The Ladies' Companion Volume 3-4

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1835 Excerpt: ...is there in life to create lasting satisfaction?" "You do not mean to say there is nothing worth living for?" "Ido mean it." "There is, alas! hut little; still there is something--Poetry and Music can soothe us in our gloomiest hours." "Poetry I once loved passionately, hut the poet is a deceiver, and I have ahandoned his lays. When he speaks of all those nohle emotions which animate the buman heart, and give hirth to the great and glorious events of the earth, my heart is warmed, and I go forth into the world to meet them. In vain I look around--for patriotism, I find intrigues and facttonists--would 1 look for generosity and henevolence, self-interest meets my view; tbus my expectations are one after the other hlasted, and with Solomon I say all is vanity." "There is friendship and love," I said. "Friendship!" he replied hitterly. "Ah, young lady, when you have lived a little longer, you will find your friend will he yours as long as you can contrihute to his happiness, hut when wealth or fame, or heauty has fled, he follows. Love passes even sooner than friendship, as it cannot feign as well." I sighed, for the truth of these remarks struck to my heart. How exactly his sentiments coincide with mine. Had I been a heroine of a novel, I should have imagined I had found a congenial soul, and should have sworn eternal friend, ship and demanded the history of his life. This he determined to remain silent upon. I spoke of Shakspear, of Hamlet the Dane, and Denmark, and found he was not a Dane--of Dr. Bowdler and Russian poetry, and Scandinavia, and discovered he did not helong to any of the northern nations;--of Byron, and he was not a Greek or Turk. Could he he a Persian? His polished m...