r to which his
ambitious projects were exposed, rushed upon his imagination, and
silenced every other consideration, save that of their accomplishment.
Morning came, and still found Don Lope measuring his chamber with an
irregularity of step that well bespoke the disorder of his feelings.
Sometimes he paused and pondered upon an idea which seemed to offer him
security, and then he rejected it as unavailable. Then he muttered half
broken sentences, and then again suddenly composed himself into a
saturnine tranquillity. After this he raved like a madman, and bitterly
cursed the unfortunate Theodora as an insurmountable impediment to his
views; forgetting that it was by the guilty indulgence of his own
unworthy passions that he was now entangled in the intricate
perplexities which surrounded him. The ill-fated victim of his guilt,
fortunately for her short-lived happiness, heard not the ungenerous
reproach. Alas! she was fondly indulging in the supposed kindness of her
lover, and longing to clasp him in her arms; whilst the object of her
endearment was at the same moment ungenerously contriving how to
disengage himself from that embrace.

His present deceit was the natural consequence of the system he had
adopted. To relinquish the brilliant prospects which presented
themselves to his ambition, merely to listen to the voice of justice,
and give redress to the injured, was too great an effort, encompassed as
he was with the thousand conflicting passions that silenced the murmurs
of neglected duty. His aversion to Theodora now acquired additional
strength from the dilemma in which he was involved. He had never for a
moment contemplated breaking his engagements with Leonor; he was
unwilling even to calculate upon a possibility of such an event, for his
honor and pride were both too deeply interested; yet it was of the most
urgent necessity to delay the ceremony, and how to conciliate these
matters was the source of his present uneasiness. What pretext could he
assign plausible enough to justify so extraordinary a resolution?

A thousand plans suggested themselves, all of which he discarded as
unavailable: he was apprehensive that night would surprise him before
any arrangements could be entered into with regard to Theodora; and to
attempt any coercive means of conveying her from the palace of Don
Alonso would be madness. At all events he must avoid any interview with
Theodora whilst his conduct might be subjected to observat