SMALL | MEDIUM
They returned to the lodge at an early
hour, and Mrs. Wilson, after meditating upon
the course she ought to take, resolved to
have a conversation with her brother that
evening after supper; accordingly, as they
were among the last to retire, she mentioned
her wish to detain him, and when left by
themselves, the baronet taking his seat by her
on a sofa, she commenced as follows, willing
to avert her unpleasant information until the
last moment.
"I wished to say something to you, bro-
ther, relating to my charge, and other matters;
you have, no doubt, observed the attentions of
Mr. Denbigh to Emily?"
"Certainly, sister, and with great pleasure;
you must not suppose I wish to interfere with
the authority I have so freely relinquished to
you, Charlotte, when I inquire if Emily fa-
vours his views, or not?"
"Neither Emily or myself, my dear bro-
ther, wish ever to question your right, not
only to inquire into, but control the conduct
of your child; -- she is yours, Edward, by a
tie nothing can break, and we both love you
too much to wish it. There is nothing you
may be more certain of, than that, without
the approbation of her parents, Emily would
"Nay, sister, I would not wish unduly
to influence my child in an affair of so much
importance to herself; but my interest in
Denbigh is little short of what I feel for my
daughter."
"I trust," continued Mrs. Wilson, "Emily
is too deeply impressed with her duty to
forget the impressive mandate, `to honour
her father and mother;' yes, Sir Edward,
I am mistaken if she would not relinquish
the dearest object of her affections, at your
request; and at the same time, I am per-
suaded she would, under no circumstances,
approach the alter with a man she did not
both love and esteem."
The baronet did not appear exactly to un-
derstand his sister's distinction, as he observed,
"I am not sure I rightly comprehend the dif-
ference you make, Charlotte."
"Only, brother, that she would feel, a
promise made at the altar to love a man she
felt averse to, or honour one she could not
esteem, as a breach of a duty, paramount to
all earthly ones," replied his sister; "but
to answer your question -- Denbigh has never
offered, and when he does, I do not think he
will be refused."
"Refused!" cried the baronet, "I sin-
cerely hope not; I wish, with all my heart,
they were married already."
"Emily is very young," said Mrs. Wilson,
Well," said the baronet, "you and Lady
Moseley, sister, have different notions on this
subject of marrying the girls."
Mrs. Wilson replied, with a good-humoured
smile, "you have made Anne so good a hus-
band, baronet, she forgets there are any bad
ones in the world; my greatest anxiety is,
that the husband of my niece may be a
christian; indeed, I know not how I can
reconcile it to my conscience, as a christian,
myself, to omit this important qualification."
"I am sure, Charlotte, both Denbigh and
Egerton appear to have a great respect for
religion; they are punctual at church, and
very attentive to the service;" Mrs. Wilson
smiled, as he proceeded, "but religion may
come after marriage, you know."
"Yes, brother, and I know it may not
come at all; no really pious woman can be
happy, without her husband is in what she
deems the road to future happiness himself;
and it is idle -- it is worse -- it is almost impious
to marry with a view to reform a husband;
indeed, she greatly endangers her own safety
thereby, for few of us, I believe, but what
find the temptation to err as much as we can
contend with, without calling in the aid of
example against us, in an object we love;
indeed, it appears to me, the life of such a
woman must be a struggle between conflict-
ing duties."
"Why," said the baronet, "if your plan
were generally adopted, I am afraid it would
give a deadly blow to matrimony."
"I have nothing to do with generals, bro-
ther, I am acting for individual happiness,
and discharging individual duties; at the same
time I cannot agree with you in its effects on
the community. I think no man who dispas-
sionately examines the subject, will be other
than a christian; and rather than remain
bachelors, they would take even that trouble;
if the strife in our sex was less for a hus-
band, wives would increase in value."
"But how is it, Charlotte," said the ba-
ronet pleasantly, "your sex do not use your
power and reform the age?"
"The work of reformation, Sir Edward,"
replied his sister, gravely, "is an arduous
one indeed, and I despair of seeing it general,
in my day; but much, very much, might be
done towards it, if those who have the
guidance of youth, would take that trouble
with their pupils, that good faith requires of
them, to discharge the lesser duties of life."
"Women ought to marry," observed the
baronet, musing.
"Marriage is certainly the natural and
most desirable state for a woman," rejoined
his sister; "but how few are there who,
having entered it, know how to discharge its
duties; more particularly those of a mother.
On the subject of marrying our daughters, for
instance, instead of qualifying them to make
"Useful precepts are seldom lost, I be-
lieve, sister," said Sir Edward, with confi-
dence.
"Always useful, my dear brother; but
young people are more observant than we are
apt to imagine, and are wonderfully ingeni-
ous in devising excuses to themselves for their
conduct. I have often heard it offered as an
excuse, that father or mother knew it, or
perhaps did it, and therefore it could not be
wrong; association is all-important to a
child."
"I believe no family of consequence ad-
mits of improper associates, within my know-
ledge," said the baronet.
Mrs. Wilson smiled as she answered, "I am
sure I hope not, Edward; but are the quali-
fications we require in companions for our
daughters, always such as are most recon-
cilable with our good sense or our con-
sciences; a single communication with an ob-
jectionable character is a precedent, if known
and unobserved, which will be offered to ex-
cuse acquaintances with worse ones; with
the other sex especially, their acquaintance
should be very guarded and select."
"You would make many old maids, sis-
ter," cried Sir Edward, with a laugh.
"I doubt it greatly, brother; it would ra-
ther bring female society in demand. I often
regret that selfishness, cupidity, and a kind of
strife, which prevails in our sex, on the road
to matrimony, have brought celibacy into
disrepute; for my part, I never see an old
maid, but I am willing to think she is so from
choice or principle, and although not in her
proper place serviceable, by keeping alive
feelings necessary to exist, that marriages
may not become curses, instead of blessings."
"A kind of Eddystone, to prevent matri-
monial shipwrecks," said the brother gayly.
"Their lot may be solitary, baronet, and
in some measure cheerless, but infinitely pre-
ferable to a marriage that may lead them-
selves astray from their duties, or give birth
to a family, which are to be turned on the
world -- without any religion but form -- with-
out any morals but truisms -- or without even
a conscience which has not been seared by
indulgence. I hope that Anne, in the per-
formance of her indulgent system, will have
no cause to regret its failure."
"Clara chose for herself, and has done
well, Charlotte; and so I doubt not will
Jane and Emily; and I confess I think it is
their right."
"It is true," said Mrs. Wilson, "Clara
has done well, though under circumstances of
but little risk; she might have jumped into
Denbigh had retired to his room early, tell-
ing Mr. Benfield he did not feel well, and
thus missed the party at supper; and by
twelve, silence prevailed in the house. As
usual, after a previous day of pleasure, the
party were late in assembling on the follow-
ing, yet Denbigh was the last who made his
appearance. Mrs. Wilson thought he threw a
look round the room as he entered, which
prevented his making his salutations in his
usual easy and polished manner; in a few
minutes, however, his awkwardness was re-
moved, and they took their seats at the table.
At the moment the door of the room was
thrown hastily open, and Mr. Jarvis entered
abruptly, and with a look bordering on wild-
ness in his eye -- "Is she not here?" ex-
claimed the merchant, scanning the com-
pany closely.
"Who?" inquired all in a breath.
"Polly -- my daughter -- my child," said
the merchant, endeavouring to control his
feelings; "did she not come here this morn-
ing with Colonel Egerton?"
He was answered in the negative, and he
briefly explained the cause of his anxiety --
the colonel had called very early, and sent
her maid up to his daughter, who rose imme-
diately; they had left the house, leaving
word the Miss Moseleys had sent for her to
breakfast for a particular reason. Such was
the latitude allowed by his wife, that nothing
was suspected until one of the servants of the
house said he had seen Colonel Egerton and
a lady drive out of the village that morning
in a post-chaise and four. Then the old gen-
tleman first took the alarm, and proceeded
instantly to the lodge in quest of his daugh-
ter; of their elopement there now remained
no doubt, and an examination into the state
of the colonel's room, who had been thought
not yet risen, gave assurance of it. Here
was at once sad confirmation that the opi-
nion of Mr. Holt was a just one. Although
every heart felt for Jane, during this dreadful
explanation, no eye was turned on her ex-
cepting the stolen and anxious glances of her
sister; but when all was confirmed, and no-
thing remained but to reflect or act upon the
circumstances, she naturally engrossed the
whole attention of her fond parents. Jane
had listened in indignation to the commence-
It appeared the colonel left the lodge im-
mediately after his conversation with Sir Ed-
ward; he slept at a tavern, and caused his
servant to remove his baggage at day-light;
here he had ordered a chaise and horses, and
then proceeded, as mentioned, to the lodgings
of Mr. Jarvis -- what arguments he used with
Miss Jarvis to urge her to so sudden a flight,
remained a secret; but from the remarks of
Mrs. Jarvis and Miss Sarah, there was rea-
son to believe that he had induced them to
think from the commencement, that his in-
tentions were single, and Mary Jarvis their
object; how he contrived to gloss his atten-
tions to Jane, in such a manner as to deceive
those ladies, caused no little surprise; but it
was obvious it was done, and the Moseleys
were not without hopes his situation with
Jane would not make the noise in the world
such occurrences seldom fail to excite. In
the afternoon a letter was handed to Mr. Jar-
vis, and by him immediately communicated
to the baronet and Denbigh, both of whom
he considered as among his best friends: -- it
was from Egerton, and written in a respect-
ful manner; he apologised for his elopement,
and excused it on the ground of a wish to avoid
the delay of a license, or the publishing of
bans, as he was in hourly expectation of a
summons to his regiment; with many pro-
