to them-their voices spoke in the murmuring breeze. Her music, her drawing, the early morn, and the dewy eve, every change of season, every inanimate object, reminded her of them. One of them she should never again behold, on this side of eternity; whether she should ever see the other, was involved in uncertainty. Of Maningham she trembled to think; all her hopes, all her fears, all her wishes, too ardently turned towards him; and she franticly asked herself, if she ever could behold him with the eyes of a sister.

The benevolence of her character led her still forth to succour the distressed; but the satisfaction she experienced no longer gave vivacity to her spirits, or serenity to her mind; the very extent of her possessions seemed to be an accumulation of her misery, for she found herself every day involved by them in the tiresome routine of business, which wearied and disgusted her. The pleasure she had once felt, in anticipating future schemes of life, all the sweet dreams of domestic felicity she had indulged in, vanished from her view. The inexplicable mystery attached to the birth of Maningham, the unfathomable link which seemed to connect him with her family, rose continually to her memory; and though she anxiously wished to have that mystery clearly developed, she yet trembled to think that she might be too closely allied to the object of her affections, ever to unite herself to him. The character of Maningham, his disinterested generosity, the gentleness of his manners, the ardour of his attachment to her, all con

spired to rivet the chains which bound her to him; while the apprehensions, which the pictures had given birth to, made those chains inexpressibly galling. To have formed an attachment with one within the forbidden degrees of affinity, was horrible; yet to banish Maningham from her affections, while any hope remained, was impossible. How to walk directly in the path of virtue and propriety, she knew not; the line was rigidly straight, the smallest deviation to the right or to the left, might for ever involve her in error and self-reproach; yet it was scarcely possible to remain stationary, to spend days, months, years, perhaps, in weighing the propriety of a momentary thought, word, or action, and, after all, to be dissatisfied with her own conduct.

In this state of restless discomposure, passed many weeks, when a letter from Maningham reached her hand; but, alas! the contents of it, while it lessened her anxieties and uncertainty, wounded her to the soul, for

Different this from every former note,
Which Venus dictated and Henry wrote,
Which told her all his future hopes were laid

On the dear bosom of his nut-brown maid,
Which often bless'd her eyes and own'd their pow'r,
And bade her oft adieu, but added more.

PRIOR.

A cool, a studied politeness, breathed in every line; he recommended her, since the peculiarity of their fates seemed to place an insurmountable barrier between them, to bestow those affections upon another, which, while one doubt remained

on their minds, could never render either of them happy; he absolved her from every engagement to himself, declaring his intention of weaning himself from her by absence; and finally concluded with imploring the Almighty to protect and bless her.

Lost in astonishment, Constance was for some time unable to collect her scattered senses; she sat vacantly gazing on the open letter, with her head leaning on her hand, and her elbow rested on the table. Memory, at length, awoke,

"With all her busy train,

Swell'd into thought, and turn'd the past to pain.” She burst into a flood of tears; her desolate, her unconnected situation, seemed now to have attained additional desolation. "Not one friend, not one friend," cried she, "have I left in the wide world! Oh Maningham! Maningham! have I deserved this?" Again she perused the letter-Not one expression of regret, not one profession of regard, met her eye; Maningham's rejection of her was not softened by a wish to retain her friendship; he had coolly and deliberately bade her farewell, farewell for ever! "And is this," exclaimed she, as the tears flowed down her pale cheek, "is this the end of my anxiety! Surely, common decency, common propriety, demanded something more: yet what could he say? if his sentiments are changed, surely it is better, far better, that he should break through the engagement at once: no, I wished not to bind him, I wished him not to waste his youth in a painful search of the incomprehensible being, who seems miraculously involved in my desti

ny: but surely some consideration, some feeling, some delicacy, was requisite-it was due to my attachment, it was due to my sex; and shall I," continued she, mentally ruminating," shall I also forget what is due to myself? shall I weakly regret a being who bids me forget him, who perhaps rejoices in being freed from an engage ment, of which he was tired? forbid it, pride! forbid it, delicacy! Oh that I had power, now, to step into the world, that I might there lose all those recollections and feelings which this fatal solitude cherishes!"

By degrees these acute sensations of mortifi cation and wounded tenderness subsided; Constance exerted herself in her usual occupations; and, by diligently employing every moment of her time, endeavoured to banish Maningham from her thoughts: but there were seasons, when no art sufficed to effect this purpose; and, after a painful conflict with her feelings, she resolved immediately to quit Landrenden.

It so happened, that just as she had formed this determination, she received a note from Mrs. Linzee, requesting to see her immediately; this was the first intimation she had had of the arrival of the family; and delighted at an opportunity of flying from herself, she hastily put on her habit, and, attended by the venerable Jonathan, rode over to welcome her into the country. © 2