parted in dreadful henry in an agitation of mind which many solitary hours were required to compose had returned almost instantly to and on the of the following day had begun his journey to chapter mb and mrs s surprise on being applied to by mr for their consent to his marrying their daughter was for a few minutes considerable it having never entered into their heads to suspect an attachment on either side but as nothing after all could be more natural than s being beloved they soon learnt to consider it with only the happy agitation of gratified pride and as far as they alone were concerned had not a single objection to start his pleasing manners and good sense were self evident and having never heard evil of him it was not their way to suppose any evil could be told gk od will supplying the place of experience his character needed no would make a sad heedless young housekeeper to be sure was her mother s te abbey mark but quick was the of being like practice there was but one obstacle in short to be mentioned but till that one was removed it must be impossible for them to sanction the engagement their were mild their principles were steady and while his parent so expressly forbade the they could not allow to encourage it that the should come forward to the alliance or that he should very heartily approve it they were not refined enough to make any but the decent appearance of consent must be and that once obtained and their own hearts made them trust that it could not be very long denied their willing approbation was instantly to follow his consent was all that they wished for they were no more inclined than entitled to demand his money of a very considerable fortune his son was by marriage eventually secure his present income was an income of independence and comfort and under every pecuniary view it was a match beyond the claims of their daughter the young people could not be surprised at a decision like this they felt and they but they could not resent it and they parted endeavouring to hope that such a change in the general as each believed almost impossible might speedily take place to them again in the of privileged affection henry returned to what was now his only home to watch over his young and extend his improvements for her sake to whose share in them he looked anxiously forward and remained at to cry whether the of absence were softened by a correspondence let us not inquire mr and mrs never did they had been too kind to exact any promise and whenever received a letter as at that time happened pretty often they always looked another way the anxiety which in this state of their attachment must be the portion of henry and and of all who loved abbey either as to its final event can hardly extend i fear to the bosom of my readers who will in the tell tale of the pages before them that we are all hastening together to perfect felicity the means by which their early marriage was can be the only doubt what probable could work upon a temper the general s the circumstance which chiefly was the marriage of his daughter with a man of fortune and consequence which took place in the course of the summer an accession of dignity that threw him into a fit of good humour from which he did not recover till after � had obtained his forgiveness of henry and his permission for him to be a fool if he liked it the marriage of � her removal from all the evils of such a home as had been made by henry s to the home of her choice and the man of her choice is an event which i expect to give general satisfaction among all her acquaintance my own joy on the occasion is very sincere i know no one more entitled by merit or better prepared by habitual suffering to receive and enjoy felicity her partiality for this gentleman was not of recent origin and h had been long withheld only by inferiority of situation from addressing her his unexpected accession to title and fortune had removed all his difficulties and never had the general loved his daughter so well in all her hours of companionship utility and patient endurance as when he first hailed her your her husband was really deserving of her independent of his his wealth and his attachment being to a precision the most charming young man in the world any farther definition of his merits must be unnecessary the most charming young man in the world is instantly before the imagination of us all concerning the one in question therefore i have only to add aware that the rules of composition forbid the introduction of a character not connected with my fable that this was the very gentleman whose servant left behind him that collection of washing bills from a long visit at by which my heroine was in one of her the influence of the and in their brother s behalf was assisted bj that right of mr s which as soon as the g allow himself to be informed they were qualified to give it taught him that he had b en scarcely more by s first boast of the wealth than by his malicious overthrow of it that in no sense of the word were they or poor and that would have three thousand pounds this was so material an of his late expectations that it greatly contributed to smooth the descent of his pride and by no means without its effect was the private intelligence which he was at some pains to procure that the estate being entirely at the disposal of its present proprietor was consequently 