he
has entered on; and should he so far forget himself, I greatly fear he
would plead, when too late to remedy the evil, his worldly duties, his
cares, or even his misfortunes, in vain. Solemn and arduous are his
obligations to labor, but when faithfully he has discharged these duties,
oh! how glorious must be his reward."

Before such opinions every barrier must fall, and the doctor entered into
the cure of his parish without further opposition, though not without
unceasing regret on the part of his friend. Their intercourse was,
however, maintained by letter, and they also frequently met at Lumley
Castle, a seat of the countess's, within two days' ride of the doctor's
parish, until her increasing indisposition rendered journeying impossible;
then, indeed, the doctor extended his rides into Wales, but with longer
intervals between his visits, though with the happiest effects to the
objects of his journey.

Mr. Denbigh, worn down with watching and blasted hopes, under the
direction of the spiritual watchfulness of the rector of B----, became an
humble, sincere, and pious Christian.

Chapter XLV.

It has been already mentioned, that the health of Lady Pendennyss suffered
a severe shock, in giving birth to a daughter. Change of scene was
prescribed as a remedy for her disorder, and Denbigh and his wife were on
their return from a fruitless excursion amongst the northern lakes, in
pursuit of amusement and relief for the latter when they were compelled to
seek shelter from the fury of a sudden gust in the first building that
offered. It was a farm-house of the better sort; and the attendants,
carriages, and appearance of their guests, caused no little confusion to
its simple inmates. A fire was lighted in the best parlor, and every
effort was made by the inhabitants to contribute to the comforts of the
travellers.

The countess and her husband were sitting in that kind of listless
melancholy which had been too much the companion of their later hours,
when in the interval of the storm, a male voice in an adjoining room
commenced singing the following ballad, the notes being low, monotonous,
but unusually sweet, and the enunciation so distinct, as to rende every
syllable intelligible:

Oh! I have lived in endless pain,
And I have lived, alas! in vain,
For none regard my woe--
No father's care conveyed the truth,
No mother's fondness blessed my youth,
Ah! joys too great to know--