第8章

"And yet all are not so," said Julia, "I hardly know what you mean by a hero; if you mean such men as Washington, Greene, or Warren, all are surely not so.These were heroes in deeds, but others may be equally brave."{Greene = Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), Revolutionary General; Warren = Joseph Warren (1741-1775), Revolutionary war hero, killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill}

"I mean by a hero, a man whose character is unstained by any low or degenerate vices, or even feelings," said Julia, with a little more than her ordinary enthusiasm; "whose courage is as natural as it is daring; who is above fear, except of doing wrong; whose person is an index of his mind, and whose mind is filled with images of glory; that's what I call a hero, aunt.""Then he must be handsome as well as valiant," said Miss Emmerson, with a smile that was hardly perceptible.

"Why that is--is--not absolutely material," replied Julia, blushing; "but one would wish to have him handsome too.""Oh! by all means; it would render his virtues more striking.But I think you intimated that you knew such a being," returned Miss Emmerson, fixing her mild eyes on Julia in a manner that denoted great interest.

"Did I," said Julia, colouring scarlet; "I am sure--I have forgotten--it must be a mistake, surely, dear aunt.""Very possibly I misunderstood you, my dear," said Miss Emmerson, rising and withdrawing from the room, in apparent indifference to the subject.

Julia continued musing on the dialogue which had passed, and soon had recourse to the letter of her friend, the postscript of which was all, however, that she thought necessary to read: on this she dwelt until the periods were lengthened into paragraphs, each syllable into words, and each letter into syllables.Anna Miller had furnished the outlines of a picture, that the imagination of Julia had completed.The name of Edward Stanley was repeated internally so often that she thought it the sweetestname she had ever heard.His eyes, his nose, his countenance, were avowed to be handsome; and her fancy soon gave a colour and form to each.He was sensible; how sensible, her friend had not expressly stated; but then the powers of Anna, great as they undoubtedly were, could not compass the mighty extent of so gigantic a mind.Brave, too, Anna had called him.This she must have learnt from acts of desperate courage that he had performed in the war which had so recently terminated; or perhaps he might have even distinguished himself in the presence of Anna, by some exploit of cool and determined daring.Her heart burned to know all the particulars, but how was she to inquire them.Anna, dear, indiscreet girl, had already shown her letters, and her delicacy shrunk from the exposure of her curiosity to its object.After a multitude of expedients had been adopted and rejected as impracticable, Julia resorted to the course of committing her inquiries to paper, most solemnly enjoining her friend never to expose her weakness to Mr.Stanley.This, thought Julia, she never could do; it would be unjust to me, and indelicate in her.So Julia wrote as follows, first seeking her own apartment, and carefully locking the door, that she might devote her whole attention to friendship, and her letter.

"Dearest Anna,