In the midst of his reveries, Oswald found himself upon the bridge of St Angelo, which leads to the castle of the same name, or rather to the tomb of Adrian, which has been converted into a fortress.  The silence of the place, the pale waves of the Tiber, the moon-beams which shed their mild radiance upon the statues placed on the bridge, and gave to those statues the appearance of white spectres steadfastly regarding the current of the waters, and the flight of time which no longer concerned them; all these objects led him back to his habitual ideas.  He put his hand upon his breast, and felt the portrait of his father which he always carried there; he untied it, contemplated the features, and the momentary happiness which he had just experienced, as well as the cause of that happiness, only recalled, with too severe a remembrance, the sentiment which had already rendered him so guilty towards his father:  This reflection renewed his remorse.

“Eternal recollection of my life!” cried he:  “Friend so offended, yet so generous!  Could I have believed that any pleasurable sensation would so soon have found access to my heart?  It is not thou, best and most indulgent of men,—­it is not thou who reproachest me with them—­it was thy wish that I should be happy, and, in spite of my errors, that is still thy desire:  but at least, may I not misconceive thy voice, if thou speak to me from heaven, as I have misconceived it upon earth!”

FOOTNOTE: 

[6] Lord Nelville seems to have alluded to this beautiful distich of Propertius: 

     “Ut caput in Magnis ubi non est ponere signis,
     Ponitur hic imos ante corona pedes.”

Book iii.

CORINNE

[Illustration]

Chapter i.

The Count d’Erfeuil was present at the ceremony of the Capitol:  He came the next day to Lord Nelville, and said to him, “My dear Oswald, shall I take you this evening to see Corinne?” “How!” interrupted Oswald; “are you acquainted with her, then?” “No,” replied the Count d’Erfeuil; “but so celebrated a lady is always flattered when people express a desire to see her; and I have written to her this morning to request permission to visit her in the evening accompanied by you.”  “I could have wished,” replied Oswald blushing, “that you had not named me in this manner without my consent.”  “Do not be angry with me,” replied the Count d’Erfeuil, “for having spared you some tiresome formalities:  Instead of going to an ambassador, who would have taken you to a cardinal, who would have conducted you to a lady, who would have introduced you to Corinne, I present you—­you present me, and we shall both of us be very well received I have no doubt.”