endeavouring to get a clear idea; on this account she discussed all
things, and disputed with every one with whom she came in contact;
reasoned, or more properly made confusion, on politics, literature,
human free-will, the fine arts, or anything else; all which was very
unpleasant to the tranquil spirit of her mother, and which, in connexion
with want of tact, especially in her zeal to be useful, made poor Petrea
the laughing-stock of every one; a bitter punishment this, on earth,
although before the final judgment-seat of very little, or of no
consequence at all.

LEONORE.

Spite of the mother's embraces, and the appellation, "thou beloved,
plain child!" the knowledge by degrees had come painfully to Leonore
that she was ugly, and that she was possessed of no charm--of no fine
endowment whatever; she could not help observing what little means she
had of giving pleasure to others, or of exciting interest; she saw very
plainly how she was set behind her more gifted sisters by the
acquaintance and friends of the family; this, together with feeble
health, and the discomfort which her own existence occasioned to her,
put her in a discordant state with life and mankind. She was prone to
think everything troublesome and difficult; she fell easily into a state
of opposition to her sisters, and her naturally quick temper led her
often into contentions which were not without their bitterness. All this
made poor Leonore feel herself very unhappy.

But none, no! none, suffer in vain, howeve