in ail its what had happened and neither endeavoured herself nor required to advise her to think little of guilt and her affections were not acute nor was her mind after a time found it not impossible to direct her thoughts to other subjects and revive some interest in the usual occupation but whenever lady was fixed on the event she could see it only in one light as the loss of a daughter and a disgrace never to be wiped off learnt from her all the particulars which had her aunt was no very bat park the help of some letters to and from sir thomas and what she already knew herself and could reasonably combine she was soon able to understand quite as much as she wished of the circumstances attending the story mrs had gone for the holidays to with a family whom she had just grown intimate with � a family of lively agreeable manners and probably of morals and discretion to suit � for to their house mr had constant access at all times his having been in the same neighbourhood already knew mr had been gone at this time to bath to pass a few days with his mother and bring her back to town and maria was with these friends without any restraint without even for had removed from street two or three weeks before on a visit to some relations of sir thomas a removal which her father and mother were now disposed to attribute to some view of convenience on mr s account very soon after the rush return to street sir thomas had received a letter from an old and most particular friend in who hearing and witnessing a good deal to alarm him in that quarter wrote to recommend sir thomas s coming to london himself and using his influence with his daughter to put an end to an intimacy which was already exposing her to unpleasant remarks and evidently sir thomas was preparing to act upon this letter without communicating its contents to any creature at when it was followed by another sent express from the same friend to break to him the almost desperate situation in which affairs then stood with the young people mrs had � left her husband s house mr had been in great anger and distress to him mr for his advice mr feared there had been at least very the maid servant of mr senior threatened he was doing all in his power to quiet every thing with the hope of mrs rush worth s return but was so much in street by the of mr s mother that the worst consequences might be apprehended this dreadful communication could not be kept the rest of the family sir thomas set off ex would go with him and the others had heen left in a state of wretchedness inferior only to what followed the receipt of the next letters from london every thing was by that public beyond a hope the servant of mrs the mother had exposure in her power and supported by her mistress was not to be silenced the two ladies even in the short time they had been together had and the bitterness of the elder against her daughter in law might perhaps arise almost as much from the personal with she had herself been treated as from sensibility for her son however that might be she was but had she been less obstinate or of less weight with her son who was always guided by the last speaker by the person who could get hold of and shut him up the case would still have been hopeless for mrs did not appear again and there was every reason to conclude her to be concealed somewhere with mr who had quitted his uncle s house as for a journey on the very day of her herself sir thomas however remained yet a little longer in town in the hope of discovering and her from farther vice though all was lost on the side of character his present state could hardly bear to think of there but one of his children who was not at this time a source of misery to him tom s complaints had been greatly heightened by the shock of his sister s conduct and his recovery so much thrown back by it that even lady had been struck by the difference and all her were regularly sent off to her husband and s the additional blow which had met him on his arrival in london though its force bad been at the moment must she knew be sorely felt she saw that it was his letters expressed how much he it under any circumstances it would have been an unwelcome alliance but to have it so formed and such a period chosen for its completion placed s feelings in a most light and severely the folly of her choice he called it a bad thing done in the worst manner and at the worst time and though was yet as more than maria as folly than vice he could not but regard the step h� park had taken as opening the worst of a conclusion hereafter like her sister s such was his opinion of the set into which she had thrown herself felt for him most he could have no comfort but in every other child must be his heart his displeasure herself she trusted reasoning from mrs would now be done away she should be justified mr would have fully her conduct in refusing him but this though most material to herself would be poor consolation to sir thomas her uncle s displeasure was terrible to her but what could her justification or her gratitude and attachment do for him his stay must be on alone she was mistaken however in supposing that gave his father no present pain it was of a 