Scotland tended rather to exafperate than to ameliorate his rage; and becaufe their letters did not criminate their mistrefs, he accufed them of being participators in her crime.

Difappointed, by Fitzofborne's leave ing the kingdom, in his intentions of either calling him out to combat, or of confining him in prifon by the preffure of legal damages, the earl's fury pointed at the countefs with an afperity which increased with every real or fancied infult to which her tarnished honour had expofed him; and he purfued the prescribed means of " cafting her off a prey to fortune," with an avidity and acrimony proportioned to the violence with which he had once loved her and confided in her virtue. He had fent for his children to London, from the idea, that fhe might have the effrontery to visit them at Monteith; and his

Own

own active fufpicions, aided by Arabella's malignity, foon taught him to. believe, that his unfortunate little fon was the offspring of guilt. His memory continually tortured him with inftances of Fitzosborne's attention to the infant, whofe ill health, during its first months of existence, had rendered it a yet more tender object of Geraldine's maternal care; and the perfuafion that a fpurious iffue would inherit his lineal honours, formed the climax of his mifery. The dying countefs, worn by mental and corporeal anguish, was perhaps lefs an object of pity. Inebriety was his wretched refource; but even inebriety was ineffectual. His burning paffions kindled with the feverish draught; and his fervants, who once idolized their frank generous mafter, now trembled for their own fafety whenever they approached him.

In this ftate of mind he was encoun tered by Mr. Powerfcourt, the benevo lent advocate of his unhappy wife. The proffered letter was rejected with disdain. The jewels were dashed upon the floor. Every request was anfwered by a fullen negative, and the reprefentation of her fufferings was treated as a false pretence invented to excite compaffion. The cruel Arabella, who liftened to the narrative of her prefent fituation with more attention than her impaffioned brother could command, coldly obferved, that The really thought dying was the best thing which the poor imprudent lady could now do. Disappointed in his hopes, and even refused the fight of the children, left he should revive the remembrance of a mother whom lady Arabella faid they muft forget, Mr. Powerscourt took leave with feelings of the deepest indignation against the unjuft,

juft, inhuman, felf-approving cruelty, which denied forgiveness to one lefs criminal, and withheld from a dying penitent the only confolation which could relieve her mortal agonies.

On returning to his hotel, his attention was arrested by an acquaintance, who folicited him to contribute to the relief of a poor fellow who had known better days. He had formerly been his fervant, but was now out of place; and the fudden departure of his laft mafter from England had deprived him of a recommendatory character. Henry turned to look at the object of this exordium, and inftantly recognized one of Fitzofborne's attendants. The confufion with which Pomade appeared to be overwhelmed was too extraordinary to escape his fixed obfervation. I shall not particularize what the reader's penetration

tration will eafily anticipate. The precipitation with which Fitzofborne had fied from England, joined to his natural ingratitude, and the embarraffment of his circumstances, had prevented him from rewarding the agent who had principally affifted his diabolical defigns on lady Monteith. The preffure of poverty, and an accidental rencontre, induced the fubaltern villain to difcover what he knew of that iniquitous tranfaction, in hopes of obtaining temporary fupport. Lord Monteith was foon acquainted with every particular which specified the accumulated guilt of the perfidious wretch who, under the fair guife of friendship, had completed the deftruction of a happy family.

The obfervations by which Mr. Pow erfcourt intended to have inforced this unequivocal testimony were now precluded by the vehemence of Lord Monteith's