第19章

She was by no means sure that Antonio would appear as a coachman-- this was merely a suggestion of her own; and the idea that he might possibly be one of the gazers, covered her with confusion: her blushes drew still more attention and admiration upon her; and we cannot say whatmight have been the result of her fascinations, had not Charles at this instant approached them, and pointing to a sloop they were passing at the time, exclaimed--"See, madam--see, Julia--there is our travelling equipage on board that sloop, going up to meet us in Albany."Our heroine looked as directed, and saw a vessel moving with tolerable rapidity up the river, within a short distance from them.On its deck were a travelling carriage and a pair of horses, and by the latter stood a man who, by the whip in his head, was evidently the driver.His stature was tall and athletic; his complexion dark to near blackness; his face was buried in whiskers; and his employer had spoken the truth when he said he had as good an eye as any men in America--it was large, black, and might be piercing.But then he had but one--at least the place where the other ought to be, was covered by an enormous patch of green silk.This then was Antonio.It is true, he did not resemble Apollo, but his disguise altered him so that it was difficult to determine.As they Moved slowly by the vessel, the driver recognised Charles, having had an interview with him the day before, and saluted him with a low bow--his salutation was noticed by the young man, who slightly touched his hat, and gave him a familiar nod in return--Julia, unconsciously, bent her body, and felt her cheeks glow with confusion as she rose again.She could not muster resolution to raise her eyes towards the sloop, but by a kind of instinctive coquetry dragged her companion to the other side of the boat.As soon as she was able to recover her composure, Julia revolved in her mind the scene which had just occurred.She had seen Antonio--every thing about him equalled her expectations--even at the distance, she had easily discerned the noble dignity of his manners--his eye gave assurance of his conscious worth--his very attitude was that of a gentleman.Not to know him for a man of birth, of education and of fortune, Julia felt to her would be impossible; and she trembled lest others, as discerning as herself, should discover his disguise, and she in consequence be covered with confusion.She earnestly hoped his incog.would ever remain unknown, for her delicacy shrunk at the publicity and notoriety which would then attend his attachment.It was certainly delightful to be loved, and so loved--to be attended, and soattended; but the heart of Julia was too unpractised to relish the laugh and observations of a malignant world."No, my Antonio," she breathed internally, "hover around me, shield me from impending dangers, delight me with your presence, and enchant me with your eye; but claim me in the guise of a gentleman and a hero, that no envious tongue may probe the secrets of our love, nor any profane scoffer ridicule those sensitive pleasures that he is too unsentimental to enjoy." With these, and similar thoughts, did Julia occupy herself, until Charles pointed out to her the majestic entrance to the Highlands.Our heroine, who was truly alive to all the charms of nature, gazed with rapture as the boat plunged between the mountains on either hand, and turned a wistful gaze down the river, in the vain hope that Antonio might, at the same moment, be enjoying the scene--but the sluggish sloop was now far behind, and the eye of Antonio, bright as it was, could not pierce the distance.Julia felt rather relieved than otherwise, when the vessel which contained her hero was hid from view by a mountain that they doubled.Her feelings were much like those of a girl who had long anxiously waited the declaration of a favourite youth, had received it, and acknowledged her own partiality.She felt all the assurance of her conquest, and would gladly, for a time, avoid the shame of her own acknowledgment.The passage up the Hudson furnishes in itself so much to charm the eye of a novice, that none but one under the extraordinary circumstances of our heroine, could have beheld the beauties of the river unmoved.If Julia did not experience quite as much rapture in the journey as she had anticipated, she attributed it to the remarkably delicate situation she was in with her lover, and possibly to a dread of his being detected.An officer of his rank and reputation must be well known, thought she, and he may meet with acquaintances every where.However, by the attention of Charles, she passed the day with a very tolerable proportion of pleasure.Their arrival at Albany was undistinguished by any remarkable event, though Julia looked in vain through the darkness of the night, in quest of the fertile meadows and desert islands which Anna had mentioned in her letter.Even the river seemed straight and uninteresting.But Julia was tired--it was night--and Antonio was absent.

The following morning Miss Emmerson and her niece, attended byCharles, took a walk to examine the beauties of Albany.It did not strike our heroine as being so picturesque as it had her friend; still it had novelty, and that lent it many charms it might have wanted on a more intimate acquaintance.Their forenoon, however, exhausted the beauties of this charming town, and they had returned to the inn, and the ladies were sitting in rather a listless state when Charles entered the room with a look of pleasure, and cried "he is here.""Who!" exclaimed Julia, starting, and trembling like an aspen."He!--Tony," said Charles, in reply.