The Devil's Elixir

then, courteous reader, who shalt, after the lapse of years, turn over these papers, recall, I beseech you, to recollection that noontide interval of dazzli

ms, the waving trees, and the balmy winds of evening, spoke to thee, in articulate and intelligible accents, of her, and of the prevailing passion which po

ealms to receive you-as if thou could'st raise thyself with her above all the petty sorrows or enjoyments of this every-day and earthly sphere. Yet scarcely hadst thou formed such hopes ere she was lost!

rate, in the stillness of night, through the gloomy aisles of the convent!-But thou, too, in spirit to me related, doubtless wilt concur in my belief, that it is not till after death, that the mysterious gifts and enjoyments of this passion can be obtained and fulfilled! Thi

emotions on meeting Aurelia, that evening, in the palace, no words could, however skilfully laboured, convey any adequate impression

, by whom she was surrounded-to crush, like webs of gossamer, those despicable barriers, and snatch her to my arms, in all the wild frenzy of undisguised passion! Methought I could have exclaimed a

des, the eyes of all were directed to Aurelia; and thus, in a circle of people, who to my concerns were perfectly indifferent, I contrived to move

dressed myself, when thou for the first time beholdest the empress of thy heart-who had before worn a simple garb, now attired with splendour and gleaming, the cynosure of a brilliant party-did not a new and nameless rapture vibrate through every nerve and vein? She would appear to you indeed so strange! but this, joined

within me, and lifted up his internal voice, to which I now bent a willing ear-"Seest thou not now, Medardus," it began, "how thou triumph'st over all the co

insignificance. A kind of inspiration now seemed to take possession of the most insipid and common-place characters. Even the old courtiers gave up

n the Prince assembled the elder courtiers about himself, and many a handsome youth timidly and resp

ery tone, sentiment, and voice of the person whom he addressed, so that the deceived listener seemed to hear a miraculous anticipation of her own thoughts-a chord struck in perfect unison. I now stood not far from Aurelia, who appeared to take no notice of me. Many times I was on the point of goi

ery, I laughed aloud-"Ha, ha, ha!-Thou revenant!-Thou cursed libertine!" cried I, "has thy bed then, in the d

up as from a dream, when the old Court-Marshal, taking my arm, gently inquired, "Wha

was no longer near to me, but did not venture to look up to see what had become of her. Instinctively, I resolved to make my escape, and ran with my utmost speed through the illuminated apartments. Doubtless, my appearance was i

y own reveries, I ran through the fields and woods, thinking of her, and beholding her alone. My conviction always became more certain that some mysterious destiny bound up her

Besides, this appeared to me very improbable; and, meanwhile, the attentions of those fluttering youths who laboured to win for themse

eir motley coats bedaubed with lace, and hung with orders? What are they more than gaudy imper

s, and that this proud and haughty Princess should be forced even to sanction the marriage, and prepare the bridal festival for that conquering and triumphant monk, whom she now so much

. Thus I was one morning gliding through the park, considering whether it would be prudent for me to attend another e

ience.-"Nay," said he, "there is a sort of madness going about here, that seizes all at once upon honest Christian people, and makes them utter tremendous noises, though some will have it that the said noises are nothin

The physician, however, had kept hold of my arm, and now taking out his watch, counted my pulse with

hysterics; and the President of the Consistorial Court has been obliged to put off hearing the weightiest causes, because it was your pleasure to tramp with all your might upon his gouty toes; so that, now confined to his arm-chai

ughed in that sudden manner, but that my conduct surely could not have been attended by suc

that none but the devil could have laughed in such a style.-But what is worst of all, our beautiful Aurelia was seized with such excessive terror, that all the efforts of the family to quiet her were in vain,-and she was soon obliged to retire, to the utter despair of the company. At the moment too, when you, Mr Leonard, so charmingly laughe

Aurelia surrounded by that tribe of conceited young gentry, a very bitter remembrance from my early life was called up in my mind; and that, seized with a kind of angry scorn at the behaviour of such empty-brained coxcombs, I forgot in whose presence I was, and laughed aloud in a manner that would

to strange attacks and varieties of mind, which we might yet easi

Mildly and seriously he said-"Mr Leonard, you appear to me to be really and truly sick: your looks are pale and disordered-your eyes are sun

with you?-Nay, nay, instead of poison, rather the tranquillizing and sedative remedy of pleasant soci

angry, "not to torment me in that manner by

which a few minutes' explanation will dissolve into nothing. Yonder, as I said, comes the Princess with Aurelia.-Do you make use of this accidental rencontre. Offer your own excuses for your behaviour. Properly, indeed

scourse of the physician, I felt that it was my duty on the instant to defend my character. Resolutely, therefore, I went forward to meet them; but no sooner had Aurelia fixed her eyes upon me than she became deadly pale, and to my