Her ruling
passion was the love of virtue. Chastity was the first feature in her
character. It gave substance to her accents, and dignity to her
gestures. Conscious innocence ennobled all her reflexions, and gave to
her sentiments and manner of thinking, I know not what of celestial and
divine.
Edwin and Imogen had been united in the sports of earliest infancy. They
had been mutual witnesses to the opening blossoms of understanding and
benevolence in each others breasts. While yet a boy, Edwin had often
rescued his mistress from the rude vivacity of his playmates, and had
bestowed upon her many of those little distinctions which were
calculated to excite the flame of envy among the infant daughters of the
plain. For her he gathered the vermeil-tinctured pearmain, and the
walnut with an unsavoury rind; for her he hoarded the brown filberd, and
the much prized earth-nut. When she was near, the quoit flew from his
arm with a stronger whirl, and his steps approached more swiftly to the
destined goal. With her he delighted to retire from the heat of the sun
to the centre of the glade, and to sooth her ear with the gaiety of
innocence, long before he taught her to hearken to the language of love.
For her sake he listened with greater eagerness to the mirthful
relation, to the moral fiction, and to the song of the bards.
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