our, and finally
gained the town in which we were quartered.

"During dinner, as on our way home, although my voice occasionally
mixed with the voices of my companions, my heart was far away, and full
of the wild but innocent happiness in which it had luxuriated. At
length, the more freely to indulge in the recollection, I stole at an
early hour from the mess-room, and repaired to my own apartments. In
the course of the morning, I had hastily sketched an outline of your
mother's features in pencil, with a view to assist me in the design of
a miniature I purposed painting from memory. This was an amusement of
which I was extremely and in which I had attained considerable
excellence; being enabled, from memory alone, to give a most correct
representation of any object that particularly fixed my attention. She
had declared utter ignorance of the art herself, her father having
studiously avoided instructing her in it from some unexplained motive;
yet as she expressed the most unbounded admiration of those who
possessed it, it was my intention to surprise her with a highly
finished likeness of herself at my next visit. With this view I now set
to work; and made such progress, that before I retired to rest I had
completed all but the finishing touches, to which I purposed devoting a
leisure hour or two by daylight on the morrow.

"While occupied the second day in its completion, it occurred to me I
was in orders for duty on the following, which was that of my promised
visit to the oasis; and I despatched my servant with my compliments to
your father, and a request that he would be so obliging as to take my
guard for me on the morrow, and I would perform his duty when next his
name appeared on the roster. Some time afterwards I heard the door of
the room in which I sat open, and some one enter. Presuming it to be my
servant, returned from the execution of the message with which he had
just been charged, I paid no attention to the circumstance; but
finding, presently, he did not speak, I turned round with a view of
demanding what answer he had brought. To my surprise, however, I beheld
not my servant, but your father. He was standing looking over my
shoulder at the work on which I was engaged; and notwithstanding in the
instant he resumed the cold, quiet, smirking look that usually
distinguished him, I thought I could trace the evidence of some deep
emotion which my action had suddenly dispelled. He apologised for his
intrusi