The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-22 00:00:00

jected plan after plan, till, at last, sleeitled on that which in-
duCed the schoolmistress to give me the opportunity I desired of

conversing with Miss Turner.
illy servant, who was not above half in the secret, was so fright-
ened at the success of his own grave and unsuspicious deportment,
that he made a capital blunder, by leaving me at Liverpool, and
proceeding with Mir Turner towards Shrigley. She was SO
Miles before me ou her way towards home, before I discovered
that she had left Liverpool. I followed, of course, intending, had
they reached Shrigley, to drive there at once, and
.;et my,servant.
out of the scrape at any rate. But fate had decreed that Miss
Turner should wait at an hotel at ?Manchester, clove to the house
of ope of her favourite uncles, for more than two hours, without

thesign,of i tnpatien cc.
. On reaching the inn, I introduced myself to her, not by telling
her,my name; nor indeed any otherwise than by saying that the
carriage would be ready in a moment. I then. talked of her jour-
ney, of the rain, of a curious dock whiciore could see from the
inn windows, and, indeed, of any thing that might prevent her
asking' questions for which-I should have so answers.
She was not in the least alarmed, but answered the cheerfully and
aptly upon every subject. In ten inmates the carriage was ready.
f!;;Ile held my arm whilst I stood in the hall talking to a waiter,
joined me in wishing the landlady good-day; and entered the car-
riage amidst a crowd of idle psers, whom my hurried arrival hsd
collected round the inn.
She hall Very often been at • Manchester, and knew perfectly
that the honies' heads were turned in an opposite direction to the
road "to Shrigley. When I entered the carriage, the wooden
blinds were raised. I, lowered them, fearing that such an ap-
pearance of concealment might, excite' curiosity; and, after
asking her if she had forgotten' nothing; ordered the boys to

drive on. •
The first thing I said to her in the carriage was; "Do you
know why you have been' sent for from school?"---" Yes," she
said, "Miss Daulhy told me, though she was desired not to tell
me, that my mother is ill." I immediately.assured her that this
was not the eAse; that I had reasons for deceiving Miss Daulby ;
that Mrs. Turner was, I believed, quite well ; and that she
should have a full explanation by and by. she teemed gratified
to learn that her mother van) not ill, and neither expressed, nor
showed, the slightest anxiety tnknow more.
I then exerted every, power; vim! mind to amuse and please her.
My great object was to draw her out ; to see what sort of a Mind
she had ; to learn what had been her education, and what were
her opinions, manners, and habits,
I soon discovered (what our subsequent close intimacy hasfully
confirmed) that she has a vivid imagination,. and a judgment be-
yond her years. Why, then, it may he asked, were nut her sus—
picions excited? lit..cause, I answer', her imagination enabled to:
to discover, at once, the subjects that interested her : und,
tinning that discovery to acerunt, to make myself an object of
interest to her; and she felt no alarm in my company, because
her judgment enabled her to see and feel the great pains that I
took to treat her with the delicate anti respectful, i'et tender kind.
nets, that her extraordinary situation demanded.
Itmost he difficult for any one to imagine what actually oc-
curred ; but I assert, that if she had been a fool (as the news-
papers have industriously represented her) she Would prohally
have hesitated to continue the journey with me. As it vas, not
even a shadow of alarm, nr even of suspicion, ever cruswd her

naiad.
A state of high excitement caused my spirits to overflow. She
was almost equally elated. We talked and laughed incessantly.
Never in nay life did I say so much in the same time. All subjects
came under discuestiou—the gravest uud the most ridiculous--the
Must important anal the. most trifling.. Her quickness, imagina-
tion, and good sense, astonished and delighted me. Instead of
having to bring any conversation down to the capacity of en ordi-
nary school-girl, I found that I could talk C! &.t renthau, and that
she understood every word I said. She, too, was gratified to dis-
neer that I enjoyed her display of a natant,' Wit end keen sense
.of the ridiculous, with which she, is gifted, Marbles, it issaid,
are made its heaven : ours was made by the fait two hours of our
conversation.
• It may he asked—if I had found her ugly, ignornut, and vul-
gar, as she had once been described to me, what should I have
done? My mind was quite made up. I should have taken her
back to Liverpool, desired the schoolcoistrees to send immediately
,for Mr. Turner, and should have left with her, for him, a partial
skcount of my freak—urging him to conceal it fur his child's
sake. I Lad not mentioned marriage to her., As any motive!) for
taking her back would never have been suspected, so my mo-
tives for taking her awes, would never have been diseuveted. I
intended to refine all explanation upon the subject, beyond ad-
mitting an act of seeming folly, and in part deteribing what
would have been considered an unfathomable mystery.. I trusted
to Mr. TUrner's good sense to keep the watt. At all events,
that was My intentiou.
If she bad felt ularine,3,, and bad objected to travelling with me,
I should have made for Button, and should have sent her
home with the landlady; of, the Buxton Hotel. In this ease, as my
object in taking her away would have been suspected, I should
neither have appeared nor have written; and .1 had, by many pre-
cautions, taken care to conceal the real actor in what would have
laeen called "ou unsuccessful attempt to run sway with Miss
Turner." But, instead of having to fulfil 'either of these inten-
tions,.es'ery thing► conspired to confirm my main resolution.
No one can imagine the pains I took to know my future wife,
and finding her, as I did, all that is delightful, bow I strove to in-
terest her, and make her plemed with me. That I succeeded, there
can be no doubt; fur when, having meals up any mind to propose
marriage to her, I asked her whether she knew where she was
going ? She said, "No ; but 1 suppose you do? And Ido not
wish to be told. 'I rather enjoy the uncertainty." 'I informed ber
that she was going into Yorkshire, and that she would probably
meet her father nt Huddersfield. " Very well," she replied; and
she then reverted to the conversation which had been broken off by
my question. This occurred after we had left Manchester about
three hours.
As we proceeded, we still talked ineresailtly, and often 'alluded
to the strungeneee of our situation. I gradually assumed towards
her a installer which I cannot readily describe. It was not
studied. It was perfectly nntural. I behaved to her as "would
to a beloved sister, whom I had joined, after separation from
childhood, and whom my whole soul was bent upon pleasing—
with careful reserve, and yet with the most affectionate frank-
ness—with intimacy without familiarity, and with the greatest,
the most marked, and thoughtful kindness, but with nu more ten-
denim than any man of feeling would display to a helpless woman
accidentally placed under-his sole protection.
She was, I suppose, pleased by this manner of treating her.
By what means I cannot tell further ; but that she was pleased I
had soon ample proof.
As we approached Huddersfield; I mentioned the possibility of
our not locating her father there, and of her having to travel on
with me till the following day. Now, her love for her father is
unbounded, and forms, perhaps. the most marked trait of her
character. Yet, us she lass since often assured me, she was
agreeably disappointed et hearing that she might not see him so
soot', and that the might continue to travel with me till the next
day. Few will believe this; but it is, strictly true ; and I know
so well her love of truth, and sense of justice, that I am sure she
will confirm any assertion. lam not such 11 coxcomb as to any
that she was in love with me: but, as I. was already delighted
with her, who had taken no pains to pleitie, .she might well he
pleased with roe, who had spared none to captivate. I cannot
explain this secret of- her heart ; but I state the fact, according
to any belief and lier assurance.' •
On reaching Huddersfield, my supposition of her regret at the
thought of our separation wastes eparaned by her high • spirits
whilst we were at an inn there---alter I had told her diet we bad
no chance of seeing her father till the next day. We stayed an
hour, I believe, at the inn, where. we ate, drank, talked, laughed,
and amok played, as if we had been on a party of pleasure.
It was then clerk. She expected to travel alone with rue all
:night ; and she knew neither 'to What. place she was
,going, nor
with what object so • strange a joerney had , been undertaken.
But she did continue the journey, not merely without a :sign of
hesitation, but with every Mark of delight 'at our incessant con-
verse.tiun, and the hurry and excitement of the whole adventure:
At Halifax, my servant, on whom fright and fatigue bad
' brought on a fit of the gout, remained behind. Openly, cud so
that she must have heard me, but in French (which I did. not
then know she perfectly understands), I gave him orders to
return to London. 1(e asked roe whether he should engage
" family rooms" for one in the Brunswick Hotel? 1 said " Yes ;
but do not tell any
body that I am married, but go to bed, and
stay in bed, ill or well, till you see me three days hence." This,
I suspect, did partially open her eyes to my ultimate object; for
soon afterwards, ais, I was talking to my brother, in French,
about her, and
_thl time when we might reach Scotland, she
desired us not to "tell 'secrets" in French, unless we wished her
to understand them,
Ile this as it .may, we continued to travel through the night,
occupied " beke with incessant conversation. Her spirits never
flagged forfora moment. Every thing, almost was converted into
an excuse for laughing..
The all but dangerous rapidity with
which the Yorkshire past-boy" drove through the'darlenees ; the
ligiiiiirent-reqtar'
. ets Of more than one landlady on the road, that
we would hononr them with our company on our return; my
struggles after two sleepless nights with au almost overpowering
drowsiness ; various, petty accidents; and the probability, ascer-
tuned during the night, that the carriage would break into pieces
all fi,
before daylight,„,,ished us with reasons, or rather' exeuses,