confined herself or tried to confine herself to the simple family misery which must envelope all if it were indeed a matter of guilt and public exposure the mother s sufferings the father s � there she paused s tom s s � there a yet longer pause they were the two on whom it would fall most horribly sir thomas s parental solicitude and high sense of honour and decorum s upright principles temper and genuine strength of feeling made her think it scarcely possible for them to support hfe and reason under such disgrace and it appeared to her that as far as this world alone was concerned the greatest blessing to every one of kindred with mrs would be instant nothing happened the next day or the next to her terrors two posts came in and brought no public or private there was no second letter to explain away the first from miss there was no intelligence from though it was now full time for her to hear again from her aunt this was an evil omen she had indeed scarcely the shadow of a hope to soothe her mind and was reduced to so low and wan and trembling a condition as no mother � not unkind except mrs price could have overlooked when the third day did bring the sickening knock and a letter was again put into her hands it bore the london and came from dear you know our present wretchedness may god support you under your share we have been here two days but there is nothing to be done they cannot be traced you may not have heard of the last s � � r � v i t park she is to scotland with she left london a few hours before we entered it at any other time this would have been felt dreadfully now it seems nothing yet it is a heavy my father is not overpowered more cannot be hoped he is still able to think and act and i write by his desire to propose your returning home he is anxious to get you there for my mother s sake i shall be at the morning after you receive this and hope to find you ready to set off for my father wishes you to invite to go with you for a few months settle it as you like say what is proper i am sure you will feel such an instance of his kindness at such a moment do justice to his meaning however i may it you may imagine something of my present state there is no end of the evil let loose upon us you will see me early by the mail yours c never had more wanted a cordial never had she felt such a one as this letter contained to morrow to leave to morrow she was she felt she was in the greatest danger of being exquisitely happy while so many were miserable the evil which brought such good to her she dreaded lest she should learn to be insensible of it to be going so soon sent for so kindly sent for as a comfort and with leave to take was altogether such a combination of blessings as set her heart in a glow and for a time seemed to distance every pain and make her incapable of sharing the distress even of those whose distress she thought of most s could affect her comparatively but little she was amazed and shocked but it could not occupy her could not dwell on her mind she was obliged to call herself to think of it and acknowledge it to be terrible and grievous or it was escaping her in the midst of all the pressing joyful cares attending this summons to herself there is nothing like employment active indispensable employment for sorrow employment even melancholy may melancholy and her occupations were hopeful she had so much to do that not even the horrible story of mrs now fixed to the last point of certainty could affect her as it had done before park she had not time to be miserable within twenty four hours she was hoping to be gone her father and mother must be spoken to prepared every thing got ready business followed business the day was hardly long enough the happiness she was too happiness very little by the black communication which must briefly it � the joyful consent of her father and mother to s going with her � the general satisfaction with which the going of both seemed regarded � and the ecstasy of herself were all serving to support her spirits the affliction of the was little felt in the family mrs price talked of her poor sister for a few minutes � but how to find any thing to hold s clothes because took away all the boxes and spoilt them was much more in her thoughts and as for now unexpectedly gratified in the first wish of her heart and knowing nothing personally of those who had or of those who were � if she could help rejoicing from beginning to end it was as much as ought to be expected firom human virtue t fourteen as nothing was really left for the decision of mrs price or the good offices of every thing was and duly accomplished and the girls were ready for the morrow the advantage of much sleep to prepare them for their journey was impossible the cousin who was travelling towards them could hardly have less than visited their agitated spirits one all happiness the other all varying and indescribable by eight in the morning was in the house the girls heard his entrance from above and went down the idea of immediately seeing him with the knowledge of what he must be suffering brought back all her own first feelings he so near her and in misery she 