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he kept no check upon his ill-humour and chagrin, but perfecuted her without referve, abfolutely confining her to the house, and, as far as he could prevent it, not fuffering her to correspond with any one, particularly her relations of the house of Manstock, to whom he bore peculiar hatred and inveteracy.

"What does your uncle mean," faid he in one of his altercations, " by receiving that fellow into his family, who has fo effectually destroyed the peace of mine? Can there be a groffer infult, a more outrageous breach of decency and good-manners, than thus to hold him up in my defiance after what has paffed, and when he knows that I myself have difcovered him in a fituation, that no husband, who has any sense of honour, can put up with, nor a wife, who has any fenfe of modesty, would permit him to be found in? Does, Sir Roger think that I want fpirit to resent such conduct, or can he suppose that I am tame enough to fubmit to an indignity, which he renders ten times more galling by the countenance he fhews to the despicable object of my refentment-your Ladyfhip's beggarly Adonis?"

To this fhe patiently replied, "That her uncle knew her innocence, and the motives of that tenderness,

tenderness, which pity for the fufferings of the guiltless had extorted from her; that with a heart naturally fufceptible of compaffion, fhe had a further intereft in the fufferings of the young man in queftion, as a relict of her valued friend Mr. Ratcliffe, who had protected him from his infancy, lov'd him as a fon, and left the strongest teftimony in his favqur, `defcribing him as endow'd with every good and virtuous quality, that can centre in the human heart: that for thefe reafons fhe had determin'd to stand in the place of her deceas'd friend towards an unfortunate youth, who feem'd deftin'd to be the victim of fufpicion, and to meet punishment where he merited. praise."

"'Tis one thing," faid my Lord, "to protect; to carefs him is another: you, or I, or any body may relieve a beggar, but who embraces him? Your purfe you may pour into his hands, but your perfon you had no right to throw into his arms, seeing that I have a claim upon that, fo long as it is my lot to be call'd your husband, and your privilege to bear my name and title.”

"True, my lord," the replied, " your right. and title to my poor person is abfolute and ex

clufive,

clufive, and had my heart been made of fterner stuff, I should not have yielded it even to pity, as you faw; to impurity it has never been furrender'd fince you call'd it your's. If your fenfe of pity cannot find excufe for mine, I must submit to my fate; I have no other means of foftening your displeasure."

"Sincerity will foften it," faid my Lord; "confeffion will in part atone for the injury which my honour has receiv'd, because to own your faults is one ftep towards repenting of them confefs then that you are in love with this young fellow, that you was captivated with his perfon, that you was furpriz'd into a weakness, which your conftitution must apologize for.-Nay, start not, Madam! nor affect to be offended at what I fuggest, for that you have lov'd is well known, and that you can go great lengths for those you love is not to be denied; why then may I not presume that your nature is the fame, kind, foft and yielding as it ever was? A father's authority could not reftrain you, why fhould I fuppofe a husband's can? Let me know therefore the extent of difgrace, and I will then decide as fhall be beft both for myself and you: till then you must give me leave to fufpect the worst, and to conclude

my

conclude against you as much from your filence and reserve as from my own reason and observation."

"In one word then, my lord, and I call Heaven to witnefs to the truth of what I fay, I am as incapable of theidea you annex to my tenderness for this young man, as I am of murder, inceft, blafphemy, or any crime the most dire and deteftable that only beings totally abandon'd can commit: the criminality you fufpect me of wou'd be fuch as but to think of makes my blood shudder and my heart shrink back with horror."

"Hold, Madam; not fo ftrong in your expreffions, if you please; moderate the energy of your language, if you wish that I fhould credit the fincerity, or even understand the meaning of it let me have a plain answer to a plain queftion-Did you ever fee this young man before?"

"I faw him about twelve years ago, foon after my father's death, when he was a child under the care of Mr. Ratcliffe."

"Is he the bastard fon of parfon Ratcliffe?” "That is a plain queftion truly, my lord: your delicacy might have couch'd it in politer

terms."

" Very

"Very true, Madam, I fhould have been more felect in my expreffions, as I might have recollected that none are fo affectedly regardful of the forms of delicacy as those, who have bidden adieu to the effentials of it."

" "Tis well, my lord; I fhall give you no further opportunity of infulting me, by anfwering to no further questions: here ends our conference; proceed against me as you please; be as cruel as your heart will let you; there is a friend at hand that will foon rescue me from your tyranny."

Say you fo, Madam! Who is that

friend ?"

"Death."

CHAPTER VI.

Danger approaches, and the Doctor is difmifs'd. IN this manner the fad and heavy hours dragged flowly on at Crowbery caftle. Domeftic altercations, jealoufies, and complaints on the part of Lord Crowbery, preffed down the fpirits, and now began to fap and undermine the conftitution of his unhappy lady.

Her

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