Sunday dispatch. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1845-1854, 1852-04-18

a &c his voice fatered); but in this case, am c,
rs tam that by refusing my consent to your wisk,
9ra ensure your future comfort, and in a cool
les moment You will be OF the same opinion"
tears. ~
sfS Nay, hear me, my child" resumed FIJI
n- nenly you know that / am no tyrant and
aIler Time and absence have been tried in ord
FFe TO conquer your unhappy passion, it remain u
he changed, then, in defiance of my Judgment
co. Will consent TO your union with Mr. Chffol
in provided his father consents likewise; for. Il
less he does, | never will and if YOU ha
PRIDE and resolution enough to be the guard
D- OF your own dignity, must guard it for yo
ont am sure there will be no need of nv
W. reference, and Agnes Fitzhenry would SEQ
ia to be clandestinely the wife of any man"
Agnes thought so too and Fitzhenry spoil
TINS IN so mild and affectionate a manner. al
IN tone so expressive of the suppresst
q, s wretchedness which the bare idea of part6y
win her had occasioned him, that, for the m
in1eAs' she forgot everything but her father, an
the vast debt of love and gratitude which sk
y owed hln; and throwing herself into bis arm,
she protested her entire, nay cheerful acquie
cence In his determination.
Promise me, then" replied Fitzhenrv nth,
you will never see Mr.. Clifford more. if vo
: can aveld It; ne has the tongue of Belial, an
Here Agnes Indignantly interrupted him wit
reProaches for supposing her so weak as to
IN danger of being seduced into violation {
her duty and so strong were the terms i
winch she expressed herself, that her fathe
7 entreated her pardon for having thought such
promise necessary.
The next day Clifford did not venture tn "a,
at the house, but he watched the door tin h
saw Agnes come out alone. Having then ioir
: eo ner, he obtained from her a full account r
. the conversation which she had had with Fit7
henry when, to her great surprise, he drew
conclusions from it which she had never i'm
agined possible.
He saw, or pretended to see, in Fitzbenry'
. reJectlon OF his offers, not merely dislike o
her marrying him, but design to prevent he
marrying at all and as design like this wa.
selfish IN the last degree, and ought to be frus
, trated, he thought 1t would be kinder in her tC
dlsObey her father then, and marry the man n
her heart, than, by indulging his unreasonable
wishes on this subject once, to make him ex.
pect that she would do so again. and continue
to lead single dife; because, in that case. the
uay OF her marrying, when 1t came at last,
would burst on him with tenfold agony
The result of this specious reasoning, en-
forced by tears and protestations was, that she
had better go off to Scstland Immediately with
niui' ano trust to time, necessity, and their pa
rents affection, to secure their forgiveness.
Agnes heard these arguments, and this pro-
posai, the hrst time, with the disdain which
they merlted but alas she did not resolva To
avoid all opportunity of hearing them second
time. ain of the resolution she had shown
on THIS trst trial, sue was not averse to stand
another, delighted to find that she had not over.
Fateo ner strength, when she reproached her
father for his want of confidence in it,
The consequence is obvious Again and
again she heard Clifford argue in favor of an
eloPement; and though she still retained virtue
su1ilclent to withhold her consent, she. every
day saw fresh reason to believe he argued on
good grounds, and to think that that parent
whose whole study had been her qualification,
was, IN this instance at least, the slave of mn
warrantable sefishness.
AT last, fIndlng that neither time, reflection,
nor even temporary absence, had the SLIGHTEST
eHecs on her attachment but that it gained ne w
Iorce every day, she owned that nothing but the
IRE IIeau u masking heF father unhappy withheld
ner from llstenlag to Clitford's proposal. 1t was
true, she said, pride forbade it ; but the woman
VINO could listen to the dictates of pride, knew
nothing of love but the name.
MS was the moment for Clifford to urge
more strongly than ever that the elopement was
the most euectual means of securing her faith
er's happiness, as well as her own till at last
her Judgment became the dupe of her wiehes.
and, tancylng that she was following the die
tates of her tiiaE affection, when she was in
reality the helpless victim of passion, she
5leided to the persuasion of villain and set
OFT with him fer Scotland
When Fitzhenry first heard of her fight. he
sat Tor hours absorbed in sort of dumb an
gu &g9lsa, Ma lar % more eloquent than words Atlenath
tude for all the love and care that he had be-
slowed on her. and the next moment he ex-
claimed, with tears of tenderness " Poor girl
she is NOS used to commit faults how misera-
BILE she will be when she comes to reflect and
how she will long for my forgiveness! and, O
yes | am sure | shall long as ardently to for
give her !" Then his arms were folded in fancy
round his child whom he pictured to himself
confessing her marriage to him, and with tears
of contriion imporing his pardon.
But day after day came, and no letter from
the fugitives acknowledging their error, and
| begging his blessing on their nnion-for no
union had taken place
When Clifford and Agnes had been conveyed
as fast as four horses could carry them one hun
dred miles towards Gretna-green and had or
dered fresh horses, Clifford started as he looked
at his pocket-book, and with well-dissembled
| CONSERVATION exclaimed, " What can we do 2
| have brought the wrong pocket book, and
have not money enough to carry us above a
hundred and odd miles farther on the North
road !'' Agnes was overwhelmed with grief
and CONSERVATION at this information, but did
not for an instant suspect that the fact was 9th
erwise than as Clifford stated it to be.
AS before observed, Agnes piqued herself on
her knowledge of characters, and she judged
of them frequently by the rules of phisiOgnOmy
she had studied voices too, as we'll as counte
nances; was it possible, then, that Agnes who
had, from Clifford's voice and countenance,
pronounced him all that was ingenious, honor
able, and manly, could suspect him capable of
artihce Could she, retrachngher pretensions
to penetration, believe she had put herself in
the power of a designing libertine No; vanity
and self-love forbade this salutary suspicion to
enter her imagination and, without one scru-
pie or one reproach, she acceded to the plan
which Clifford proposed, as the only one likely
to obviate their difficulties, and procure them
most speedily an opportunity of sOlemnlzing
their marriage.
Deluded Agnes You might have known
that the honorable lover is as fearful to com
nit the honor of his mistress, even in appear
ance, as she herself can be; that his care and
anxiety to screen her even from the breath o.
suspicion are ever on the watch and that
7 therefore, had Clfforo's designs been such a:
virtue would approve, he would have pus it ou
of the power of accident to prevent your imme
diate marriage, and expose your fair fame tC
the whisper of calumny.
To London they set forward, and were driver
to an hotel in the Adelphi, whence CllffoTC
went out in search of lodgings; and having
met with convenient apartments at the west
end of the town, he conducted to them the pen
sige and already repentant Agnes.
6 Under what name and title" said Agnes
tam | to be introduced to the woman of the
house"
/ g AS my intended wife," cried her lover
pressing her to his bosom " and in a few day.
though to me they will appear ages-you wal
give me right to call you by that tende
name."
In a few days" exclaimed Agnes, with
drawing from his embrace cannot the mar
f Tiage take place tomorrow ~
" Impossible !" replied Clifford "you ar
not of age, and cannot procure license bu
have taken these lodgings for a month, ant
we will have the banns published, and be mar
ried at the parish church"
To this arrangement, against which her de
licacy and every feeling revolted, Agnes woul
l fain have objected in the strongest manner
but, unable to urge any reasons for her obec
4 tioD, except such as seemed to imply distrus
I of her own virtue, she submitted, in mournfu
5 silence, to the plan; with heart then for tn
e first time tortured with a sense of degradation
, she took possession of her apartment; an
= Clifford returned TO his hotel, neditatiRg wit
8 savage delight on the success OF his plans, an
, on the triumph which, he fancied, awaite
d him.
Agnes passed the night in sleepless agitation
G now forming and now rejecting schemes t
Q obviate the danger which must accrue to he
: character if not to her honor, by remaining 70
;, a whole month exposed to the seducti0ns of
man whom she had but TOO fatally convince
J. of his power over her heart and the result c
d her reflections was, that she should insist O.
S his leaving town, and not returning till h
came to lead her to the altar Happy would
h have been for Agnes had she adhered to thi
: resolution; but vanity and self-confdence agai
l. interfered. What have to fear 2" said Agne
e to herself " am so fallen In my own esteer
r that dare not expose myself even to a shadoV
/, of temptation No; / will not think SO meanl
a of nv virtue-the woman that is afraid OF bein
dishonored is half overcome already wi
v meet with boldness the trials which came
0 avoid"
0 Vanity thou hast much to answer for
h am convinced that, were we to trace up
If their source all the most painful ann degradln
e events of our lives, we should find most {
e them to have their origin in the gratifed suG
y gestions of vanity
1t is not my intention to follow Agnes throug
s the succession of notifications, embaras'
r ments, and contending feelings, which precet
ed her undoing (for, secure she thought he
= self IN her own strength, and the honor Of he
y lover, she became at last a prey to her seducer
0 it is sufficient that explain the circumstance
which led to her being, onsa cold winter nigh
r houseless, and unprotected melancholy Wal
j. deTer towards the house of her father
= Before the expiration of the month ClifeT
j. had triumphed over the virtue of Agnes an
: soon after he received orders to Join his reg
e ment, as it was going to be sent on immediat
. service