Cecilia, Volume 2 (of 3)

stay out late, was now very seriously frightened, and entreated Cecilia to sit up with her till some news could be procured; she

take some rest, promising to go out himself to every place where Mr Harrel

ions of her brother were seconded by her own fatigue, consented to

olent knocking at the door; Cecilia, prepared for some calamity, hurried her friend back to the drawing-room,

Mrs Harrel eagerly told him of her fright, and Cecilia expressed her ple

his hat on, and his arms folded. He made no answer to what they said,

revent her. They continued some minutes in this situation, and then M

Mrs Harrel, "Lord

he answered; "I sha

bursting into tears,

of rage; and then, with a dreadful oath,

lent hysterics; of which, however, he took no notice, but swearing a

ted brutality, that she scarcely knew how to act, or what to order. Mrs Harrel, however, soon recovered, and Cec

mmunicated to him, and his sister entreated him to use all his influence that

arrel, he said, told him that he had contracted a larger debt of honour than he had any means to r

Mrs Harrel, "and can

at can I do to prevent it? and who, if I

ason was stronger, and whose justice was offended, felt other sensations; and leaving Mrs Harrel to the care of her brother, whose tenderness she infinitely compassionated, she re

ed she had already done her fortune, was more than sufficient to satisfy the most romantic ideas of friendship and humanit

were lighter, there was not a single allurement. Yet whenever the suspicion recurred to her that Miss Belfield was beloved by young Delvile, she resolved at all events to avoid him; but when bett

f seeing her. She immediately went down stairs, and found him in the utmost distress, "O Miss Bever

g her for this blow, obviously as it has long been impending, makes it now fal

ew as to involve you in our misery; far too unworthily has your generosity alr

proposed that Mrs Harrel should still be l

r Harrel will not go without her, though his whole behaviou

with him?" said Cecilia, "shall we send fo

pprehension of losing his sister, the pain he s

husing to apply to him herself, left him with Mr

and out of breath with joy, and called out "My dearest friend, my fate is

dreading some impracticable proposal; "ask m

Floyer has been begging Mr Harrel to leave me behind, and he has promised to comp

cried the ast

Mr Harrel himself, who

d Cecilia, "what is it you mean, an

le as Sir Robert Floyer. The whole town has long acknowledged him as your husband, and you are every where regarded as his bride, a li

te amazement, he pressed it to his lips, poured forth a volley of such compliments as he had never before prevailed with hi

er silence, said she had made him the happiest of men, she indignantly drew back her hand, and with a look of displeasure that required little explanation, would have walked out of the room; when Mr Harrel, in a ton

ir, in no suspense; the whole tenor of my conduct has uniformly declared the same disappr

d Sir Robert, "did

beyond what it is customary for young ladies of a sentimental turn to shew; and every body knows that where

s, persevere in this wilful misapprehension? But it is vain to debate where all reasoning

in, she insisted upon passing

d, and clinging round her, still s

a, "is it possible that you, too, can su

l has told me a thousand times, that however y

unded, offered an excuse for her behaviour; but she assured her in the strongest terms that her repugnance to the

ho well knew that her wishes and reason had but litt

with the necessity of her removal, and make her decision whither, a

Mr Monckton, who, addressing her with a look of haste and earnestness, said, "I will not ask whither you a

this morning entered, and there, grasping her hand, he said, "Miss Beverley, you must fly thi

ment preparing to quit it, but

y at a gaming table, where, intoxicated by a run of good luck, he passed the whole of the next day in rioting with his profligate intimates, and last night, returning again to his favourite amusement, he not only lost all he had gained, b

any further expectations from me, as he came into the room this morning not merely without speaking to me, but behaved with a brutality to Mrs Harrel that he must be certain

ion varies with every throw of the dice, and he is airy, gay and good humoured, or sour, mor

scene in which she had just been

ronet, he should vanquish all obstacles. By assuring you that the world thought the marriage already settled, he hoped to surprise you into believing there was no help for it, and by the suddenness and vehemence of the attack, to frighten and hurry you into compliance. His own wife, he knew, might have been managed thus with ease, and so, probably, might his sister, and his mother, and his cousin, for in love matte

ible situation of his own affairs, had he not been stimulated by some secret motives. His schemes and his artifices, however, will now be utterly lost upon me, si

permission to reside in your house in Suffolk, or desire an annuity for his wife, or chuse to receive your first rents when you come of age; and whatever he may fix up

quare," answered sh

ng Delvile, the

no,-I bel

it from your chusing t

ith quickness, "but is not any thing

he had any chance with you, had I not hitherto observed that your

truggle, which Mr Monckton was too subtle to interrupt, protested she would go instantly to Mr Briggs, an

?" said M

she, with some hesitation

t this

this morning; I must

hen I came, you were the

sider her plans; but Mr Monckton urged so strongly the danger of her lengthened stay in the house of so designing a man as