My
father, then, was a man of strong will and a few but determined
prejudices. Resolved that I should sustain the reputation of the
family for wealth and respectability, he gave me to understand from my
earliest years, that as long as I preserved my manhood from reproach,
I had only to make my wishes known, to have them immediately
gratified; while if I crossed his will either by indulging in
dissipation or engaging in pursuits unworthy of my name, I no longer
need expect the favor of his countenance or the assistance of his
purse.
"When, therefore, at a certain period of my life, I found that the
charms of my cousin Evelyn were making rather too strong an
impression upon my fancy for a secured peace of mind, I first inquired
how such a union would affect my father, and learning that it would
be in direct opposition to his views, cast about in my mind what I
should do to overcome my passion. Travel suggested itself, and I took
a trip to Europe. But the sight of new faces only awakened in me
comparisons anything but detrimental to the beauty of her who was at
that time my standard of feminine loveliness. Nature and the sports
connected with a wild life were my next resort. I went overland to
California, roamed the orange groves of Florida, and probed the
wildernesses of Canada and our Northern states.
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