On the arrival of Richard Delany at home,
his father, who kept up the good old customs of his English ancestors,
gave a dinner and ball in honor of his son's coming of age. All the
gentry of his own and the adjoining counties accepted invitations to
attend. Among the guests was William Dulan. He was presented to Miss
Raymond, the young hostess of the evening, by Mr. Keene. Young Dulan
was at first dazzled by the transcendent beauty of her face, and the
airy elegance of her form; then, won by the gentleness of her manners,
the elevation of her mind, and the purity of her heart. One ball in a
country neighborhood generally puts people in the humor of the thing,
and is frequently followed by many others. It was so in this instance,
and William Dulan and Alice Raymond met frequently in scenes of
gayety, where neither took an active part in the festivities. A more
intimate acquaintance produced a mutual and just estimation of each
other's character, and preference soon warmed into love.
From the moment in which the jealous fears of Richard Delany were
aroused, he resolved to throw so much coldness and hauteur in his
manner toward that young gentleman as should banish him from the
house.
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