. American scenery. n, but still rich in all thesoftest traits of womans nature—^buried somewhat, perhaps, butnot lost under the rough habits of her wild life. It is singularwhat an influence the united strength and delicatesse of hercharacter have given her over our jealous and intractable Indianneighbours. She is a greater protection to our settlement herethan all my garrison, and I could give you no passport throughthe savage tribes, for leagues around, half so authoritative asher simple name. But here she comes. As Gabrielle entered, with an easeand grace not surpassedby what our traveller


. American scenery. n, but still rich in all thesoftest traits of womans nature—^buried somewhat, perhaps, butnot lost under the rough habits of her wild life. It is singularwhat an influence the united strength and delicatesse of hercharacter have given her over our jealous and intractable Indianneighbours. She is a greater protection to our settlement herethan all my garrison, and I could give you no passport throughthe savage tribes, for leagues around, half so authoritative asher simple name. But here she comes. As Gabrielle entered, with an easeand grace not surpassedby what our travellers had already learned of her courage, theyhastened to express their thanks for her late good offices, whichher hasty retreat had prevented their making at the time. Indeed, gentlemen, answered the mischievous girl, * youowe me no thanks; but you must be more heedful of yourpath, or your brave Governor in Williamsburg may lose someornaments to his ball-room. Nay, Mademoiselle, said Fairfax, half amused, half angry,. GABRIELLE DE ST. PIERRE. 81 we are perhaps not as daring and dauntless foresters as yourfair ladyship, but we have been reared, believe me, to betterends than simply to figure in a minuet. You are happy, continued the laughing Gabrielle, inliving in a land and among scenes which develop a strongerand truer manhood than we often find in the worn-out life ofour old civilization; though my honoured father does not agreewith me orw this point. But do you not, Mademoiselle, sometimes grow wearyof your isolated life here, and sigh for the gay pleasures ofyour native Paris, which your youth and wit and beauty soadmirably fit you to enjoy ? * Nay, nay, my youth and beauty are much better ex-pended here, where they are ever preserved and renewed byhealthful occupation and innocent thought. The hills and val-leys and waters repay my wit with much more instructive andagreeable talk than the silly tattle of the drawing-room. Thesong of the birds is pleasanter to me than the fa


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Keywords: ., bookauthorrichards, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1854