In addition to the vagueness which this want of any defined object so unsatisfactorily threw round the enterprise before him, he had also a sort of ominous presentiment—­natural, perhaps, to one of his temperament under such circumstances—­that he was but fulfilling his own doom in this expedition, and should die in Greece.  On the evening before the departure of his friends, Lord and Lady B——­, from Genoa, he called upon them for the purpose of taking leave, and sat conversing for some time.  He was evidently in low spirits, and after expressing his regret that they should leave Genoa before his own time of sailing, proceeded to speak of his intended voyage in a tone full of despondence.  “Here,” said he, “we are all now together—­but when, and where, shall we meet again?  I have a sort of boding that we see each other for the last time; as something tells me I shall never again return from Greece.”  Having continued a little longer in this melancholy strain, he leaned his head upon the arm of the sofa on which they were seated, and, bursting into tears, wept for some minutes with uncontrollable feeling.  Though he had been talking only with Lady B——­, all who were present in the room observed, and were affected by his emotion, while he himself, apparently ashamed of his weakness, endeavoured to turn off attention from it by some ironical remark, spoken with a sort of hysterical laugh, upon the effects of “nervousness.”

He had, previous to this conversation, presented to each of the party some little farewell gift—­a book to one, a print from his bust by Bartolini to another, and to Lady B——­ a copy of his Armenian Grammar, which had some manuscript remarks of his own on the leaves.  In now parting with her, having begged, as a memorial, some trifle which she had worn, the lady gave him one of her rings; in return for which he took a pin from his breast, containing a small cameo of Napoleon, which he said had long been his companion, and presented it to her Ladyship.

The next day Lady B——­ received from him the following note.

TO THE COUNTESS OF B——.

“Albaro, June 2. 1823.

“My dear Lady B——­, ’I am superstitious, and have recollected that memorials with a point are of less fortunate augury; I will, therefore, request you to accept, instead of the pin, the enclosed chain, which is of so slight a value that you need not hesitate.  As you wished for something worn, I can only say, that it has been worn oftener and longer than the other.  It is of Venetian manufacture; and the only peculiarity about it is, that it could only be obtained at or from Venice.  At Genoa they have none of the same kind.  I also enclose a ring, which I would wish Alfred to keep; it is too large to wear; but is formed of lava, and so far adapted to the fire of his years and character.  You will perhaps have the goodness to acknowledge the receipt of this note, and send back the pin (for good luck’s sake), which I shall value much more for having been a night in your custody.