ure. Often
would her tresses falling, as she flitted around, exhibit in the sun's
ray such delicately brilliant and swiftly fading hues, its might well
excuse the forgetfulness of the antiquary, who let escape from his
mind the very object he had before thought of vital importance to the
proper interpretation of a passage in Pausanias. But why attempt to
describe charms which all feel, but none can appreciate?--It was
innocence, youth, and beauty, unaffected by crowded drawing-rooms and
stifling balls. Whilst he drew those remains of which lie wished to
preserve a memorial for his future hours, she would stand by, and
watch the magic effects of his pencil, in tracing the scenes of her
native place; she would then describe to him the circling dance upon
the open plain, would paint, to him in all the glowing colours of
youthful memory, the marriage pomp she remembered viewing in her
infancy; and then, turning to subjects that had evidently made a
greater impression upon her mind, would tell him all the supernatural
tales of her nurse. Her earnestness and apparent belief of what she
narrated, excited the interest even of Aubrey; and often as she told
him the tale of the living vampyre, who had passed years amidst his
friends, and dearest ties, forced every year, by feeding upon the life
of a lovely female to prolong his existence for the ensuing months,
his blood would run cold, whilst he attempted to laugh her out of such
idle and horrible fantasies; but Ianthe cited to him the names of old
men, who had at last detected one living among themselves, after
several of their near relatives and children had been found marked
with the stamp of the fiend's appetite; and when she found him so
incredulous, she begged of him to believe her, for it had been,
remarked, that those who had dared to question their existence, always
had some proof given, which obliged them, with grief and
heartbreaking, to confess it was true. She detailed to him the
traditional appearance of these monsters, and his horror was
increased, by hearing a pretty accurate description of Lord Ruthven;
he, however, still persisted in persuading her, that there could be no
truth in her fears, though at the same time he wondered at the many
coincidences which had all tended to excite a belief in the
supernatural power of Lord Ruthven.

Aubrey began to attach himself more and more to Ianthe; her innocence,
so contrasted with all the affected virtues of the women a