which the increafing gloom of her lord's did not relieve. Befide the accufations of confcience, Monteith's foul ftruggled with other forrows. His initiation into the mysteries of the gaming-houses had been attended by fevere loffes; and while the extravagance of a mercenary courtezan had been fupplied with the fums appropriated to his trade finen, he had fatisfied his debts of honour by granting annuities upon his eftate to that fet of harpies who glory in the wealth which they have acquired by adminiftering tỏ the vices of mankind. For the first time fince his marriage, the earl was informed by his fteward, that the yearly expenditure would greatly exceed his rent-roll. Impatient of enduring the blame of any fault which he could transfer to another, he determined to place this defalcation to the fums which lady lady Monteith had expended in the improvement of the adjacent country, and in some fresh erections at James-town, with which fhe had amused herself during his absence. He read her a long lecture of economy; reprobated her turn for expensive alterations; and affirmed, that it would be the means of compelling him to leave the feat of his ancestors. Thefe reproofs were new, ill disguised by the pretence of providing for his fon's education, and ill-timed: for, relying upon his wonted liberality, Geraldine had not only endeavoured to occupy her mind by fome expensive erections in the park, but had also fet on foot fome new charitable inftitutions which her benevolent heart could not abandon without feeling the most lively regret. Forgetting, or perhaps wanting fortitude to ufe the guiding clue by which she had formerly been accuftomed tomed to influence his opinions, she attempted to remonftrate, but was soon filenced by a reply which her enfeebled fpirits could not fupport. She retired in tears. It The reader will not believe that Fitzofborne had been fincere in his wishes of affecting an entire reconciliation. answered his purpose to bring the earl back, freed from his connection with Mrs. Harley; he had performed that undertaking, and taught the countess that he owed him an indelible debt of gratitude. He now generally left his lordship to that mifery which muft be the natural effect of a perturbed confcience and perplexed circumftances upon a mind which wanted wisdom to plan and fortitude to perfevere in a fyftem of ceconomical retrenchment, or to efface error by fincere repentance. He law with pleasure the gay, careless, generous generous earl of Monteith, become gloomy, abfent, morofe, and penurious. He faw too, that the bottle was constantly applied to, not as formerly, to be an auxiliary to mirth, but as an opiate to filence care. Affection could no longer bind the heart of Geraldine to fuch a partner. Continual provocation must weaken the claims of duty; and there needed nothing more than that himself should exhibit the full effect of contraft, by a difplay of the virtues moft opposite to Monteith's vices, and to proceed in his defign of enfeebling the power of religious principles, to ren der the unfufpecting countefs his easy prey. Her oppofition to what she thought the extreme rigidity of fome of Mifs Evans's opinions, and her tacit acquiefcence with feveral of his tenets, convinced him, that he had made a confiderable progrefs. He continued |