Puslapio vaizdai
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The petrifying power of vice requires time before it can render the heart completely callous. Lord Monteith had not yet forgot his inimitable Geraldine, the mother of his pretty little girls, the founder of James-town, and the benign enchantress whofe magic powers had converted the wild unfrequented fhores of Loch Lomond into the refidence of plenty, elegance, and happiness. His recollection of the guiltiefs pleasures once enjoyed in her fociety aggravated his fears for her fafety; nor could a thousand Mrs. Harleys detain him from her bedfide. Endeavouring by the fpeed of his return to atone for the criminality of his abfence, relays of horfes were ordered upon the road, and the exertions of the poftboys were ftimulated by additional douceurs. But lord Monteith is not the only furious driver that has found it impoffible to -- travel

travel from himfelf. New to the fuggeftions of remorfe, yet unable to divert the pain of its fcorpion-fting by the fallacious juftification of comparing his own conduct with that of other men of fashion, his troubled imagination continually placed before his eyes the frightful image of an amiable wife murdered by his vicious indifference; and his thoughts were alternately occupied by curfing his own folly, and franticly addreffing Heaven to fpare a life which he now felt to be infinitely dearer than his own.

Such a fituation called for the ameliorating offices of friendship, and the fentimental, difpaffionate Fitzofborne had claimed that pious task. To abate the reader's indignation against that gentleman's conduct, I must affirm,

that it was afterwards fatisfactorily proved, that the fatal paragraph which I have quoted was not communicated

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to the newspaper editor in a handwri ting that bore the leaft refemblance to Edward's. I will alfo own, that his emotions during the journey to Powerfcourt were almost as poignantly diftreffing as thofe of his fellow-traveller. Confcience, indeed, was lefs vehement in her accufations, because her fenfibility had by frequent repreffion been rendered more callous. But the probable difappointment of thofe plans of aggrandifement which he had purfued with fuch wicked diligence, haraffed his apprehenfion; and he regretted, that human fcience had not yet reached its fummit of perfection, by prefenting to him the immortalizing elixir that would enable him to dispute with death for the poffeffion of the victim whom he had marked for a far more dreadful deflination.

END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

Printed by A. Stralian,
Printers-Street.

A

TALE OF THE TIMES.

VOL. III,

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