fulness of his heart, he came home half intoxicated, and told my dear mother all Henry Rutledge had said and done. Henry wished to spare her the cruel shock and alarm; he was vexed to find, when he came to see us late in the evening, that my father had so needlessly disquieted the feeble invalid; and in a few days he saw that the generous aid he gave to the London concern would be frustrated by my father's extravagance; or, rather, by the profusion of a young woman, who lived in a superb style at his expense.

ceased to write. I shall ever lament that pride of heart. But, dearest So- . phia, bring your sad recital to a conclusion. I burn with impatience to hear it."

"My beloved mother expired with your name on her pale lips. I once believed it impossible to survive her; but I lived, and lived to increasing wretchedness. She was not five weeks in the peaceful grave, when our infatuated father gave her rights to the woman whose artifices embittered her dying moments. Soon after this degrading marriage, he was arrested for the debts of his new wife to a large amount. All his creditors were alarmed; claims poured upon the mercantile house; insolvency could be no longer retarded. Yet, ruined as he was by my father's imprudence, Henry did not, forsake me. He renewed his offers of marriage, was rejected, and forbidden the house. Oh! how gladly would I have left that scene of vicious merriment for servitude in a reputable family! But I had no relation, nor even a female friend, to take pity upon me. My poor fa

"As soon as decency permitted a mourner for his father to speak of marriage, Henry made proposals to me, and obtained my mother's consent to our union. My father half agreed; but my dear mother's rival had never forgiven Henry for refusing to defraud the creditors, and she persuaded my father to say I was too young, to take the cares of the world upon my head. My mother besought him to consider the state of his affairs, and that as Henry was willing to take me portionless, he should thankfully close with the noble-mind-ther was seldom sober, and no woed offer. Her pleadings were of no avail, and she was soon unable to speak, nor could I think of any thing but her complicated ailments and my father's negligence in the last stage of her sufferings. Henry was her consoler, and but for him I must have sunk under a load of anxiety and affliction. Years had elapsed since we "One only resource was left. Rutheard of or from you, my dear bro-ledge was acquainted with an officer ther. I am certain your letters and ours were intercepted."

man of character could visit his wife. Our house was advertised for sale; we removed to a lodging, which became the haunt of sharpers and profligate characters: yet the law still subjected me to a father's authority, and without his consent no marriage was valid.

going to India with recruits for his regiment. He made that gentleman the confidant of our perplexity, and was advised to enlist, as a line from the officer commanding the party would obtain marriage for him. I

L

contrived to escape from the abode of infamy, and gave my vows where my fondest affections and esteem were long fixed. The officer with whom Rutledge enlisted pledged his honour to give him his discharge, taking a substitute in his place. He was killed in a duel the day after our marriage. The officer who succeeded to the command of the party was a frequent visitor of my father's wife, and by her was influenced to disregard every application in behalf of my husband. We were obliged to embark for India; and though as a soldier's wife I have known some hardship, I was happier with my dear Henry in that lowly sphere, than I could have been in ease and affluence with a step-mother excluded from virtuous society. I have experienced the truth of Henry's remark when he proposed the only alternative for our union-that misfortune may reduce and depress, but it is misconduct only that can degrade an individual."

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Captain Maynard did not interrupt his sister's simple but affecting story, though his expressive features shewed how profoundly he sympathized in each event; and at the conclusion he said to Mr. Rutledge, "How can I express my thanks for all you have done for our family! I believe you are the first gentleman of high character and elegant acquirements who, in the generous excess of passionate tenderness, made a double sacrifice of liberty, by enlisting as a soldier and submitting to the matrimonial yoke. Your own merit has restored you to the rank you are eminently fitted to adorn, and I must gild the hymeneal fetters for you with some of my late uncle's pagodas."

In a few days, Captain Maynard presented his sister with bills for twenty thousand pounds, which he considered but small atonement for his epistolary deficiencies.

B. G.

Mr. EDITOR,

HISTORY OF A COQUETTE.

childhood, that such was actually the case. When other girls were making clothes for their dolls, I was employed in adjusting mine so as to

If I was summoned to the drawingroom, I always put my maid out of temper by the time I took to arrange my ringlets; and I never went out

WITH all that has appeared in your Repository for and against old maids, it seems to me that your correspondents have completely over-ape the appearance of womanhood. looked one class, and that not the least prominent, of our venerable body; I mean coquettes. I must suppose therefore either that they were ignorant of this class, or have forgot-without tying and untying my bonnet ten to mention it; though I seriously twenty times at least before I could believe, that if all superannuated vir- hit upon the most becoming way of gins were as candid as I am about placing it. to be, you would find that our class would out-muster most of the others.

I was born a coquette, Mr. Editor; at least I have every reason to believe, from all that I can recollect of my

As I grew up, the love of admiration became every day stronger, and before I was fifteen, I already in idea soared above the homage of the ordinary part of mankind. In fact, the

hearts of common-place men of fa- || tercourse should not end there. I affected to be quite enamoured of classic lore; and as it really was his passion, he readily believed I was smitten with it. When once I had succeeded in drawing his attention, the rest became easy. Luckily my personal attractions were to his taste: my face was Grecian, I had something of the Roman dignity in my figure and air, and my hair was of the true classical colour. I arranged

threw over it a veil of the identical form of that in which Helen conquered Paris, discarded the stiff stays that were then in fashion, and suffered my gown to fall in the graceful folds of an antique drapery. The bait took, my scholar surrendered at discretion, and I enjoyed the triumph of holding a man in my chains whose heart had been pronounced invulnerable by the whole town.

shion seemed to me to be scarcely worth breaking, and I sighed for the opportunity of throwing my chains round those unbending spirits who are generally considered proof to all the artillery of Cupid. How have I exulted in the thought of seeing the astronomer consult my eyes instead of the stars;-the mathematician leave the solution of his darling problem, to solve that more difficult problem, my character; the anti-it after an approved antique model, quary prefer gazing on me, to deciphering illegible manuscripts;-and the poet abandon the Muses, to draw inspiration from my smiles! In these delicious visions of future triumphs the time stole on, till at seventeen I made my debut on the great stage of the world with an éclût which promised to fulfil my most sanguine expectations. Wherever I went I was flattered, followed, and adored; youth and age, the commoner and the peer, the man of wit and the beau, alike did homage to my charms: but I have already told you, easy conquests were not to my taste, and I looked around for some time in vain in search of nobler game. At last I fixed on Mr. Classic, a young student, who had recently quitted Cambridge, and who publicly boasted of his intention to have no other mistress than Learn-hounds or the fiddle. In order to ing. Nothing daunted by this de- obviate the last part of the charge, claration, I laid siege to his heart in I refused in his hearing to dance a form. I commenced my attack by minuet, protesting that I could not begging an explanation of a difficult bear such still-life doings, and had passage in Theocritus; and I took care no taste for any thing but Scotch to listen to this explanation, which reels or country-dances. This dehe very readily gave, with an air of claration had the effect I foresaw: the utmost deference and attention. he asked me to dance reels, and when I saw that the awe which he flattered he found that I pretty nearly tired himself he had inspired pleased his him out, he began to hold me in vanity, and I took care that our in- more respect. My next step was to

The first intoxication of my success had hardly subsided when I became acquainted with Squire Chase, a rough fox-hunter, upon whom I should never have deigned to think of casting an eye, had he not piqued my pride by declaring publicly, that he wondered what people could see in me to admire; that I was a puny thing, who looked as if I had neither strength nor spirit to follow the

and the sooner the better. This last hint was by no means agreeable to me: however, I managed to keep him in my train for a little while, without coming to any explanation, but call

commence horse-woman, and at the repeated risk of my neck I became a bold and fearless rider. As I was determined to give my squire an agreeable surprise, I said nothing of what I was about, till I thought my-ing one day, and finding me tête-àself capable of joining him in a hunting party. Never shall I forget the boisterous joy with which he hailed my approach on horseback. From that moment his attentions became more pointed, but he still hung back from a formal declaration. In the mean time, however, the world gave us so decidedly to each other, that my Cantab became alarmed, and finding it impossible to draw me into any decided declaration, he abruptly bade me farewell. His departure seemed to give the squire fresh spirits; he became still more assiduous, and one day when we were in a hunting party, where I was first in at the death, he swore he could no longer refrain from telling me his mind. I was the tight-leading him such a wild-goose chase, est best-going thing of my inches in all England; he should be heartily glad to be yoked with me for life,

tête with Lord Trinket, he outstaid his lordship, and then seizing my hand, he burst into the following harangue: "Look ye, miss, I've been all my life a quick hand at a bargain: I've told you my mind, now tell me yours, for I promise you I wont be made a fool of any longer: so, will you marry me? Aye or no?" What could one do, Mr. Editor, with such a plain-speaking animal as this was? I was forced to utter a decided No; though, to say the truth, I pronounced it with fear and trembling, for I was actually afraid the man would beat me: however, he contented himself with a few execrations on the jade's trick I had played him in

and then flounced out without the ceremony of an adieu.

(To be concluded in our next.)

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CELEBRATED COMPOSER ROSSINI.

monia.

In 1812, the Inganno Felice was played at Venice during the Carnival.

ROSSINI was born in the little town || vanced to sing even the most difficult of Pesaro, in Italy, on the 29th Febru- music at sight. He composed in the ary, 1792. His father was an itinerant same year his first work in vocal mumusician, and his mother a second-sic: it is the cantata, Il pianto d'arrate actress; they performed in different strolling companies, the husband in the orchestra, and the wife on the stage. Young Rossini accom- This piece may be compared panied his parents from Pesaro to to the first pictures of Raphael on Bologna in 1799, but he did not his leaving the school of Perrugino: begin to study music till he was we find in it all the faults which have twelve years of age. The first fruits their source in the timidity of early of his talents were a few paoli, which youth. Rossini, then only twenty, he received for singing in the church- dared not venture to please himself In 1806, he was sufficiently ad-alone. Nevertheless, in this opera, in

es.

one act, the experienced eye of a professor will find the germ of those brilliant and original ideas which afterwards gained for fifteen or twenty compositions of Rossini the reputation of master-pieces.

From 1810 till 1816, he visited successively all the towns of Italy, and passed two or three months in each. He always gave the first two or three weeks to convivial parties; he then studied the voices of the different singers, and afterwards employed himself in composing.

two-thirds of what he received to his parents.

In 1821, he acquired by his marriage with the celebrated singer, Mademoiselle Colbrand, an income of about eight hundred pounds a year. This lady was the original Elisabetta in his opera of that name. In getting up the piece, particular attention was paid to the dresses, especially to that of Elisabetta. In fact, a drawing of the costume of the royal virgin had been sent for from London, in order that nothing might be wanting to the illusion of the scene. fact was known to the audience, and it heightened the interest which the beauty and the majestic demeanour of Mademoiselle Colbrand gave to the part.

This

Before the age of thirty-two, Rossini has composed forty-five operas or cantatas. His numerous works have not, however, enriched him; but this is easily accounted for, when we consider that the greater part of these compositions have been badly A lithographic portrait of this paid, and that Rossini generally sent, eminent composer has just appearon the day of the first representation, || ed at the Repository of Arts.

REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF LEGAL INGENUITY. In the year 1758, a man who was || mand?"-"I have somewhat above committed to Newgate on a charge of highway robbery, sent for Mr. Brecknock*, the solicitor, and requested that he would undertake his defence. When he came to him, his first question was, whether he had really committed the robbery. "It is no matter whether you have or not," said Brecknock, " you shall not be hanged; but it is necessary that I should know the truth, that I may frame the defence accordingly." -" Why indeed," replied the culprit, "I did commit the robbery.""Very well," answered the solicitor: "now tell me, first, have you any money? How much can you com

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* Mr. Timothy Brecknock, who was executed at Castlebar, in Ireland, with G. R. Fitzgerald, Esq.

1007. in cash and valuables."-"Very well, let me have 807.: it is not for myself; I leave my reward to your own generosity when you are cleared; but I want that money for a particular purpose, and will account with you for every farthing of it. It is still five weeks to your trial, so I have time enough, and with time and money every thing can be done.” The sum was instantly paid in Banknotes, which the culprit had artfully concealed, and Mr. Brecknock proceeded to desire the criminal to give him a particular account of every circumstance of the robbery; which he did, to the following purport: That five weeks before that time he met a gentleman in a chariot, with a footman behind, near the ninth mile