thought, Miss De Brooke, by recommending it, as a pastime for your leisure hours, it would have afforded an agreeable variation to the usual course of your readings; I might be mistaken. I was impressed also with the desire of hearing your opinion respecting the work in general, but more particularly in reference to the character of Werter. Too true, for suffering humanity, are there painted feelings bearing a perfect imitation of nature. I would fain suppose otherwise, and that the sentiment consuming Werter was described in language of too deep colouring! Still, though I cannot doubt, from" experience, he meant to say, but his voice faltered; he still hesitated, and with apparent fear of having said too much, changed at once the subject.
"But whilst," continued he, "we sympathize with and pity Werter, we must, at the same time, bring ourselves to abjure his errors, his want of true courage, and that noble resistance of mind, which teaches us to endure misery and to submit to life, even though sinking under the pressure of the most overwhelming calamity."
The emphatic delivery of these last words was accompanied by a sigh the most profound, whilst he turned aside, as if to conceal the strong emotion which shook him.
A silence ensued, which, as Rosilia did not interrupt, he hoped he had, together with an allusion to his own case, said almost sufficient to controvert her former disinclination to read Werter; he, therefore,
