own; and you wish them to do so. You must bear the inconvenience for the sake of the convenience.'

Well, but, Sir Charles, I am refused to be of the Colnebrook party-absolutely refused. Will you accept of my company? Shall I attend you to Canterbury?

'Are you in earnest, cousin Grandison? Will you oblige me with your company?"

With all my heart and soul, Sir Charles.'

With all mine, I accept your kind offer.' This agreeably surprised his sisters as well as me: but why then so secret, so reserved, to them? Mr. Grandison immediately went out to give orders to his servant for the journey.

'A good-natured man!' said Sir Charles- Charlotte, you are sometimes too quick upon him-are you not?

'Too quick upon him!-No, no! I have hopes of him; for he can be ashamed: that was not always the case with him. Between your gentleness and my quickness, we shall make something of him in time.'

and we

Mr. Grandison immediately returned; lost something that Sir Charles was going to reply. But, by some words he dropped, the purport was to blame his sister for not sparing Mr. Grandison before company.

I imagine, Sir Charles, that if you take Mr. Grandison with you, one may venture to ask a question; whether yon go to any family at Canterbury, that we have heard of?-It is to do good, I am sure.'

Your eyes have asked me that question several times, Charlotte. I aim not making secrets of any thing I do. I need not on this occasion. Yet you, Charlotte, have your secrets.'

He looked grave.

'Have I my secrets, Sir Charles?-Pray what do you thean?

She coloured, and seemed sensibly touched.

'Too much emotion, Charlotte, is a kind of confession. Take care.' Then turning it off with a smile-See, Mr. Grandison, I am revenging your cause. Alarming spirits love not to be alarmed.'

So, Harriet! (whispering to me) '.I am silenced. Had I told you all my heart, I should have half suspected you. How he has fluttered me!-Lady L. this is owing to you,' whispering her behind my chair.

'I know nothing; therefore could tell nothing. —Conscience, conscience! Charlotte,' re-whispered Lady L.

She sat still, and was silent for a little while, Lord and Lady L. smiling, and seeming to enjoy her agreeable confusion. At last-But, Sir Charles you always had secrets. You got out of me two or three of mine without exchange-You-'

Don't be uneasy, my Charlotte, I expected a prompt, not a deliberate reply. My life is a various life. Some things I had better not have known myself. See, Charlotte, if you are serious, you will make me so. I have not any motives of action, I hope, that are either capricious, or conceited.' [Surely, Lucy, he cannot have seen what I wrote to you about his reserves! I thought he looked at me.]—Only this one hint, my sister: whenever you condescend to consult me, let me have every thing before me, that shall be necessary to enable me to form a judgment-But why so grave, Charlotte? Impute all I have said, as a revenge of Mr. Grandison's cause, in gratitude for his obliging offer of accompanying me to Canterbury.'

'Cannot you reward him, Sir Charles, but by purishing me?

A good question, Charlotte.-But do you take what I have said in that light?'

'I have done for the present, sir: but I hope, when you return, we shall come to an eclaircissement.'

"Needs it one?-Will not better and more interesting subjects have taken place by that time?' -And he looked at her with an eye of particular meaning.

'Now is he beginning to wind about me,' whispered she to me, as I told you at Colnebrook : were he and I alone, he'd have me before I knew where I was. Had he been a wicked man, he would have been a very wicked one.'

She was visibly uneasy; but was afraid to say any more on the subject.

Lady L. whispered-Ah! Charlotte, you are taken in your own toils. You had better let me into your secret. I would bring you off if I could.' 'Be quiet, Lady L.'

We then talked of the time in the morning of our setting out for Colnebrook. I thought I read Miss Emily's mind in her eyes. Shall we not have the pleasure of Miss Jervois's company?' said I to the sisters.

Emily bowed to me, and smiled.

The very thing that Miss Jervois was petitioning to me for,' said Sir Charles: and I wished, ladies, to have the motion come from one of you.' Emily shall go with us, I think,' said Miss Grandison.

"Thank you, madam,' said she: I will take care not to break in upon you impertinently.'

6

What, dost thou too think we have secrets, child?'

'Consent with your usual grace, Charlotte: are you not too easily affected?' Sir Charles spoke this smi'ing.

Every thing you say, Sir Charles, affects me.' 'I ought then to be very careful of what I say. If I have given my sister pain, I beg her to forgive me.'

'I am afraid to go on,' whispered she to me. 'Were he and I only together, my heart would be in his hand in a moment.'

'I have only this to observe, Miss Grandison,' whispered I:- When you are too hard upon me, I know to whom to apply for revenge.'

'Such another word, Harriet, and I'll blow you

What could she mean by that?- Blow me up! I have locked up my aunt's last letters, where so much is said about entangling, and inclination, and so forth. When any thing occurs that we care not to own, I see by Miss Grandison, that it is easy for the slightest hint to alarm us.

But Sir Charles to say so seriously as he did"That his life was a various life;' and that he had better not have known some things himself;' affects me not a little. What can a man of his prudence have had to disturb him? But my fa vourite author says

Yet, with a sigh o'er all mankind, I grant,
In this our day of proof, our land of hope,
The good man has his clouds that intervene ;
Clouds that obscure his sublunary day,
But never conquer. E'en the best must own,
Patience and resignation are the pillars
Of human peace on earth-

NIGHT THOUGHTS.

But so young a man! so prudent! as I said; and so generally beloved! But that he is so, may

be the occasion -Some lady, I doubt!-What sad people are we women at this rate! Yet some women may have the worst of it. What are your thoughts on all these appearances, Lucy?

Miss Grandison, as I said, is uneasy. These are the words that disturb her:- Only this one hint, my sister! whenever you condescend to consult me, let me have every thing before me that shall be necessary to enable me to form a judgment.'— And so they would me in her case.

But it seems plain from Sir Charles's hint, that he keeps to himself (as Miss Grandison once indeed said in his favour) those intelligences which would disturb her, and his other friends, to know. The secret which he would have made of the wicked challenge; his self-invited breakfasting with Sir Hargrave; are proofs, among others, of this: and if this be his considerate motive, what a forward, what a censorious creature have I been, on so many occasions, to blame him for his reserves, and particularly for his Canterbury excursions! I think I will be cautious for the future, how I take upon me to censure those actions, which in such a man I cannot account for.

Miss Grandison, on her brother's withdrawing with Dr. Bartlett, said- Well, now that my cousin Grandison will accompany my brother to Canterbury, we shall have that secret out in course.' LADY L.' It seems to be your fault, Charlotte, that we have not had it before.'

MISS GR. Be quiet, Lady L.'

MR. GR. Perhaps not. You'll find I can keep a secret, cousin, especially if I am desired to do so. MISS GR. I shall wonder at that.'

MR. GR. Why so?"

MISS GR.Shall I give it you in plain English?"
MR. GR. You don't use to mince it.'