difinterested as her new admirer (for he affumed that character in a few days); and she did not even attempt to mifconftrue his behaviour, or to disguise the pleasure which the received from his addreffes. Fitzofborne was not a fenfualift. Beauty was to him a mere abstract quality, particularly when affociated to the idea of a wife. He had been too long accustomed to the corufcations of real genius, to bestow more than a languid fmile on lady Arabella's jejune bon mots. Even that languid fmile was foon converted into faturnine filence. Her character was too fuperficial to intereft his attention. He difcovered her foibles, detected her artifices, and defpifed her understanding, in the first month of his courtship. She was too easy a conqueft for his ambition; and nothing but the reluctance which he felt at the thought of being dependent

F. 5

pendent upon his brother could have reconciled him to the idea of an alliance.

Perceiving her heart irredeemably enthralled, (though in this opinion he was fomewhat duped by his own vanity,) he began to act the preconcerted part. He was now no longer the affiduous lover, but the man of firm honour and inviolable integrity, incapable of betraying unfufpicious innocence, or of feducing a young lady from the duty which fhe owed to the protecting kindness of a venerable relation. Lady Arabella unwarily acknowledged, that her aunt was inclined to fuspect a mercenary mɔtive for his addreffes, and this drew from him an exordium on the purity and difinterestedness of his attachment, with a declaration, that though it would glow in his breaft with unabated fervour, yet he had rather perifh the untimely victim

of

of defpair, than justify lady Madelina's fentiments by a departure from that ftrict honour which had ever been the ruling principle of his life. "No! "lady Arabella," continued he, while the astonished lady was incapable of interrupting him, the enlightened mind "needs no other incentive than conscious " rectitude to enable it always to act as it ought. I can fupport penury, exilė,

or even the lofs of you; but I cannot fupport difgrace. Lady Madelina has injured me by her unjuft fufpicions. "She has cruelly ftriven to infuse her "own narrow prejudices into a mind "which I hoped was incapable of an "illiberal doubt. How can I be fure "that he has not fucceeded? Your

"

eyes, your manner, evince lefs confi"dence than they were wont: and my " alarmed heart anticipates the gloomy "period, when referve and fufpicion

"fhall chill the fentiments of pure, in<< genuous, difinterefted love. Sooner " than fuch mifchiefs fhall fall upon me, "I will refign you, madam, and even "at this moment tear myself from you " for ever."

"I cannot fee for what reason," returned the lady, whom this vehement oratory had driven from her ufual refource of playing with her fan or adjufting her dress; " I declare, Mr. Fitz"ofborne, I can't bear to hear you talk "fo." If the declamation of the gentleman was pathetic, the filence of the lady was no less fo; for it proceeded from a flood of tears.

After a few forced compliments to this trait of feeling, Edward resumed the discourse on the subject of the claims of duty, which were, he said, often incompatible with those of the heart. In the conclufion he seemed a little foftened

on:

on the harsh subject of eternal feparation but then lady Madelina muft come forward, unfay her former cruel afperfions, and with her own hand lead her niece to the altar.

Reveal then, ye immortal Mufes ! who inspire great defigns, what means. achieved the glorious task of fubjugating lady Madelina's narrow fufpicions, and reftoring to her mind the beautiful fimplicity of nature. Neither the refplen

dent character nor the exalted birth of a Fitzosborne could have gained the arduous victory, if powers fupernal had not intervened. First, Venus, queen of gentle devices! taught her prototype, lady Arabella, the use of feigned fighs, artificial tears, and ftudied faintings: while Efculapius defcended from Olympus, and, affuming the form of a smart phyfician, ftepped out of an elegant chariot, and on viewing the patient,

after