I can bear any thing better than fufpense."

"Come, come," anfwered Armitage, affecting to speak cheerfully, “ I will not be questioned in this way by a little inquifitor. What is all this ?"

Medora then related what had happened the preceding part of the day, and obferving narrowly the countenance of Armitage, faw that he struggled to conceal the effect her account had upon him.

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Well, well,” said he, "my dear little girl, as we know not whither to go after these truants, your father and Delmont, we must be quiet; they will come to us no doubt by and by; they know where to find you, and I think you need not doubt the folicitude of both to return to you as foon as they can; it will give them more pain than pleafure to find you thus watchful, thus uneafy.: Come, give me a glass of wine and water; you fhall drink fome with me, and then I fhall fend you to bed. Good girls fhould

not be rakes you know, and you look already tired."

"No indeed," faid Medora, " I shall not think of repofe till my father returns. Good God! my dear Mr. Armitage, how can you imagine I can fleep, when there is every reason to believe my father is detained by intelligence of my poor mother, and that the intelligence is unpleafant; for were it otherwife, would not he or would not Delmont have returned ??? →

Armitage, who was a very bad diffembler, contented himself with affuring her fhe was mistaken, but he had not courage, and the perceived he had not, to undertake deceiving her by any premeditated falfehood, and it was evident he was himself in fo much anxiety, that He could not rally her's. They continued therefore together to listen to every coach that approached, and to ftart various conjectures, though what Armitage either knew or gueffed he carefully concealed from Medora, while

fhe,

fhe, who knowing nothing, imagined much that was diftreffing, and dwelt chiefly on her mother, became at length fo wretched that Armitage thought it almoft cruel not to disclose to her the truth as far as he was acquainted with it.

Between one and two o'clock Delmont's voice was heard in the paflage. Armitage with difficulty reftrained Medora from flying to him, but affuring her upon his honour he would return to let her know in a moment, the confented to remain quiet, while Delmont, who had fent for him down, took him into a parlour, and faid, "I rejoice to fee you. Our friend is arrefted for a debt due before he left England. It is confiderable. I have offered bail with a refpectable tradefman whom I knew, but the rafcals who have taken Glenmorris have refufed it, and he having in his turn refused to go to a fpunging house, I have been with him to the Fleet prifon, where I have juft left him al am convinced there is fomething more

in it than we know of. Brownjohn has been feen with the attorney employed against him, and it was intimated to me by one of the bailiff's followers, that there were people who were determined at all events to keep him in cuftody."

Armitage appeared greatly fhocked at this account. "Ah! my dear Delmont," faid he "what complicated evils are at this moment the lot of our unhappy friends; and how fhall we reveal to the lovely girl above ftairs an event which is, however, less diftreffing than that which has befallen her admirable mother-poor Mrs. Glenmorris!"

"You have feen her then ?"

"Yes, I have seen her, but in what a ftate! I know not Delmont, if death itself would not be preferable to fo fad a condition. I found her wandering about an absolute maniac, raving for her daughter, and execrating the cruelty of Lady Mary. She had been fome days in this deplorable state before I found her, and I fear all help may be now too late. What

What punishment do they deferve who have occafioned this? Execrable villains! infernal forcereffes! my blood turns to gall when I think of them. Oh! my friend Delmont we can relieve Glenmorris from their accursed machinations ; but who can reftore to him his wife? who can give back her mother to Medora ?"

Delmont, heart ftruck, and running over in his mind all the distress that at once awaited his Medora, now heard with increased anguifh, the particulars, which Armitage thus related: "I left London," faid he, "with a refolution to find this dear unhappy woman if fhe ftill exifted. It seemed certain from all that paffed between you and the porter and his wife, at Lady Mary de Verdon's, that fomething was known of her in that family. With extreme difficulty I traced her to a confinement, where Lady Mary had placed her, twenty miles fouth of London. I enquired for her at the houfe. The

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