if not elegantly, yet abundantly: Abrahams, on his part, kept his wine and his tongue going with inceffant gaiety and good-humour, and whilst he took every opportunity of drawing forth Ned's honeft heart and natural manners to the best advantage, I was happy in discovering that they did not escape the Intuition of Somer ville, and that he made faster progress towards his good opinion, than if he had exhibited better breeding and lefs fincerity of character.

In the courfe of the evening the old gentleman told us he had determined upon taking his daughter and Conftantia into the country with him, where he flattered himfelf Mrs. Goodifon would recover her health and spirits fooner than in town, and at the fame time gave us all in turn a preffing invitation to his houfe. Abrahams and his wife excused themselves on the fcore of bufinefs; but Ned, who had no fuch plea to make, nor any difpofition to invent one, thankfully accepted the propofal.

The day fucceeding, and fome few others; were paffed by Mrs. Goodifon and Conftantia at Mr. Somerville's in the neceffary preparations and arrangements previous to their leaving London; during this time Ned's diffidence and their occupations did not admit of any interview, and

8

their

their departure was only announced to him by a note from the old gentleman, reminding him of his engagement: his fpirits were by this time fo much lowered from their late elevation, that he even doubted if he fhould accept the invitation: love however took care to fettle this point in his own favour, and Ned arrived at the place of his destination rather as a victim under the power of a hopeless paffion, than as a modern fine gentleman with the affuming airs of a conqueror. The charms of the beautiful Conftantia, which had drawn her indolent admirer fo much out of his character and fo far from his home, now heightened by the happy reverse of her situation, and fet off with all the aids of drefs, dazzled him with their luftre; and though her change of for tune and appearance was not calculated to dimi→ nish his passion, it seemed to forbid his hopes: in forrow, poverty and dependance fhe had infpired him with the generous ambition of refcuing her from a fituation fo ill proportioned to her merits, and, though he had not actually made, he had very seriously meditated a propofal of marriage: He faw her now in a far different point of view, and comparing her with himself, her beauty, fortune and accomplishments with his own confcious deficiencies, he funk into despair. §

This

This was not unobferved by Conftantia, neither did fhe want the penetration to difcern the caufe of it. When he had dragged on this wretched existence for fome days, he found the pain of it no longer fupportable, and, afhamed of wearing a face of woe in the house of happiness, he took the hardy refolution of bidding farewell to Conftantia and his hopes for ever.

Whilft he was meditating upon this painful fubject one evening during a folitary walk, he was furprized to hear himself accofted by the very perfon, from whofe chains he had determined to break loofe; Conftantia was unattended, the place was retired, the hour was folemn and her, looks were foft and full of compaffion. What, cannot love effect? it infpired him with refolu-, tion to fpeak; it did more, it supplied him with eloquence to express his feelings.

Conftantia in few words gave him to underftand that she rightly gueffed the fituation of his. mind; this at once drew from him a confeffion of his love and his defpair-of the former he fpoke little and with no difplay; he neither fought to recommend his paffion, or excite her pity; of his own defects he spoke more at large, and dwelt much upon his want of education; he reproached himself for the habitual indolence of

his difpofition, and then, for the first time, rais ing his eyes from the ground, he turned them on Conftantia, and after a pause exclaimed, "Thank "Heaven! you are restored to a condition, "which no longer fubjects you to the poffible "facrifice I had once the audacity to hint at. « Conscious as I am of my own unworthiness "at all times to afpire to fuch a propofal, let me "do myself the juftice to declare that my heart "was open to you in the pureft fenfe; that to « have tendered an asylum to your beloved mo"ther, without enfnaring your heart by the ob

ligation, would ftill have been the pride of my «life, and I as truly abhorred to exact, as you "could difdain to grant, an interested furrender " of your hand: and now, lovely Conftantia, "when I am about to leave you in the bosom of "profperity, if I do not seem to part from you "with all that unmixt felicity, which your good «fortune ought to infpire, do not reproach me "for my unhappy weakness; but recollect for

once in your life, that your charms are irrefifti"ble, and my foul only too fufceptible of their

power and too far plunged into despair, to "admit of any happiness hereafter."

At the conclufion of this fpeech Ned again fixt his eyes on the ground; after a fhort filence, "I perceive,"

"I perceive," replied Conftantia," that my "obfervations of late were rightly formed, and

you have been torturing your mind with re"flections very flattering to me, but not very juft towards yourfelf: believe me, Sir, your "opinion is as much too exalted in one cafe, as "it is too humble in the other. As for me, hav"ing as yet feen little of the world but its mi« feries, and being indebted to the benevolence "of human nature for fupporting me under "them, I fhall ever look to that principle as a "greater recommendation in the character of a "companion for life, than the most brilliant ta"lents or moft elegant accomplishments: in "the quiet walks of life I fhall expect to find

my enjoyments." Here Ned ftarted from his reverie, a gleam of joy rushed upon his heart, by an involuntary motion he had grasped one of her hands; the perceived the tumult her words had created, and extricating her hand from his"Permit me," faid fhe, "to qualify my respect "for a benevolent difpofition by remarking to "you, that without activity there can be no vir"tue: I will explain myself more particularly; "I will speak to you with the fincerity of a "friend You are left with excellent natural endowments, a good heart and a good under"standing;

VOL. V.

C