lady was silent she felt it almost hard hearted to attempt to argue on the of the grounds on which her cousin proposed to himself wait awhile dear charles for my sake consent to delay your project for three months was silent lady continued gently after a pause suffered deeply yet charles she found not her grief she loved not then with the deep of heart like i have done responded he shortly and lady thought that perhaps hereafter this very fact might prove mr s greatest comfort and consolation colonel was scarcely the man to inspire profound attachment promptly rejoined she gladly shifting the conversation from herself he has written a most letter to expressive of the greatest for the past earnestly for forgiveness and imploring permission to renew his and miss consented � most certainly not colonel every way so and could never hope for pardon poor whenever his name is mentioned in her presence yes he was unworthy therefore miss speedily him from her heart our cases are not parallel she made no reply but rising from her chair approached the window mr presently joined her l hoped with the intent of saying farewell � for the prolonged interview was becoming irksome and embarrassing he however evinced no such inclination and she turned therefore and took up her book then iu ther minute hastily laid it down and approached the window again i exclaimed she suddenly as two beautiful dogs bounded past on the terrace yes yonder comes lord i cannot stay to witness his happiness farewell i we shall meet on the morning of your marriage i may you find every blessing every joy in your union farewell i and mr quitted the room a few tears lady s eyes and she stood a moment in silent thought soon however a smile lighted her beautiful features and she stepped out on the terrace to welcome lord i thought to have found mr here exclaimed he as they presently entered the room together � he has just left me poor charles never was there a truer or more honorable heart than his i would give much to see him happy again replied lady gravely which means i suppose that had i delayed now to strive for individual empire over your heart i should have found it strongly enough to defy all my attacks this formidable cousin of yours came to this morning and upon my word uttered the rebuke possible for my past jealousy by asking in the manner conceivable permission to call upon you exclaimed lord laughing and you it had it not been for your suspicious distrust and injurious in human faith and truth poor charles would have been saved much that he has undergone had you suffered me after your arrival in england to have declared myself yours and then told me all what sorrow indeed should we not all have been spared i � it is your example your own bright truth and love which alone make me regret the past in you i perceive that there is such a thing as pure disinterested affection in the world cold calculating interest in the dearest relations of life for why do the majority of women marry but from a desire to throw off parental restraint or to obtain either wealth or station even these principles i heard my own mother into the ears of my innocent sisters i heard her tell them that an establishment was everything � the heart nothing i became then suspicious and the smiles of the pretty who me only because i was wealthy and a lord i panted to be loved for myself my own though from childhood upwards you have ever dwelt in my heart yet even you i suspected you had rank and wealth equal to my own these then could not be your objects yet i knew that our union would be considered a desirable event by both our families and i feared lest you might be persuaded into it by motives of policy and i met you again my while suffering most keenly under the and of my enforced exile your smile and glance kindled the love i had long borne you into almost worship i resolved at once therefore to make my disguise to the bitter distrust which still in my mind to prove whether my passionate devotion had roused feelings as intense and ardent in your heart � and need i say i obtained proof greater oh far greater than i dared hope do you however thoroughly pardon my own the miserable suspense my jealous doubts after my arrival in england when after having heard of robert s safe for america i might have revealed the mystery which me and yet refrained and lord turned eagerly towards her i you deserve the punishment in my power to inflict for these doubts yet nevertheless feel rather proud of my convert she paused no dear i am too happy too thoroughly content with my lot to quarrel with you for the past but never more let the trust i have so hardly won be shaken said lady earnestly never i after a pause lord resumed � tell me when am i to receive your hand from lord i confess that i am beginning to weary of playing the lover so long and shall take upon myself to write to mr and fix a time for our marriage or resort to the desperate step of carrying you off to it is ten months since i placed this ring on your finger mj is it not now time to reward my patience and time that the world should know you mine your confession is a very bold one weary already of playing the lover i i wonder what you will tell me this day six months exclaimed lady turning aside her blushing cheek that you are loved if possible more and entirely but listen to what i 