When I had read the&longs;e letters, my
mind &longs;till wavering and irre&longs;olute, I
repaired to Mrs. Rook&longs;by's dre&longs;&longs;ing room.
I found her weeping. “Meriel,” &longs;aid &longs;he,
as I entered, “you are come in good time
to comfort me. Clement has ju&longs;t been with
me. He leaves us to-morrow.”

“To-morrow, Madam, that is much
&longs;ooner than he at fir&longs;t intended.”

“Yes, Meriel, and he leaves us with an
intention that almo&longs;t deprives me of rea&longs;on.”

[figure description] Page 031.[end figure description]

“You &longs;urprize me, what intention can
he have formed, that gives you &longs;o much
anxiety.”

“He is determined to marry Clara immediately
on his arrival in London, that
his child may be legetimated.”

“Marry Clara,” &longs;aid I, with an emotion
of a&longs;toni&longs;hment.

“It is even &longs;o my dear; he ju&longs;t now told
me he found it was in vain to hope any
thing from you, and being deprived of
the hope of your affection he knew love
could have no part in any other union, he
was determined that the claims of honour
&longs;hould be attended to, and his innocent
child have not future cau&longs;e to cur&longs;e the author
of its being, &longs;ince that being would,
if he did not marry Clara, inherit infamy
as its birth-right.”

“I cannot think,” I replied, “that honour
by any means obliges him to marry that
woman. She certainly forfeited all claim
to an honourable protector, when &longs;he fled
from Mr. Millar. I wi&longs;h &longs;he was well provided
for, and far from Mr. Rook&longs;by, for
I am cartain that inevitable mi&longs;ery and ruin
mu&longs;t en&longs;ue from a continuation of his

[figure description] Page 032.[end figure description]

present connection with her. What then
would bethe con&longs;equence of an indi&longs;&longs;oluble
union? I tremble to think of it.”

“You will &longs;ee him, Mi&longs;s Howard, before
he leaves Oak-hall. Let me beg of you,
my dear girl, to exert all your eloquence,
to per&longs;uade him from &longs;o fatal a &longs;tep. Give
&longs;ome hope, even if it &longs;hould be but fallacious,
and I make no doubt, but we &longs;hall
retain him with us a little time longer, and
who knows what time may do.”

“I cannot deceive any per&longs;on, my dear
madam. If I am tempted to hold out hope
to draw your &longs;on from this de&longs;tructive resolution,
be a&longs;&longs;ured, I &longs;hall one day mean to realize
them.”—“Ble&longs;&longs;ings on you my &longs;weet
Meriel, you will then relent; I &longs;hall have
the happine&longs;s of &longs;eeing my &longs;on pre&longs;erved
from ruin, and obtain a daughter who mu&longs;t
be admired and e&longs;teemed by all, who are &longs;o
happy as to know her.”

“I did not ab&longs;olutely &longs;ay &longs;o, madam. I
will &longs;ee Mr. Rook&longs;by previous to his intended
departure. I will u&longs;e every argument in
my power to prevail with him to give up his
de&longs;ign in regard to Clara; if I find every
other argument ineffectual, I will promi&longs;e
&longs;ome future day to give him my hand. But

[figure description] Page 033.[end figure description]

let me reque&longs;t my dear friendly Mrs. Rook&longs;by
to attribute this re&longs;olution to its proper cau&longs;e.
I will not deceive your &longs;on with profe&longs;&longs;ions
of affection which I do not feel. I have received
many favours from you and your
amiable niece Mrs. Kingly, and I think it
will be to your mutual &longs;atisfaction, to &longs;ee me
married. I am &longs;en&longs;ible, it is a duty al&longs;o
which I owe my&longs;elf, as, whil&longs;t I continue
&longs;ingle, I &longs;hall always be &longs;u&longs;pected of nourishing
an improper affection for Mr. Kingly,
and as it is my earne&longs;t wi&longs;h to pre&longs;erve my
own reputation unfullied and to promote as
much as po&longs;&longs;ible the happine&longs;s of others, I
will unite my&longs;elf to Mr. Rook&longs;by, but alas,
I have nothing to offer in return for his generous
affection but e&longs;teem and friend&longs;hip.”

“Enough my love,” cried Mrs. Rook&longs;by
embracing me, “I have no doubt of Clement's
happine&longs;s, when ble&longs;t with the esteem
of &longs;o amiable a companion.”

At dinner we all met as u&longs;ual. Mr. Rooksby
was in his travelling dre&longs;s. “Are you for
riding this afternoon, &longs;ir,” &longs;aid I—“I think
of &longs;etting forward for London, Mi&longs;s Howard,
I have an affair of infinite con&longs;equence to
tran&longs;act there, and I fear delays may be dangerous.”—
“You mu&longs;t not leave us to-night,
however, Clement,” &longs;aid his mother &longs;miling.

[figure description] Page 034.[end figure description]

—“I did not under&longs;tand you intended leaving
Oak-hall till to-morrow,” &longs;aid I.—“I
would willingly &longs;tay here for ever,” he replied,
“but I am &longs;en&longs;ible my pre&longs;ence is detrimental
to the tranquility of one who&longs;e happine&longs;s
I would promote at the hazard of my life.”—
This was a compliment, my dear Celia,
which I could not take entirely to my&longs;elf, as
he might have meant Clara's happine&longs;s was
di&longs;turbed by his remaining at Oak-hall, I
therefore remained &longs;ilent, and little more
was &longs;aid, till the cloth was removed. I then
aro&longs;e to leave the room with Mrs. Rook&longs;by,
who generally retires to her dre&longs;&longs;ing room
after dinner, and as if often the ca&longs;e with
elderly people, indulges her&longs;elf with a nap.
As I aro&longs;e Mr. Rook&longs;by took my hand.
“Permit me, Mi&longs;s Howard, before I take my
leave to reque&longs;t the honour of a few minutes
conver&longs;ation.” I curte&longs;ied a&longs;&longs;ent and reassumed
my &longs;eat; he continued.

“It is with infinite regret, my dear
young lady, that I leave this place, as by &longs;o
doing I relinqui&longs;h every hope, which I had
fondly cheri&longs;hed of obtaining an intere&longs;t in
your bo&longs;om. I &longs;ee my pre&longs;ence is painful
to you, it encroaches on that tranquillity you
would otherwi&longs;e enjoy, in a place &longs;o agreeable
to your di&longs;po&longs;ition. I hope you will
believe, your happine&longs;s is an object of far

[figure description] Page 035.[end figure description]

greater moment to me than my own. I go
from hence with a fixed re&longs;olution to repair
the injuries I have done Clara; but to convince
you how near your intere&longs;t is and ever
will be to my heart, I mu&longs;t beg you will
con&longs;ider your&longs;elf from this moment independent.
In this (pre&longs;enting me a &longs;mall box)
you will find a writing, which conveys to
you and yours for ever an e&longs;tate worth
two hundred pounds a year, &longs;ituated in
Glamorgan&longs;hire. I will not be either interrupted
or contradicted (&longs;eeing I was about
to &longs;peak.) You mu&longs;t accept this as from a
brother, who though his own future days
will have &longs;carce a dawn of plea&longs;ure to enliven
them, will always have the comfort of
reflecting the mo&longs;t amiable woman in the
world will be no more reduced to situations
at once &longs;o unworthy her merits, and
painful to her feelings.”

Overcome by this generous conduct I was
unable to &longs;peak. Tears involuntarily bur&longs;t
from my eyes and &longs;eeing him about to leave
the room, almo&longs;t unknowing what I did, I
caught his hand to detain him.—

“Do not di&longs;tre&longs;s me, my dear Mi&longs;s Howard,
&longs;aid he, tho&longs;e tears are too precious to
be &longs;hed on &longs;uch a trivial occa&longs;ion.”

[figure description] Page 036.[end figure description]

“Trivial,” &longs;aid I, “Oh! Mr. Rook&longs;by,
I cannot accept this noble donation. It oppresses
me beyond mea&longs;ure. I have no way
of di&longs;charging the va&longs;t debt of gratitude.”

“My &longs;weet girl,” &longs;aid he, ki&longs;&longs;ing my
hand. “Remember me ever with a friendly
affection and I &longs;hall think my&longs;elf a thousand
times repaid.”

“I cannot take it, &longs;ir, indeed I cannot.
But let me prefer one reque&longs;t to you. Do
not leave us this afternoon, remain a few
days longer to oblige me.”—

No, my dear Meriel, I &longs;ee the generous
drift of your de&longs;ign. You pity me, you
wi&longs;h to make me happy and to oblige my
mother would &longs;acrifice your own felicity;
but, my dear friend, if I have nothing to
hope from affection, I will not be indebted
to gratitude or compa&longs;&longs;ion.

“But, dear Mr. Rook&longs;by, con&longs;ider how
you will di&longs;tre&longs;s your mother by thus precipitately
giving your hand to Mrs. Millar;
You mu&longs;t pardon me, &longs;ir, but indeed I do
not think her altogether worthy &longs;uch an
honour.”

“Such a &longs;evere expre&longs;&longs;ion from mi&longs;s
Howard is &longs;omething extraordinary; but

[figure description] Page 037.[end figure description]

women (added he &longs;miling) are not always
the mo&longs;t candid judges of each other. You
my dear Mi&longs;s behold in Clara only a frail
woman, who forgetful of the rigid dictates
of honour and virtue &longs;acrificed reputation,
friends, every valuable con&longs;ideration to an
unhappy pa&longs;&longs;ion. I behold her as a lovely,
unfortunate creature, who has made tho&longs;e
&longs;acrifices for me. I al&longs;o con&longs;ider that, perhaps,
had it been her fate to be united to the
man of her heart, &longs;he would at this moment
have been a re&longs;pectable member of &longs;ociety;
and if I reflect, that I only am the cau&longs;e,
that &longs;he is not &longs;o, can I do otherwi&longs;e than
repair as much, as is in my power, the injuries
her reputation has &longs;uffered on my account.”

“I think, Mr. Rook&longs;by, you argue perfectly
right, nor &longs;hould I have entered on
this &longs;ubject, had it not been at the earne&longs;t
reque&longs;t of your mother. She &longs;hudders at
the idea of your introducing into the family
a woman of light fame. She has been informed
that Mrs. Millar is a very faulty woman
in more re&longs;pects than one. She wi&longs;hes
to have her amply provided for, but cannot
endure to think &longs;he mu&longs;t be the wife of her
darling &longs;on.”

[figure description] Page 038.[end figure description]

“I &longs;aw, Mi&longs;s Howard, from the fir&longs;t that
it was at my mother's de&longs;ire you &longs;o chearfully
a&longs;&longs;ented to this conver&longs;ation. She knew
the genero&longs;ity of your di&longs;po&longs;ition. She naturally
&longs;uppo&longs;ed you would exert your&longs;elf to
prevail with me to relinqui&longs;h my de&longs;ign. She
fore&longs;aw the generous conce&longs;&longs;ions you would
make in my favour: but &longs;he knows not the
heart of her &longs;on, if &longs;he imagines affection
like his could be &longs;atisfied with any thing
le&longs;s than affection in return.”

“I am &longs;orry, I &longs;hall be able to give no better
account of my undertaking; but, however,
Mr. Rook&longs;by, permit me to decline,
this obligation (returning the writings). I
am perfectly &longs;atisfied with my &longs;ituation in
your mother's family, and mu&longs;t in&longs;i&longs;t on
your receiving this again.”

He refu&longs;ed to take it. I laid it on the
table and ha&longs;tily left the room.

So you &longs;ee, my dear Celia, while I was
con&longs;ulting my friends whether I &longs;hould accept
or reject this man, he has ha&longs;tily formed
the re&longs;olution of leaving me to wear the
willow and be&longs;towing him&longs;elf on another.
Seriou&longs;ly my friend I feel my&longs;elf greatly
obliged by the delicate manner in which he
declined accepting a hand when he was

[figure description] Page 039.[end figure description]

certain the heart would not immediately follow,
and were it not that I fear he will be extremely
unhappy in an union with Clara, I
&longs;hould rejoice in being relea&longs;ed from his importunities.
Mrs. Rook&longs;by is in great affliction.
I try all I can to comfort her; but
I really believe &longs;he will feel as much, when
&longs;he fees her &longs;on mount his hor&longs;e to leave the
Hall, as &longs;he would were &longs;he attending him
to the &longs;ilent receptacle of his ance&longs;tors.
When this dreaded wedding is over &longs;he will,
I make no doubt, feel ea&longs;ier, and the birth
of her grandchild will naturally awaken
&longs;ome degree of affection towards its mother.

You will, perhaps, my dear Celia, blame,
me for &longs;o ob&longs;tinately refu&longs;ing Mr. Rook&longs;by's
generous pre&longs;ent; but my dear girl I am the
wor&longs;t in the world to receive an obligation.
It oppre&longs;&longs;es me; it &longs;inks me to the earth,
e&longs;pecially when I have no power to return
it. While I have my health, I have no
doubt of always finding a &longs;ituation, where
I may render my&longs;elf in &longs;ome mea&longs;ure u&longs;eful,
in return for my &longs;ub&longs;i&longs;tence, and &longs;hould
&longs;ickne&longs;s, age or any infirmity, to which mortality
is &longs;ubject, overtake me, whil&longs;t I remain
in what is generally termed an unprotected
&longs;tate, I have &longs;till the &longs;ame beneficent

[figure description] Page 040.[end figure description]

Providence to rely on, who never yet suffered
me to &longs;ink under affliction.