"The visits of Mr. Talton in some degree restored my liberty: but solitude was then become my choice; my mind, by constantly dwelling on the waywardness of my fate, became gloomy; and my wretchedness was farther encreased, by hearing the exultations of my mother, at the subjection to which she had reduced me.

"Mallet, nevertheless, wished my death, under an apprehension that I might, one day, discover the means which had been used to defraud me of my possessions; and repeatedly endeavoured to persuade her to let him administer such drugs as, without leaving any signs of violence, would quickly send me to the grave.—This, however, my mother as often opposed; and, at last declared, if I died, she would marry Talton.

"This arrangement by no means satisfied Mallet, whose real motive, I believe, was an idea, that if I were dead, he might persuade or terrify her into a marriage with himself.

"In the mean time, my mother continued her usual mode of behaviour toward me; occasionally allowing me the liberty of rambling in the surrounding plantations, though with two or three servants to watch me, lest I should again attempt to escape.

"Thus passed more than a twelve-month, when I was taken ill; I loathed my food; my strength failed me; and repose became a stranger to my pillow. Frequently I passed the night in pacing my room; or, when the moon afforded sufficient light, in contemplating the venerable structure where the ashes of my father rested, or in tracing the different haunts where he had so often attended me in my juvenile rambles.

"One night, as usual, I deserted my bed, my mind brooding on the ills which might befall my Eliza and her friends, if fate should consign me to the tomb; an event I thought very likely to happen;—restless, and not knowing where to fly for relief, I, after some time wandering about the chamber, unlocked the door of the private room; and, almost unconsciously, advanced to the spot which had afforded me such a source of unhappiness.

"Mallet was with my mother, and I soon found a disagreement, of no trivial nature, had taken place.

"'—I speak more from a consideration of your safety, Lady Corbet, than my own,' I heard him say. 'I have many resources which you have not; and—I again repeat it—whilst Sir Henry lives, not only your property, but your life also, is in danger: and, a moment's consideration would make you sensible of what the consequence must be, should Mrs. Blond or Mrs. Crawton seek the protection of Talton. They have eloquence as well as you, nor might even their beauty vainly plead in their favour!'

"'Charles, no more!' said my mother. 'You have instigated me thus far, nor will I now leave half my scheme unaccomplished. If you, Sir, are so easily intimidated—I am not! Let them seek his protection—it will be of no avail. I have Talton too securely in my toils, to fear any application they may make!'

"'Perhaps not!' continued Mallet. 'I do not like trusting to a chance, when you can proceed on a certainty. What would avail all your fine-spun policy, if Sir Henry should ever discover the will?—Your ruin must inevitably follow; nor will a charge of insanity then avail. With such a proof in his favour, he will soon find friends to support him; and you may then wish you had followed my advice. If he were dead, you would be at least secured in your present property.'

"'Would then he were dead!' ejaculated my mother.—'But it is impossible he should ever discover the will; though where Corbet could put it, I cannot think. But it must and shall be found—and soon too!'

"Their discourse ceased; but I was too much lost in reflection to remark it; and stood expecting its continuation, when my mother entered my apartment. An exclamation of surprise and dismay escaped her, on beholding the private room open, and anxiously advancing, she discovered me, my head resting against a pilaster, and my hand pressed to my beating temples.

"'What mean you, Sir?—How came you here?—How dare you enter this room, without my permission?' she angrily demanded—her eye quickly glancing from me to every part.

"'The same reason which brings you here, Madam,' I replied, 'first induced me to enter: the hope and expectation of finding my father's will.'

"'Your father's will!' she repeated. 'What means the boy?'

"'Not to establish my rights on a mother's destruction,' I replied: 'though most undoubtedly to do justice to those she has wronged. Oh, my mother! in mercy, go no farther; nor thus lay up a source of wretchedness for thy latter years. Life smiles gaily now, the meridian of a summer's day; but recollect, that night, however late, must still succeed. Will not my mother's soul then shrink from its glooms, and dread to meet the record of her actions?'

"'Knowest thou to whom thou art speaking?' she cried, darting a look of mingled scorn and fear at me.

"'To my mother!' I replied: 'and as such let her for once listen to me with patience!—You must be conscious, Madam, I am not ignorant of the measures you have pursued, to obtain the greatest part of my father's property; neither for what reason you now regard and treat me as an enemy. Believe me, you injure me, if you imagine that for the sake of regaining those possessions, I should ever wish to expose you to the censure of the world. Far from my heart be such a thought! I want not superfluous wealth; for me the fortune inherited from my forefathers, is amply sufficient. Freely then enjoy what you have obtained; by me you shall never be molested. All I ask is the restoration of Blond's property, and the society of my friends.'

"'Wretches!' she exclaimed. 'You too, I suppose, like your father, would foster the vagrant Ellenor! But let her, and your friends, as you call them, beware!'

"'She never injured you, Madam,' I cried; 'and recollect, she is the sister of the man, to whom you bound yourself by the most solemn ties before the face of Heaven. For myself I plead not; but as you hope for mercy hereafter, show it to her and the unhappy Elvyns.'

"'And art thou to prescribe to me?' she contemptuously exclaimed.—'To your chamber this instant, Sir; I shall not apply to you for guidance: and, as you value your existence, dare not again to give such licence to your tongue!—Begone, Sir!'

"I obeyed; taking the key from the door as I passed.

"She instantly followed me, and peremptorily demanded it.

"'Excuse me, Madam,' I replied, 'I cannot yield it. It was given me by my father; and, as master of this mansion, I have an undoubted right to retain it.'

"'Master of this mansion!' she franticly repeated. 'Never whilst I exist.—Thinkest thou I will stoop to acknowledge thy superiority?'

"'Had I not been willing to acknowledge yours, Lady Corbet,' I answered, 'I had not thus long submitted to the restriction you have ordained; though I do not promise much longer patiently to bear it!'

"She regarded me with a frenzied eye—'Dost thou threaten too?—Severely shalt thou suffer for this! This instant, Sir, deliver the key.'

"'For God's sake, my mother,' I cried, 'do not thus oppress me: long have I borne each ill you have inflicted, and nearly without a murmur; in pity, then, spare me; nor thus add to the sorrows of a heart that is already nearly broken.'

"'No trifling, Sir; my purpose is fixed; nor, by all that is sacred, will I be dissuaded from it! I will not be subjected to your control, or longer kept in awe by your pretensions!'

"'I do not wish it,' I cried; 'all I ask, is that which, if not possessed by me, cannot devolve to you.'

"She stamped with rage.—'The key, Sir; this moment give it me.'

"'I have already told your Ladyship, I cannot—I will not yield it!'

"Never before had my mother experienced such opposition from me. Her passions, already raised by the insinuations of Mallet, hurried her nearly to madness; she snatched a pen-knife from the table where I had been writing, her lips quivered as she grasped my arm—'Harry—if thou darest again refuse—thou forfeitest thy life!'

"'Then take my life,' I cried; the tears starting to my eyes, and so agitated that I could scarcely speak; 'when a mother seeks to destroy it, what hand shall be raised for its preservation!—Yet think not by depriving me of existence, to secure your safety. A charge of lunacy may screen the action from the knowledge of the world; but there is an all-seeing eye, Lady Corbet, that would mark it, and make you for ever dread to meet the face of Heaven!'

"She regarded me with an agitation, that too plainly showed the state of her mind, then cast me from her with violence, and hurled the knife to the further part of the room. I was hastening to secure it, when Mallet, either for the purpose of assisting her to search for the will, or from a motive of a darker nature, entered the chamber. He started on beholding me, and, with a well-counterfeited surprise, asked the reason of my being up at such an unseasonable hour?

"'Where the assassin dwells,' I replied, 'it is requisite to watch, instead of sleeping!'

"'Assassin!' he repeated as he advanced; when perceiving the knife in my hand—'What madness, Sir Henry, have you been attempting? A strait waistcoat I believe will soon terminate your nightly exploits!'

"My mother here informed him of her finding me in the private room, and of my refusing to resign the key.—'A circumstance,' he significantly returned, 'at which I am not in the least surprised. Your Ladyship will most probably be very soon convinced, that the measures I advised were highly requisite.'

"My mother regarded him with an expressive countenance, but was silent, and Mallet continued—'It is not yet too late to rectify the error; and as I know the necessity for it, I shall take the liberty of dispossessing Sir Henry of the means of future entrance to that apartment.' Then addressing me—'I have no time to lose in persuasion, young gentleman: if you do not peaceably resign the key, I shall use effectual means to obtain it!'

"'Never from my hands shall you receive it,' I indignantly cried: 'nor whilst I have life will I part with it. I know the blackened purpose of your heart too well; but Corbet still has a friend, who will deliver him from your machinations.'

"'What mean you by that insinuation, Sir?' he ferociously exclaimed.

"'Look on this wasting form,' I replied, 'and let that answer thee.—Wretch that thou art, could not thy injuries to my father satisfy thee, but thou must also seek to destroy his son!'

"He did not receive this imprudent accusation calmly, but seized me with a strength I had not power to oppose.—'Since you have taxed me with such an intention,' he exclaimed, 'it shall not be for nothing. Your life has long been in my power, though I have weakly spared it!'

"My mother called to him to forbear; but rage had bereaved him of all prudence or consideration, and, wresting the pen-knife from me, he attempted to plunge it into my bosom.

"Quick as lightning, my mother caught his hand, and again commanded him to desist, or she would instantly alarm the family.

"This declaration recalled him to a sense of his own safety: he sullenly obeyed; but at the same time asserted that the provocation he had received, was more than sufficient to authorise what he had done; and, with many bitter invectives, declared, my insanity should be no defence for offering him such insults!

"'Your excuse, Sir,' I exclaimed, 'is too absurd to pass even with a madman; and I am not yet sufficiently bereaved of my senses, to need an explanation of the motives which instigated you to seek my destruction!'

"'Then I will not attempt one,' he fiercely replied; 'but boldly say—Corbet Hall cannot—nor shall any longer contain two masters!'

"My mother regarded him with a look of ineffable scorn.—'Surely thou too art insane!—Know you not, Sir, where I am, no one shall claim the title of master? and as you value my good opinion, never again dare to entertain such an expectation.'

"Mallet was abashed, and, after some moments pause, said—'Do I rightly understand you, Lady Corbet?'

"'It appears not, Sir,' answered my mother; 'or you would not thus insolently assume the privilege of acting contrary to my injunction! But from this time, Sir, learn that I expect implicit obedience to my will: if not—as I have raised, you shall likewise find it is in my power to replace you in your original obscurity!'—'To you, Sir,' addressing me, 'I shall only say, that unless you resign the key, I will immediately bring a charge of lunacy against you: nor shall you ever again pass beyond the walls of your present apartment!'—Then ordering Mallet to follow her, with an air of the sternest dignity, she quitted the room.

"Mallet knew my mother's temper too well, to irritate her, by a further opposition to her commands; he therefore slowly directed his steps toward the door, when perceiving she was beyond hearing, he turned to me in a menacing manner—'Next time we meet, young man, your life shall surely pay the forfeit for this night's adventure!'

"He closed the door; leaving me in a state of wretchedness surpassing aught I had then experienced. To resign the key, was to yield the only means by which, as I imagined, I could ever hope to obtain my father's will; and would be consigning not only myself, but my aunt, Mrs. Blond, and all who were dear to me, to ruin!—To retain it—or indeed to remain where I was, would be equally destructive; for Mallet, I doubted not, would keep his word.

"I stood for some time nearly stupified with horror. 'Is no resource left to save me?' I at last sighed, advancing to the window. The morning had dawned, and a gypsey I had two or three times spoken to, was crossing the lawn toward the house. To me he came the angel of deliverance; and, allowing myself scarcely a moment's consideration, I broke a square of glass—for the windows were too well secured to admit of my opening them—-and called to him.

"He heard me, and immediately approached; when tying five guineas in my handkerchief, I threw it to him, and briefly telling him my situation, promised him twenty more if he would aid me to escape.

"He declared himself willing to assist me; but that he knew not how to effect my liberation. No time, I was certain, was to be lost; I therefore directed him to an outhouse, whence he procured a ladder, which he placed against the window, and breaking another square of glass, severed the wood-work that divided them; with some difficulty I got through, and thus, once more, found myself at liberty!

"I gave him his promised reward, and hastened, as fast as my feeble state would admit, to the Parsonage; where my aunt and Mrs. Blond, on hearing what had passed, urged me instantly to fly; but not choosing to put the friendship of St. Ledger again to a trial, or knowing where else to go, my aunt advised my seeking the protection of her Howard, whose generous heart, and the remembrance of his Ellenor, she doubted not, would render him favourable to my suit.

"You were then at Yarmouth; for my aunt had constant intelligence of your destinations from the time of your quitting Brighthelmstone; and refusing the money she would have forced me to accept, I set out on foot for Hay. But my escape was already discovered. Mallet, early in the morning, entered my room, and finding me gone, immediately dispatched the servants in pursuit of me.

"This I learned from old Owen, and was again obliged to have recourse to the gypsey, who, knowing the urgency of the moment, refused the offer of my clothes for his, without a considerable gratuity. It was not a time to argue or deliberate; I therefore paid his demand, and soon found myself in rags, and with something less than three guineas. I, however, travelled in safety, though reduced to some distress from the lowness of my purse, and at last reached the spot, where the benevolence of my friend Frederick relieved me from apprehended danger.

"I was beginning to recover my tranquillity, when the appearance of Mr. Talton drove me from your protection:—of my subsequent rencounter with the smugglers, I have already informed you. After my escape from them, I worked my passage to Cardigan; where, anxious to see my aunt and Eliza, I proceeded immediately for the Parsonage, secure, as I thought, in my sailor's habit. The appearance of Mallet drove me to the cottage of Owen, who informed me of the report circulated of my death, and that you, Mr. Talton, had previously to your going to Holland, in my mother's name, demanded of Mrs. Blond, the back rents of the lands, my father had attached to the Parsonage, and which my mother had already torn from her possession."

"'I now,' said Mr. Talton, 'take shame to myself for the action, to which I was instigated by Lady Corbet, who informed me, Mrs. Blond had in her house a woman the late Sir Henry had kept previously to his marriage, and on whom he had since lavished immense sums; that, to reward Blond for affording her his countenance, he had allowed him the free rent of the lands; likewise, that she suspected Mrs. Blond was endeavouring to inveigle you, Sir Henry, into a marriage with her daughter. I cannot say this account agreed with the characters I ever received of Mr. and Mrs. Blond; but such was my affection for your mother, that I still retained the opinion she had impressed me with. She did not, she said, want the money; but being certain they were the instigators of your elopement, she wished to have them removed to a greater distance, but knew no other means to effect it, without exposing the conduct of the late Sir Henry, which she would willingly avoid. On going to the parsonage, I was introduced to a lady I had never before seen: the beauty of her face and figure, added to the extreme shyness and embarrassment with which she received me, induced me to think she was the mistress your mother had mentioned; and I am sorry to say, I behaved to her with a harshness and severity, I am now convinced she did not deserve; but I should sooner have discredited the evidence of my senses, than the word of your mother; and scarcely, indeed, can I believe them, in the discovery this day has afforded! But, I beg pardon, Sir Henry; pray proceed.'"

"Alarmed at the intelligence I received," continued Sir Henry, "I hastened to the Parsonage, and found it deserted by all but Mary, who confirmed the truth of old Owen's report: and that, on the news arriving of my death, they had been obliged to fly, as Mallet had threatened to send them to gaol. Mary wept as she gave me the relation of their distress, and at last said—'Ah! Sir Henry, would to Heaven you had never left the Hall; for I heard old Thomas tell my Lady, if you had staid, and thought of the pannel, all had been well; they should not now have had to regret your death, or been unjustly driven on a merciless world, to seek their maintenance.'

"Mary knew not the meaning of what she uttered, but, quick as lightning, it brought to my recollection a pannel which concealed a small cavity in a closet adjoining the library. There, I doubted not the will was placed! The woman my father loved, my aunt, her Edward, and her on whose happiness I then found mine depended, were wandering without support: and the idea determined me, regardless of the consequence which must ensue, should I be discovered, to venture beneath the roof I so lately fled from!

"Favoured by the night, I entered by the servants offices, and got, unperceived, through the library to the closet. Mary had provided me with a small dark lanthorn, and, with some difficulty I opened the cavity; but again was doomed to disappointment; it was vacant! With an aching heart I closed the pannel, and was going to leave the closet, when my mother and Mallet entered the library. They discoursed on the improvement of an estate he had purchased for my mother a few weeks before; till Mr. Talton's name was casually mentioned, when he asked if she really designed to marry him? and, on her answering in the affirmative, he endeavoured to dissuade her from it, and to prevail on her to bestow her hand on himself.

"'I love you, Charles,' she answered, 'and believe your sentiments are reciprocal; but will never put it in your power to controul me. I am now mistress of a noble fortune; and you are welcome to partake of it, even if increased by that of Talton. Cease then to repeat the only request I wish to refuse you; and rest satisfied with the title of my lover.'

"He still urged his suit, still she peremptorily forbade the subject, and reverted to the newly-purchased estate; he soon after retired to his office, and my mother entered the closet where I was, for the purpose of writing. Never was surprise and horror greater than that expressed on her countenance at beholding me: scarcely could her trembling hand retain the light which exposed the features of a son to her view.—'It is the phantom of the drowned Corbet!' she at length faintly screamed. 'Approach me not! Help—help!'

"'No, Madam,' I exclaimed, 'your son still lives! and you may now glory in having reduced him to the state, in which your lover deserted Louise.'

"I rushed by her, hearing the servants approaching; escaped into the garden, and, scaling the wall, retraced my steps to Cardigan; every hope lost of discovering the will, or ever being restored to my rights. Cooler reflection, however, offered a different interpretation to the words of Mary, to what I had at first imagined they implied; and I thought it not impossible, but even probable, that Thomas had discovered the will (as he actually had), and conveyed it to my aunt and Mrs. Blond. But where to trace them—I knew not. I was moneyless, and certainly in danger of being discovered by my mother; and the same precaution they must use to elude the knowledge of Mr. Talton; would, I feared, as effectually conceal them from me. For some days, however, I endeavoured to gain intelligence of them, but in vain; and the powerful demands of hunger, at last, compelled me to engage as a common sailor in a merchantman trading to Havre-de-Grace; where, disgusted with the Captain, I left the vessel, and, having an ardent desire to know if my deserted sister was in existence, I travelled on foot to Rennes. My adventures there—my rescue of Louise, I have already related; till the period when Providence directed my steps to L'Orient, where, impelled again by necessity, I engaged to serve in a vessel destined with others to Pondicherry. The day after we reached St. Helena, you, Captain Howard, also arrived there, and fortune, there wearied of persecuting me, not only restored me to your friendship, but discovered to me a sister, endeared to my heart by her misfortunes, before a personal knowledge made me love her for her virtues; yet the recollection of past events, forced continually to mind by her striking resemblance to my mother, preyed on my heart. I again sunk under it; and, but for the attentions of you, my friends, should most probably, ere this period, have left my mother the lawful possessor of the fortune she now illegally holds."

"Thank Heaven, my prayers were heard for the preservation of your existence:" said Louise: "though, had you, my brother, entrusted me with the secrets you have this day disclosed, Louise would have been your comforter, and, by sharing your griefs, have lightened the sorrow which oppressed you."

"Say, rather, have added to it, my dear girl;" said Sir Henry, "from the consciousness of having rendered you as unhappy as myself: and but for the discovery of last night, this of to-day would never have taken place. For the friends we here found, I wished the recovery of my fortune; as indeed with them the means rested: and, had not Providence conducted us to them, should never on my own account oppose her, who, whatever are her failings,—is still my mother!"

The company here unanimously joined in thanking Sir Henry for the elucidation of the mysteries which had perplexed them.

"Yet has he not related every particular," said Ellenor, smiling. "He might have added, that since the deaths of his father and Blond, his hand has not only sustained Ellenor and her son, but the descendants of Sir James Elvyn.

"On your second emigration, my Henry, your mother, not being able to discover you, turned the effects of her rage against us, and sent a peremptory demand, by Mr. Talton, for the back-rents. This message, which portended our ruin, threw us into the utmost consternation; though, had I entertained a suspicion the lover of Lady Corbet was the former friend of my Howard, I should not have hesitated a moment in discovering myself to him, and appealing to the rectitude of his own principles against the injustice and inhumanity of the claim. Your mother, however, at that time, went to London, and Mr. Talton accompanying her, in some degree freed us from our fears of immediate distress; but the following morning, Mallet, attended by an officer, entered the room whilst we were at breakfast, and arrested Mrs. Blond for three and twenty hundred pounds, the amount of the rent for seventeen years.—Nor was my unhappy friend treated with either respect or mercy, but, on declaring her inability to discharge the debt, instantly hurried away to confinement.

"To sue for lenity, I was certain would be in vain, I therefore (trusting to Sir Henry's friendship, to redress the injury,) paid the money; consisting of my father's legacy to Blond, which had hitherto been preserved for Eliza, and the money Sir Henry had supplied me with, for my Edward's maintenance at the University.

"Lady Corbet, however, was determined on forcing us from Caermarthen; for, a few weeks after, we were privately informed by a servant from the Hall, that he had overheard Mallet threatening to arrest both me and Mrs. Blond, as joint tenants, for the rent of the parsonage since the death of Blond, and from Mr. Talton's name being likewise mentioned, he was induced, he said, to think that gentleman concerned in the business.—This relation, added to the late occurrence, considerably affected the health of Hannah; and she earnestly entreated her sister to leave the Parsonage, and seek a surer asylum at the house of Lieutenant Booyers, at least till we should hear from Sir Henry. Mrs. Blond readily acceded to the proposal, and, writing for my Edward to return, we prepared for our departure.

"At that time Thomas returned from Cornwall, where he had been sent some time before Sir Henry's elopement; and on being informed of that circumstance, and our sentiments respecting Lady Corbet, he declared he had supported my brother, when he took his will from the private room, and placed it in the recess of his closet; but ever supposed it had been the same which was produced after his decease. He undertook to procure it; but could not accomplish his design, till the day previous to Lady Corbet's return; the library being shut up, and Mallet in possession of the keys: an opportunity then presented itself, of entering unperceived, and he found the will, indeed, where my brother had placed it. He immediately brought it to me; when every ardent hope, the discovery had raised, was destroyed, by the report of Sir Henry's death. Thomas's dislike to Lady Corbet being greatly increased by the knowledge of this action, he determined to follow my fortunes, and attach himself to my son as his future master. We accordingly proceeded to Lieutenant Booyers, where the amiable Hannah—her gentle spirit broken by repeated afflictions—sunk beneath this last misfortune, and, a few weeks after, found a refuge from her sorrows in the grave.

"We were yet mourning her loss, when we were alarmed by Susan informing us, she had seen you, Mr. Talton, alight at the inn.—Not doubting but that you were in pursuit of us, we ordered a carriage from the adjoining village, and prepared again for flight. On Booyers' return with Ellen, being made acquainted with the emergency of our situation, he consented to accompany us, and we thus set out—Providence our guide—to seek a future habitation. Heaven conducted us to this spot, where happiness has once more become an inmate of my bosom; and where justice, I hope, by the hand of my Howard, will re-establish Sir Henry in the possessions of which he has been defrauded."

"My obligations to Sir Henry, on your account, my Ellenor," said the Captain, "I can never sufficiently acknowledge; indeed every action or account but heightens my admiration and regard. Let me then know, my young friend, how you wish to proceed—and command my fortune and interest."

"It is now the subject to be considered," said Sir Henry. "Violent measures we cannot pursue. The will my mother produced is forged: think then what must be the consequence, if I commence a process of law against her. No—rather let me rest satisfied with the entailed estates. I would wish to appoint you my guardian, for the remainder of my minority: my mother, at her decease, may perhaps be just: if not—whilst blessed with the friendship of those I so highly esteem, and as I trust with the hand and affection of Eliza, I shall not only have sufficient to fulfil my father's request, but to enjoy every comfort of life: its luxuries I am content to dispense with."

"I cannot agree to this arrangement," said Mr. Talton: "and if you, Sir Henry, will allow me to be joint guardian with Captain Howard, I may, perhaps, be able to re-establish you in your rights, without the aid of the law."

Sir Henry readily consented, on condition that his mother was not exposed.

"That, Sir Henry," continued Mr. Talton, "I shall carefully avoid. My affection to your mother, first founded on personal attractions, was confirmed only by the appearance of every virtue. Think, then, what must be my sentiments, at the discovery of her real character. I shall respect your feelings, my amiable young friends, nor forget that she is your mother: but these proofs of her duplicity, have raised a sentiment of indignation, perhaps not altogether excusable, against the woman for whom I so lately avowed an ardent attachment: but sooner will I tear the dearest hope, the richest prospect of happiness my fancy could pourtray from my heart, than be an accomplice in wronging her already too much injured offspring!

"Misled by her insinuations, I regarded the late Sir Henry as a tyrant, and her son, as a youth of sordid unsocial principles! I am undeceived—and here avow myself the supporter of his cause. Lady Corbet shall find, that when led into an error, Talton is neither ashamed to acknowledge it, nor to make reparation as far as lies in his power! Nor do I think it will prove an improper punishment to her, to be deprived of her ill-obtained wealth, by the man she pretended affection to, and would have accepted, with no other view than to increase it. But whether I succeed or not in this act of justice, you, Sir Henry, shall ever find a father in me!"

Sir Henry returned his acknowledgements for the regard Mr. Talton professed; and began to cherish a hope, that all would yet terminate to his satisfaction. The re-appearance of Mrs. Blond added to the pleasure which prevailed: only the bosom of Louise sometimes heaved a sigh, at the disappointment of the ideas she had cherished, of being restored to the arms of a mother.

The messenger returning with the licence, arrangements were commenced for the approaching nuptials. The Captain wished to have secured his Ellenor an ample competence, independent of himself: but she refused the jointure, telling him, with a smile, she would not be restricted to a part of his fortune. They, therefore, agreed to dispense with the delays of the law, and appointed the following day for their re-union: after which, they proposed to proceed to Mr. Talton's, and there wait the return of Lady Corbet.

Enlivened by genuine gaiety, the hours passed imperceptibly; and the ensuing morning, Ellenor, for the second time, gave her hand to the man she loved: and the transports of the Captain on the occasion, showed how highly he prized the gift.