Panting for independence, yet difdaining to acquire it by any means which he thought irreconcileable with lady Monteith's interefts, or with his deference and gratitude to her father, Mr. Powerscourt repeatedly refolved to pursue the defired bleffing by the flow but pleasant path of his own active exertions in fome employment. Yet fir William's love of his kinfman's fociety increasing with his infirmities furnished a thousand objections to every profeffion or engagement which was fucceffively propofed. The baronet at length precluded all further application by asking Henry, why he wanted to leave him? "Don't be uneafy," faid he, "about "your future profpects. Depend upon " it, I fhall provide for you." Thus compelled to refer the fecurity of his own happiness to a diftant and uncertain period, Mr. Powerfcourt fubmitted

with respectful filence to his benefactor's will. He contented himself with acquainting the amiable object of his affections with the peculiarity of his fituation; and he hoped her penetration would confider that as a fufficient reafon for preventing his tongue from avowing the preference which his manner ftrongly expreffed.

Though Henry's behaviour perfectly agrees with my ideas of honour, I am afraid fome fifter of the quill, better verfed in the new code which has been introduced into the court of Cupid, will detect a thousand grofs mifdemeanours, of which the above Henry Powerscourt has been guilty. They may prove according to the letter of thefe recent acts, that his behaviour to Mifs Evans ought to have been more rude, capricious, and inattentive, in proportion as he difcovered her pre

ference,

ference, and felt the increase of his own. Very likely the new method of argument may prove, that this would have been the most honourable way of proceeding. I fhall ftill continue obftinately disposed to deny that it is the most natural.

Gifted with that intuitive knowledge which the votaries of the purblind god individually poffefs, Lucy read her lover's sentiments in his eyes, and allowed the propriety of his conduct. Yet, when fhe looked forward to the expected events of her future life, gratitude, esteem, and veneration, generally excited a pious tear at the idea, that her own anxieties must not expect a final termination until the neighbourhood was deprived of the bleffings it had long received from the unfparing benevolence of fir William Powerfcourt.

Affairs

Affairs were in this fituation, when lady Monteith arrived from London. She had juft opportunity to make a few agreeable difcoveries, when the party were deprived of Mr. Powerfcourt's company. He was fummoned to attend the fick bed of his father, whofe expectations, in respect to the marriage of his fon, had been quite as unfavourable to Henry's defigns, as the protracted bounty of fir William. Young Powerfcourt being unquestionably the finest gentleman the good old yeoman had ever seen, there arose a neceffity of his matching well; and as no lady in all the land could refufe him, there was no reason why he fhould take up with a parfon's daughter. Indeed old Mr. Powerscourt had already felected his daughter-in law; his bold ambition having directed him to no lefs a perfonage

than

than madam Hetty ap Owen ap Thomas, his own landlady, and lady of the manor befide. But as the juvenile attractions of youth, beauty, and sweetnefs, were less visible in the preferred fair, than the folid advantages of large property and high blood, the father was a more ardent admirer than the fon: and, though the path of the latter was very much smoothed by the encomiums which the former bestowed upon "fon Hal," and an enumeration of what his coufin fir William intended to do for him, which were repeated every time he went to pay his rent: nay, though mifs Hetty herfelf always diftinguifhed the bow of young Powerscourt by a lower curtefy, as fhe walked up the aisle to her own pew on a Sunday, and even once honoured him fo far as to ask him to dine with her and the curate,

VOL. III.

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