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the delay of which the rightly attributed the prevention of a defirable union. She had once intended to apply to the known munificence of her lord; but her illness, and the painful events which had followed and preceded it, prevented that defign, and interrupted her negociation with her father. She renewed it with increased earnestnefs upon the death of the elder Mr. Powerfcourt; and at length, by the discovery of her Lucy's fecret, won his cheerful acquiefcence. "I never thought, my dear," faid the good man, "that thofe young "people had a liking for each other. "I am fure, if they had told me fo, I "fhould have given my confent im"mediately. Why did they keep me "in the dark? My god-daughter is a "very difcreet girl; and you know I "can fix them fo near me that I may "fee Henry every day which, as it is fitting

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fitting you should give up most of "your time to your husband and chil"dren, is, let me tell you, a great "comfort to me. I always was afraid, "that Henry would take it in his "head to be in love with fome of your "London ladies, who would not like "to play a game at cribbage to divert "an old man now and then; and I "thought Lucy never intended to "marry, not hearing of her having "any lover, which for fuch a pretty "modeft girl was extraordinary. Well, "I muft fay, it is very odd that they "fhould happen to like each other, for "things don't often happen as we wish they should."

Though fir William's conftitutional habits gave a flowness to his deliberations, nothing could be more rapid than his execution of any plan in which he knew the happiness of a fellow-creature to be involved.

involved. He immediately fent for his fteward and his attorney. The writings were forted out, the deed of gift drawn up, the letter written, and the meffenger dispatched, before he could commit himself to his pillow with the hope of enjoying a comfortable revision of the proceedings of the past day. Lady Monteith could fcarcely reftrain him from telling his little god-daughter, as he called her, after dinner, that he liked her choice very well, and that, if Geraldine had told him fooner how she had fixed her affections, she should not have been kept in fufpence. The countess was defirous of enjoying the refined pleasure of secretly difpenfing good; and fhe wifhed, that an explicit avowal on the part of Henry fhould precede the detection of Lucy's love.

That avowal was made in terms equally honourable to his own ingenuE 5

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ous integrity, and aufpicious to her future happiness. And while a tear stole down Geraldine's cheek at her cousin's impreffive recollection of the event which conftrained him to fubdue an attachment that " grew with his growth" and mixed itself with all the strong impreffions that ardent youth receives, fhe faw with pleasure the fucceeding paragraph point out the merits of his mature choice with clear difcrimination, and generously prevent the confusion of maiden delicacy, by carefully avoiding that apparent certainty of acceptance which his knowledge of the state of her heart might have prompted him to

affume.

Mifs Evans's reply announced the paternal fanction which her lover had folicited, and she added, with all the frank fincerity of her character, a confeffion of the esteem and gratitude (I am al

moft

moft afraid the faid

tenderness too)

which his long-known worth had infpired. The laws by which we veftal fifters were accustomed to conduct our affairs of courtship were much more auftere and remorfelefs, and better calculated to keep up the dignity of the sex than those which the prefent race of beauties adopt.

Then love could live on flender bounties,
Then lovers gallop'd o'er two counties,
The ball's fair partner to behold,
And humbly hope fhe caught no cold.

One year generally elafped before the fuitor could prefume to expect a direct reply; and it was not till after seven years' punctual attendance, or the actual drawing up of the marriage-fettlements, that the lady's acknowledgment of reciprocal esteem could be juftified. Some husbands, my cotemporaries, have declared, that the trepidations of doubt E 6 and

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