He had offered to the Countess of Derby a service, which her uniform kindness had well deserved at his hand; but, by her accepting it, he was upon the point of being separated from Alice Bridgenorth, at a time when she was become dearer to him than ever, by her avowal of mutual passion.

Her image rose before him, such as he had that day pressed her to his bosom--her voice was in his ear, and seemed to ask whether he could desert her in the crisis which everything seemed to announce as impending.

But Julian Peveril, his youth considered, was strict in judging his duty, and severely resolved in executing it.

He trusted not his imagination to pursue the vision which presented itself; but resolutely seizing his pen, wrote to Alice the following letter, explaining his situation, as far as justice to the Countess permitted him to do so:-- "I leave you, dearest Alice," thus ran the letter.--"I leave you; and though, in doing so, I but obey the command you have laid on me, yet I can claim little merit for my compliance, since, without additional and most forcible reasons in aid of your orders, I fear I should have been unable to comply with them.

But family affairs of importance compel me to absent myself from this island, for, I fear, more than one week.