On raising his eyes from the paper he was startled by
the appearance of his father, who, with a stern brow and
a quivering lip, stood a few paces from the table,
apparently too much overcome by his indignation to be
able to utter a sentence.
Charles de Haldimar felt all the awkwardness of his
position. Some explanation of his conduct, however, was
necessary; and he stammered forth the fact of the portrait
having riveted his attention, from its striking resemblance
to that in his sister's possession.
"And to what do these letters bear resemblance?" demanded
the governor, in a voice that trembled in its attempt to
be calm, while he fixed his penetrating eye on that of
his son. "THEY, it appears, were equally objects of
attraction with you."
"The letters were in the hand-writing of my mother; and
I was irresistibly led to glance at one of them," replied
the youth, with the humility of conscious wrong. "The
action was involuntary, and no sooner committed than
repented of. I am here, my father, on a mission of
importance, which must account for my presence."
"A mission of importance!" repeated the governor, with
more of sorrow than of anger in the tone in which he now
spoke.
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