directions to prepare for their departure.. The poor girls, who faw the deftruction. of all the projects they had formed for the prosperity of their brother, attempted,, but vainly, to foothe her-The greater fhe found her power of inflicting pain, the more delight the feemed to feel. At. length a note was delivered to Caroline,, who, half drowned in tears, found the contents to be thefe :. "Think it not unkind in your brother if he absents himself for fome time from an houfe, where you will continue to exercise the duties of hospitality towards our guests, so long as Mifs Goldthorp's fituation fhall continue to make. it a convenient abode for her and her friends. The concerns of a friend, to whom. I am under obligations, and my own refolution never to fuffer my perfonal freedom to be encroached upon, unite to detain me. I am forry to do what may be termed rude to Dr. Winflow; but the difference of of my going or ftaying is to him trifling, while I should, by doing the latter, fubject myself to many difagreeable hours, which is, you know, what I determine never to do, when the facrifice of myself can be of little or no use to others. I need give you no other reasons; and furely need not to my Caroline and my Louisa fay that they will always have a tender and affectionate brother in "G. D." Direct to me at Armitage's, fhould you have occafion to write.' It feemed as if the certainty of having driven Delmont from his house had a momentary effect on Mrs. Crewkherne, and though still vehemently reviling him, The confented to let his abfence pass, as being occafioned by business, if his fifters wrote to endeavour to recal him before it fhould be known he withdrew in anger. While Louisa therefore wrote, Caroline went up to the apartment of Mifs Goldthorp, who, irritated and wea ried by the converfation fhe had just before had with her uncle and aunt, and dreading the perfecution fhe forefaw on behalf of their fon, hefitated no longer either in avowing her decided partiality towards Delmont, or in confenting that it should be made known to him. In this she did not imagine fhe made any facrifice of her pride; for fhe-was perfuaded Delmont had forborne to address her merely on account of the diftance fortune had placed between them, nor her vanity ever suffered her to fuppofe it poffible, that there was in the world a man who could be indifferent to, or refufe fuch a woman with fuch a fortune. CHA P. XIII. "O friendly to the best pursuits of man, DR READING nothing fo much as returning to the gloomy fociety of fanatics and bigots at the London refidence of Mrs. Crewkherne, Caroline Delmont affifted her fifter, and both exerted all the little fineffe they were mistrefs of to influence their brother; they represented the attachment of the young heirefs, whom fo many fought, as demanding all his gratitude; fpoke highly of her good qualities, and touched on the independence as well as on the power of doing good, which the poffeffion of fuch a fortune would beftow. The letter being finifhed with great care, was dispatched by a meffenger on horfeback, horfeback, and with beating heart Caroline and Louifa waited his return, contriving in the meantime how to proceed, if the answer fhould be unfavourable, The man who had been fent returned much fooner than they had expected with the following anfwer from Delmont: "Believe, my dearest girls, that I am fenfible of all I owe to your fond folicitude, and were there any confideration on earth that could induce me to fwerve from the principles by which I have determined to govern my own conduct, it would be the defire I feel to give even temporary happiness to my beloved fifters; but indeed, my dear Caroline and Louisa, it would be only temporary, for you would foon ceafe to be happy, when you became confcious that your brother was miferable; and miferable it is very certain he would be, if he fraudulently poffeffed himself of the perfon of any wo'man for the fake of the fortune that belonged to it. Such would be my con 1 duct, |