I then darted at him a look expre&longs;&longs;ive of
my hone&longs;t indignation, and endeavoured to
quit the hou&longs;e: but he threw him&longs;elf on his
knees before me, and forcibly taking my
hand earne&longs;tly reque&longs;ted to be heard for only
one moment. From the in&longs;tant Belger fir&longs;t
entered, the woman had from a motive of
re&longs;pect left the room, and my &longs;ervant was
without &longs;ide the gate, waiting for my coming
out.

I was he&longs;itating for an an&longs;wer, by which
I might hope to make him relinqui&longs;h his design;
when I heard my hu&longs;band's voice enquiring
of the &longs;ervant, “whom he was
waiting for?”

“My mi&longs;ere&longs;s, &longs;ir,” replied the man.

“Your mi&longs;tre&longs;s is here then—and who is
with her?”

“Mr. Belger went in a few moments &longs;ince.”

“Damnation!” exclaimed he, and pushing
by the man with violence in&longs;tantly ru&longs;hed
into the hou&longs;e. How I looked, or what I
&longs;aid, I cannot pretend to determine, but of
this I am certain my feelings were undescribable.

[figure description] Page 122.[end figure description]

“It is well, madam,” &longs;aid he, “I have
at length di&longs;covered the true cau&longs;e of your
frequent rambles toward this cottage, and by
heavens.”—Rage choaked him, I &longs;ummoned
all my re&longs;olution and endeavoured to calm
his agitated &longs;pirits.

“Frequent rambles, Mr. Rook&longs;by, I do
not under&longs;tand you; I never was at this cottage
before, nor &longs;hould have come now had
I not been &longs;ent for.”

“I know you were &longs;ent for. That is the
very thing that drives me to madne&longs;s. Oh!
Meriel, to think on the very la&longs;t evening before
my mother and Mi&longs;s Sidney leaves England,
you could quit them and taking advantage
of my ab&longs;ence fly on the wings of love
to meet your abandoned &longs;educer. But, this
is no time for argument; tell me, thou vile
reptile, who under the ma&longs;k of friend&longs;hip
ha&longs;t di&longs;honoured me, what reparation can
you make for the peace you have de&longs;troyed,
for the purity you have fullied?—

“Dear Rook&longs;by,” (&longs;aid Belger in a tone
of di&longs;&longs;embling gentlene&longs;s,) “you are carried
away by a wild ungovernable pa&longs;&longs;ion, I give
you my honour I had not been in the hou&longs;e
ten minutes when you entered; nor had I
the mo&longs;t di&longs;tant idea of meeting Mrs.

[figure description] Page 123.[end figure description]

Rooksby here, you iujure her by the&longs;e unju&longs;t suspicions,
and what ought to be at this time a
material con&longs;ideration, you agitate her &longs;pirits,
impair her health and endanger her valuable
life.”—

“Belger” &longs;aid my hu&longs;band, with a voice
that made me tremble, “you are both a coward
and a villain.”

“You cannot mean what you &longs;ay.”

“I do,” reiterated Rook&longs;by, fiercely.

“Then, &longs;ir, to-morrow between five and
&longs;ix o'clock, I &longs;hall expect to &longs;ee you in a
proper place to &longs;ettle this difference. But
remember Rook&longs;by, I warn you of the remorse
that will &longs;eize you, when you di&longs;cover
how injuriou&longs;ly you have treated both your
wife and friend.

“Belger,” &longs;aid I exerting all the firmne&longs;s
I was mi&longs;tre&longs;s of, and laying my hand on
his arm, as I &longs;poke.—“If you are not callous
to the voice of humanity, explain this
horrid my&longs;tery, for I am certain the accidents
of this night have been concerted to ruin me
in the opinion of my hu&longs;band. You call
your&longs;elf his friend. How well you de&longs;erve
that title your own con&longs;cience can be&longs;t inform

[figure description] Page 124.[end figure description]

you, that and the all-&longs;eeing eye of a ju&longs;t providence
knows my innocence, and I tru&longs;t,
it will hereafter, be made appear clear as the
noon day &longs;un. In the mean time, dare not
as you value your eternal welfare, to lift
your impious hand again&longs;t the life of Rooksby;
or, by throwing your&longs;elf in the way of
danger, run the hazard of ru&longs;hing unprepared
into the pre&longs;ence of your offended Maker,
for let honour give it what fal&longs;e glo&longs;s it will,
the man, who wantonly throws away his life
is as much guilty of &longs;uicide, as the wretch
who ends his exi&longs;tence with a loaded pi&longs;tol.
And in the ca&longs;e of duelling vanqui&longs;h or be
vanqui&longs;hed, you are equally a murderer. Go,
leave us, would to heaven, I could &longs;ay to
that peace which was uninterrupted, till your
arrival here.—Return to London, or go any
where; &longs;o as I may not have the weight of
blood&longs;hed to drag my almo&longs;t broken &longs;pirit
to the earth.

Rook&longs;by &longs;tarted up with fury and snatching
my hand from off Belger's arm, cried—
“by heavens you tremble only for him. So
as he is &longs;afe you care not what becomes of
me. But come, madam, let us return, it
is almo&longs;t dark.” As he &longs;aid this, he pulled
me redely from my &longs;eat. I attempted to
walk; but terror had unnerved my limbs.
I &longs;unk down again on the chair, and had

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not a flood of tears relieved me, I mu&longs;t have
fainted. He was alarmed and called the
woman to bring &longs;ome water, and &longs;aying he
would &longs;end the carriage to fetch me as I was
unable to walk,—he went out, followed by
Belger in &longs;ullen &longs;ilence. When he was gone,
my agitation became &longs;o great, it threw
me almo&longs;t into hy&longs;terics. I was not sufficiently
mi&longs;tre&longs;s of my recollection to a&longs;k the
woman any que&longs;tions, but gave vent to my
overcharged heart in a torrent of unrestrained
affliction, and when the carriage arrived,
threw my&longs;elf into it alma&longs;t di&longs;tracted with
the violence of my emotions, where, to my
great comfort, I found my kind &longs;oothing
friend Amelia. I related to her what had
ju&longs;t happened; &longs;he comforted me all that
lay in her power, and told me Belger had
retired to his apartment immediately on
entering the hou&longs;e, and that Rook&longs;by went
to the library, where he was bu&longs;y writing.
She &longs;aid &longs;he would endeavour to &longs;ee the former
before &longs;he went to re&longs;t, and per&longs;uade
him to &longs;et off for London, entreated me to
hide my unea&longs;ine&longs;s from Mrs. Rook&longs;by, as
her weak &longs;tate of health would but ill support
the &longs;hock of &longs;uch intelligence, when &longs;he
&longs;uppo&longs;ed us the happie&longs;t of the hymenial
votaries, and lamented her being obliged to
leave me in &longs;o di&longs;agreeable a &longs;ituation.

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I thanked the dear friendly girl; but entreated
her not to be unea&longs;y; &longs;aid &longs;he could
not perform to me a more acceptable &longs;ervice
than by attending to the welfare of my mother,
promi&longs;ed to be guided by her advice
and bear my afflictions with patience.

And &longs;o I will, my dear Celia; for have I
not con&longs;cious innocence for my &longs;upport, and
is it not my duty to &longs;ubmit without repining,
to the will of Him, who never lays on his
creatures the rod of affliction but for &longs;ome
wife purpo&longs;e. He can humble the frail body
to the du&longs;t the more to exalt the &longs;oul. He
can cau&longs;e the bones that he has broken to
rejoice, and heal the broken heart. I feel
his mercies at this moment abound in the
comforts of an approving con&longs;cience. I acknowledge
his judgments ju&longs;t, and pray only
for meekne&longs;s and re&longs;ignation to bear his di&longs;pen&longs;ations as I ought.

Celia, I mu&longs;t break off, I am ill; when
able I will again continue my narrative,
beaven ble&longs;s you.

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