lord Monteith, and accept Henry Powerfcourt, and to reprobate the extravagant demand of eight hundred a-year for pin-money, on which the intended bride had pofitively infifted. Another of Fame's bufy meffengers was a gentleman fox-hunter, a man of extreme caution and undoubted veracity, who affirmed at lord W.'s public dinner, that he had met two barristers and a ferjeant at law riding poft to fir William's that very day. On one of the company observing, that three lawyers confulting upon a fettlement was rather unufual, fquire Weftern affirmed with an oath, that one of his neighbours told him fir William would have it fo: "These lawyers," faid he, "are fad " quarrelfome fellows, and if two of "them fhould difagree, I will have the "third ready to be umpire; for the "wedding fhall take place next week." Nobody Nobody now could doubt his teftimony, the words were fo very like what fir William would fay. When the gentlemen adjourned to the drawing-room, the busy sprite I have before alluded to had taken poffeffion of that goodly field, and inftigated a lady, at the hazard of engroffing too much of the conversation, to enumerate all the bride's paraphernalia. One part of the company indeed affirmed, that they were told Mifs Powerfcourt fecretly dif approved of the match; but three young ladies, influenced by the fame fupernatural agency, protefted that they knew better. They were, they faid, her very intimate friends, and were entrusted by her with the fecret of her attachment to her coufin, which had fubfifted from their earliest years. During these narratives, the countenance of Monteith varied from the crimfon glow of rage to the livid hue of jealoufy; and, as he was not fufficiently versed in the science of felf-command to conceal his strong emotions, the ladies were all highly entertained with the idea that he really was very much in love ftill; forgetting, or perhaps having never read in the fable, that what is fport to one may be death to another. It was only by repeated obfervations, that all thofe reports could not be true, and that the lady's word deferved confidence, that lord W. could prevail upon his noble guest to fufpend the execution of his fanguinary defigns. At this crifis the unexpected, the tranfporting intelligence arrived, that Henry was certainly gone in difgrace from Powerf court; but neither the lame dowager, the cautious fox-hunter, the criticising lady, nor even the intimate friends of Geraldine, could tell why.. The The state of affairs, both at the park and at fir William's, foon underwent a furprising revolution. The lovely Geraldine, with fteps once more light as the wood-nymph's, flew to communicate to her dear Lucy the intelligence which her sparkling eyes, and the smiles that played around her fascinating face, had already anticipated. Lord Monteith had renewed his addreffes in the moft paffionate but refpectful terms;, and fir William, contrafting fuch strong attachment with Henry's cold refufal, had declared, that as his own plans were fruftrated, he should have no longer any objection to his lordship, provided fome peculiar conditions were granted, with which Monteith joyfully complied. "Felicitate me, Lucy," added Mifs Powerscourt, "upon the happy "change in my fituation. I fcorn the mean affectation of keeping a gene ་ << rous |
