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What, sir, is aimed at? What is sought to be obtained? I am not very well: I used to be a very sprightly creature: I used to talk, to sing, to dance, to play; to visit, to receive visits and I don't like to do any of these things now. I love to be alone: I am contented with my own company. Other company is, at times, irksome to me; and I can't help it.

But whence this sudden turn, madam, in a lady so young, so blooming? Your father, mother, brothers, cannot account for it; and this disturbs them.

I see it does, and am sorry for it.

No other favourite diversion takes place in your mind. You are a young lady of exemplary piety. You cannot pay a greater observance than you always paid, to the duties of religion.

You, sir, an Englishman, an heretic, give me leave to call you; for are you not so?-Do you talk of piety, of religion?

We will not enter into this subject, inadam: what I

meant

I

Yes, sir, I know what you meant-And I will own, that I am, at times, a very melancholy, strange creature. know not whence the alteration; but so it is; and I am a greater trouble to myself than I can be to any body else.

But, madam, there must be some cause-And for you to answer the best and most indulgent of mothers with sighs and tears only; yet no obstinacy, no sullenness, no petulance, appearing: all the same sweetness, gentleness, observance, that she ever rejoiced to find in her Clementina, still shining out in her mind. She cannot urge her silent daughter; her tenderness will not permit her to urge her: and how can you, my sister, (allow of my claim,

madam,) how can you still silently withdraw from such a mother? How can you, at other times, suffer her to withdraw, her heart full, her eyes running over, unable to stay, yet hardly knowing how to go, because of the ineffectual report she must make to your sorrowing father; yet the cause of this very great alteration, (which they dread is growing into habit, at a time of life when you were to crown all their hopes,) a secret fast locked up in your own

heart?

She wept, and turned from me, and leaned upon the arm of her Camilla; and then quitting her arm, and joining me,--How you paint my obstinacy, and my mamma's goodmess! I only wish-With all my soul I wish-that I was added to the dust of my ancestors. I who was their comfort, I see, now, must be their torment.

Fie, fie, my sister!

Blame me not: I am by no means satisfied with myself. What a miserable being must she be, who is at variance with herself!

I do not hope, madam, that you should place so much confidence in your fourth brother as to open your mind to him all I beg is, that you will relieve the anxious, the apprehensive heart of the best of mothers; and, by so doing, enable her to relieve the equally anxious heart of the best of fathers.

She paused, stood still, turned away her face, and wept ; as if half overcome.

Let your faithful Camilla, madam, be commissioned to acquaint your mamma

But hold, sir! (seeming to recollect herself,) not so fast -Open my mind-What! whether I have any thing to reveal, or not?-Insinuating man! You had almost per

suaded me to think I had a secret that lay heavy at my heart: and when I began to look for it, to oblige you, I could not find it. Pray, sir-She stopt.

And pray, madam, (taking her hand,) do not think of receding thus

You are too free, sir. Yet she withdrew not her hand.

For a brother, madam? Too free for a brother? And I quitted it.

my brother?

Well, and what further would Only to implore, to beseech you, to reveal to your mamma, to your excellent, your indulgent

-

Stop, sir, I beseech you-What! whether I have any thing to reveal, or not?—Pray, sir, tell me, invent for me, a secret that is fit for me to own; and then, perhaps, if it will save the trouble of inquiries, I may make, at least, my four brothers easy.

me with her perThat is the silly

I am pleased, however, madam, with your agreeable raillery. Continue but in this temper, and the secret is revealed inquiry will be at an end. Camilla, here, is continually teasing suasions to be in love, as she calls it. thing, in our sex, which gives importance to yours: a young creature cannot be grave, cannot indulge a contemplative humour, but she must be in love. I should hate myself, were I to put it in the power of any man breathing to give me uneasiness. I hope, sir, I hope, that you, my brother, have not so poor, so low, so mean a thought of me.

It is neither poor, nor low; it is not mean, to be in love, madam,

What! not with an improper object?

Madam!

What have I said? You want to-But what I have now said, was to introduce what I am going to tell you; that I saw your insinuation, and what it tended to, when you read to me those lines of your Shakspeare; which, in your heart, I suppose, you had the goodness, or what shall I call it? to apply to me. Let me see if I can repeat them to you in their original English.

With the accent of her country, she very prettily repeated those lines:

-She never told her love;

But let concealment, like a worm i' th' bud,
Feed on her damask cheek: She pin'd in thought;
And, with a green and yellow melancholy,

She sat, like Patience on a monument,

Smiling at grief.—'

Now, chevalier, if you had any design in your pointing to these very pretty lines, I will only say, you are mistaken; and so are all those who affront and afflict me, with attributing my malady to so great a weakness.

I meant not at the time, madam

Nor now, I hope, sir

Any such application of the lines. How could I?

Your refusal of many lovers; your declining the proposals of a man of the Count of Belvedere's consequence and merit; though approved of by every one of your friends; are convictions

See, Camilla! interrupting me with quickness, the chevalier is convinced!-Pray let me have no more of your affronting questions and conjectures on this subject. I tell you, Camilla, I would not be in love for the world and all its glory.

But, madam, if you will be pleased to assign one cause, to your mamma, for the melancholy turn your lively temper has taken, you will free yourself from a suspicion that gives you pain, as well as displeasure. Perhaps you are grieved that you cannot comply with your father's views-Perhaps

Assign one cause, again interrupted she-Assign one cause!-Why, sir-I am not well—I am not pleased with myself as I told you.

If it were any thing that lay upon your mind, your conscience, madam; your confessor

Would not make me easy. He is a good, but [turning aside and speaking low] a severe man. Camilla hears not what I say. [She had dropt behind.] He is more afraid of me, in some cases, than he need to be. And why? Because you have almost persuaded me to think charitably of people of different persuasions, by your noble charity for all mankind: which I think, heretic as you are, (forgive me, sir,) carries an appearance of true Christian goodness in it though Protestants, it seems, will persecute one another; but you would not be one of those, except you are one man in Italy, another in England.

Your mother, madam, will ask, if you have honoured me with any part of your confidence? Her communicative goodness makes her think every body should be as unreserved as herself. Your father is so good as to allow you to explain yourself to me, when he wishes that I could prevail upon you to open your mind to me in the character of a fourth brother. My lord the bishopYes, yes, sir, interrupted she, all our family worships you almost. I have myself a very great regard for you, as the fourth brother, who has been the deliverer and preserver of my third. But, sir, who can prevail upon you,

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