Puslapio vaizdai
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tration will easily anticipate. The precipitation with which Fitzofborne had fled from England, joined to his natural ingratitude, and the embarraffment of his circumftances, 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. Powerfcourt intended to have inforced this unequivocal teftimony were now precluded by the vehemence of Lord Mon

teith's

teith's felf-accufation. His once-adored wife was proved to be innocent in that inftance which had appeared to fix upon her the charge of deliberate perfidy. The final views of Fitzofborne could only be obtained by bafe falfehood and almoft murderous fraud. Her delicate fenfe of honour, fhrinking with horror from the imputation of crimes, of which he had rather been the victim than the participator, overpowered her feeble frame; and the wronged innocent (for fo the quick tranfition of lord Monteith's paffions induced him now to think her) muft with her life atone for a husband's credulous confidence and a traitor's temerity. She was now dearer than ever to his heart; and lady Arabella, convinced that there was no refifting a torrent, endeavoured to obliterate the remembrance of paft farcasms by her lively commiferation for the

sweet

fweet fufferer. Lord Monteith afked for the rejected letter; bathed every fentence with tears; called for the little outcaft, whom he had renounced and banished from his fight; and recollected with horror, that he had fent it to a diftant county till the law fhould relieve him from the fuppofititious incumbrance. His daughters were now alternately folded in his arms. Their likeness to their mother was recognized with heart-rending anguish. anguish. In fine, the carriages were immediately ordered for Caernarvonshire; and the tedious journey was fomewhat beguiled by the hope, that a reconciliation to her lord, and the prefence of her children, might ftop the progress of decay. The filence of Henry was intended to fuppress that vain expectation, and to prepare the unhappy husband for the fcenes which awaited him.

Compaffion

Compaffion for the children, who fuffered much from the fatigue of rapid travelling induced Mr. Powerscourt to ftop two stages fhort of their intended. deftination; and he was urging lord Monteith to try to obtain a few hours repose when an exprefs arrived from the manor-houfe to announce the increased danger of the countefs, and to expedite his return. Fresh horfes were immediately ordered, and the travellers fet off with a rapidity which even the speed of the earl's former journey could not equal. His tortured memory continually recalled the occurrences of that journey, and his heart feemed fomewhat eafed of the pangs of felf-reproach by the invectives with which he loaded the arch-hypocrite, who then acted the part of friendship, that he might be enabled with his fcorpion fangs to tranffix his breaft with impunity. A ray of hope would fometimes break in. Geraldine

raldine had recovered from one dangerous attack; why not again? Henry had indeed affirmed that the vital organs were irreparably injured; but it was prefumptuous to affirm what human fkill could not afcertain.-She might live, and they might yet be happy. Rafh, misjudging Monteith! when happiness was not only in thy power but abfolutely in thy poffeffion, the common bleffing feemed unworthy prefervation. All thy folicitude, all the anguish that corrodes thy foul, cannot now restore the flighted good. Could the healing art acquire miraculous energy fufficient to renew in the lamented fufferer the loveliness and the fprightly health which once captivated thy foul,

"Not poppy, nor mandragora,

"Nor all the drowsy fyrups in the world, "Can ever medicine to a mind diseased.

-" O, now for ever

"Farewell the tranquil mind! farewell content."

The

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