btain'd,
A bright, impassion'd cheering glow, express'd
The pleas'd sensation of his tender breast:
But soon dark glooms the feeble smiles o'erspread;
Like morn's gay hues, the fading splendours fled;
Returning anguish froze his feeling soul,
Deep sighs burst forth, and tears began to roll."

He thought of Melissa, from whom he had heard nothing since he last saw
her.--He thought of the difficulties which surrounded him. He thought of
the barriers which were opposed to his happiness and the felicity of
Melissa, and he set out for the house of Vincent.

* * * * *

Alonzo arrived at the residence of Vincent near the close of the day.
Vincent and his lady were at tea with several young ladies who had
passed the afternoon with Mrs. Vincent. Alonzo cast an active glance
around the company, in hopes to find Melissa, but she was not there. He
was invited and accepted a seat at table. After tea Vincent led him into
an adjoining room. "You have come in good time, said he. Something must
speedily be done, or you lose Melissa forever. The day after you were
here, her father received a letter from Beauman, in which, after
mentioning the circumstance of your father's insolvency, he hinted that
the consequence would probably be a failure of her proposed marriage
with you, which might essentially injure the reputation of a lady of her
standing in life; to prevent which, and to place her beyond the reach of
calumny, he offered to marry her at any appointed day, provided he had
her free consent.

"As Beauman, by the recent death of his father, had been put in
possession of a splendid fortune, the proposition allured her father,
who wrote him a complaisant answer, with an invitation to his house.--He
then strove to extort a promise from Melissa, that she would break off
all connexion with you, see you no more, and admit the addresses of
Beauman.

"To this she could not consent. She urged, that by the consent of her
parents she was engaged to you by the most sacred ties. That to her
father's will she had hitherto yielded implicit obedience, but that
hastily to break the most solemn obligation, formed and sanctioned by
his approbation and direction, was what her conscience would not permit
her to do. Were he to command her to live single, life might be endured;
but to give her hand to any except you, would be to perjure those
principles of truth and justice which he himself had ever taught