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Nobody now could doubt his teftimony, the words were fo very like what fir William would fay.

When the gentlemen adjourned to the drawing-room, the bufy fprite I have before alluded to had taken poffeffion of that goodly field, and inftigated a lady, at the hazard of engroffing too much of the converfation, to enumerate all the bride's paraphernalia. One part of the company indeed affirmed, that they were told Mifs Powerscourt fecretly dif approved of the match; but three young ladies, influenced by the fame fupernatural agency, protefted that they knew better. They were, they faid, her very intimate friends, and were entrusted by her with the fecret of her attachment to her coufin, which had fubfifted from their earlieft years. During thefe narratives, the countenance of Monteith varied from the crimfon glow of rage to

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lord Monteith, and accept Henry Powerfcourt, and to reprobate the extravagant demand of eight hundred a-year for pin-money, on which the intended bride had pofitively infifted. Another of Fame's bufy meffengers was a gentleman fox-hunter, a man of extreme caution and undoubted veracity, who affirmed at lord W.'s public dinner, that he had met two barristers and a ferjeant at law riding poft to fir William's that very day. On one of the company obferving, that three lawyers confulting upon a fettlement was rather unufual, fquire Weftern affirmed with an oath, that one of his neighbours told him fir William would have it fo: "These lawyers," faid he, " are fad

quarrelfome fellows, and if two of "them fhould disagree, I will have the "third ready to be umpire; for the "wedding fhall take place next week.” bnol

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Nobody now could doubt his teftimony, the words were fo very like what fir William would say.

When the gentlemen adjourned to the drawing-room, the busy sprite I have before alluded to had taken poffeffion of that goodly field, and instigated a lady, at the hazard of engroffing too much of the converfation, to enumerate all the bride's paraphernalia. One part of the company indeed affirmed, that they were told Mifs Powerscourt fecretly dif approved of the match; but three young ladies, influenced by the fame fupernatural agency, protefted that they knew better. They were, they faid, her very intimate friends, and were entrusted by -her with the fecret of her attachment to her coufin, which had fubfifted from their earliest years. During these narratives, the countenance of Monteith varied from the crimfon glow of rage to

the livid hue of jealoufy; and, as he was not fufficiently verfed in the science of felf-command to conceal his strong emotions, the ladies were all highly entertained with the idea that he really was very much in love still; forgetting, or perhaps having never read in the fable, that what is fport to one may be death to another,

It was only by repeated obfervations, that all thofe reports could not be true, and that the lady's word deferved confidence, that lord W. could prevail upon his noble guest to fufpend the execution of his fanguinary defigns. At this crifis the unexpected, the transporting intelligence arrived, that Henry was certainly gone in difgrace from Powerf court; but neither the lame dowager, the cautious fox-hunter, the criticising lady, nor even the intimate friends of Geraldine, could tell why..

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