Part 8 (1/2)

On waking, my first enquiry was after ree of interest; and I heard, with pleasure, that the hee had not returned; that he had rested with apparent tranquillity, and appeared revived I dressed myself hastily, and passed into his apartave me his hand--The physician had ordered him to be kept quiet, and I would not suffer hi ht before struck me with a confused recollection--ere ustus Harley! His resemblance, not only to the portrait, but to his ht, beseizedsteps, and shutting ushed uponwherefore, tears half delicious, half agonizing! Quickly co to myself, I returned to the chamber ofas a nurse for five days, I never quitted, except to take necessary rest and refreshment

I had written to Mr Morton athe name of my deliverer: to this letter I received no reply; but had the pleasure of hearing, on the return of er (as commissioned to make enquiries), that Mrs Harley had suffered no return of her disorder, and was daily acquiring health and strength--I feared, yet, to acquaint her with the situation of her son; not only on the account of her own late critical situation, but, also, lest any sudden agitation of spirits froht, in his present weak state, be fatal to Augustus

I now redoubled for hirew hourly better; and, when perrateful sense of my kindness Ah! why did I misconstrue these emotions, so natural in such circumstances--why did I flatter my heart with the belief of a sympathy which did not, could not, exist!

CHAPTER XXI

As th, I deht infor 'Harley,' I enquired, s his e_, Emma Courtney, whom she favoured with her partial friendshi+p?

'Oh, yes!'--and his curiosity had been strongly awakened to procure a sight of this lady

'Behold her, then, in your nurse!'

'Is it possible!' he exclai it with his lips--'My sister!--my friend!--how shall I ever pay the debt I owe you?'

'We will settle that matter another time; but it is now become proper that I should inform your excellent mother of what has happened, which I have hitherto delayed, lest surprise should be prejudicial to you, and retard your recovery'

I then recounted to him the particulars of the late occurrences, of which he had before but a confused notion; addingfro received an express, infor situation, he immediately quitted the seat of his friend, where he was on a visit, to hasten to her; that, for this purpose, riding late, he by soh the darkness of the evening, by which mistake he encountered our chaise, and he hoped was, in so the accidents which ensued, accessary to my preservation

I quitted hied it necessary to acquaint with his situation On the receipt of s of ustus, andus 'her children--her darling children!--I was her guardian angel--_the preserver of her son!_--and _he_ only could repay oodness!' I ventured to raise my eyes to him--they met his--mine were humid with tears of tenderness: a cloud passed over his brow--he entreated his mother to restrain her transports--he was yet too enfeebled to bear these eain e on my arm, walked out into the air, to relieve the tumultuous sensations that pressed upon her heart

Once more she made me recite, minutely, the late events--strainedhter--the ustus!'

Every word she uttered sunk deep into reedily absorbed the delicious poison, prepared for me by the cruel hand of more thanwritten to Mr Morton, and my astonishment at his silence

He had not yet returned, she informed me, to Morton Park; and inti my sudden disappearance, had been circulated by Mrs Morton through the neighbourhood She had herself been under extreenerally believed, froiven to the affair, that I had eloped with Mr Montague:--the accident which had befallen him had been rumoured; but the circumstances, and the occasion of it, had been variously related Confiding in my principles, she had waited with anxiety for the elucidation of theseherself as the innocent occasion of them, yet assured they would, eventually, prove to nanimity, which her partial friendshi+p imputed to my behaviour, with all the enthusiasm of affection, and execrated the baseness of Mrs Morton, who, having received my letter, must have been acquainted with the real truth

Her narration gave ood opinion of the world, however desirable it may be, as connected with our utility, has ever been within the rectitude ofon that rectitude, and tinant aspersions which at present clouded my fame The tale of slander, the basis of which is falsehood, will quietly wear away; and should it not--how unfounded, frequently, are the censures of the world--how confused its judg, at present, to her son on this subject; it was yet of importance that his ustus at the dinner hour, and spent the day together in har, Mrs Harley consulted him, whether it would be safe to remove her son, as she was impatient to have him under her own roof To this the doctor e, and by short stages On Mrs Harley's thanking hily pointing to me, he replied--'Her thanks were low into ustus: his features were again overspread with a nedly averted Mrs Harley sighed, and, abruptly changing the subject, asked the physician an indifferent question, who soon after took his leave

CHAPTER XXII

In a few days we returned to the peaceful ustus seeht with it an increase of health and spirits Mrs Harley would not sufferto Morton Park in the absence of its ustus spare his kind nurse:--'I ht his accents were softened, 'and coain in the village, the respectability, and the testimony, of my friends, cleared my fame; and it was only at Morton Park, that any injurious suspicions were affected to be entertained