How came this? said Miss Caroline to her maid. was not to be shewn in to us.

She

I beg pardon; courtesying, and was for withdrawing; but stopt on Charlotte's speech to her-My brother sent for you, madam-Not we, I assure you. He says it is necessary, as you thought fit to put your seal with ours to the locked-up places, that you should be present at the breaking them. Yet he will see you with as much pain as you give us. Prepare yourself to see him. You seem mighty unfit-No wonder!

You have heard, Lucy, that Charlotte attributes a great deal of alteration for the better in her temper, and even in her heart, to the example of her brother.

Indeed, I am unfit, very unfit, said the poor woman. Let me, ladies, bespeak your generosity: a little of your pity: a little of your countenance. I am, indeed, an unhappy woman!

And so you deserve to be.

I am sure we are the sufferers, said Caroline.

Lord L

well as heart.

as she owned, was then in her head, as

If I may withdraw without seeing Sir Charles, I should take it for a favour. I find I cannot bear to see him. I insist not upon being present at the breaking the seals. I throw myself upon your mercy, ladies, and upon his.

Cruel girls! shall I call them, Lucy? I think I will— Cruel girls! They asked her not to sit down, though they saw the terror she was in; and that she had the modesty to forbear sitting in their presence.

What an humbling thing is the consciousness of having lived faulty, when calamity seizes upon the heart !—But shall not virtue be appeased, when the hand of God is

acknowledged in the words, countenance, and behaviour, of the offender? Yet, perhaps, it is hard for sufferersLet me consider-Have I from my heart forgiven Sir Hargrave Pollexfen?- will examine into that another

time.

And so you have put yourself into mourning, madam? Shall I say, that Caroline said this, and what follows? Yet I am glad it was not Charlotte, methinks; for Caroline thought herself a sufferer by her, in an especial manner However, I am sorry it was either.

Pretty deep too! Your weeds, I suppose, are at your lodgings

You have been told, Lucy, that Mrs. Oldham by many was called Lady Grandison; and that her birth, her education, good sense, though all was not sufficient to support her virtue against necessity and temptation, (poor woman!) might have given her a claim to the title.

Indeed, ladies, I am a real mourner: but I never myself assumed a character, to which it was never in my thought to solicit a right.

Then, madam, the world does you injustice, madam, said Charlotte.

Here, ladies, are the keys of the stores; of the confectionary; of the wine-vaults. You demanded them not, when you dismissed me from this house. I thought to send them: but by the time I could provide myself with a lodging, you were gone; and left only two common servants, besides the groom and helpers: and I thought it was best to keep the keys, till I could deliver them to your order, or Sir Charles's. I have not been a bad manager, ladies, considered as a housekeeper. All I have in the world is under the seals. I am at yours and your brother's mercy.

The sisters ordered their woman to take the keys, and bring them to the foot of their thrones. Dear ladies, forgive me, if you should, by surprise, see this. I know that you think and act in a different manner now,

Here comes my brother! said Caroline.

You'll soon know, madam, what you have to trust to from him, said Charlotte.

The poor woman trembled, and turned pale. O how her heart must throb !

LETTER XX.

MISS BYRON.-IN CONTINUATION.

SIR CHARLES entered. She was near the door. His sisters were at the other end of the room.

He bowed to her-Mrs. Oldham, I presume, said hePray, madam, be seated. I sent to you, that you might see the seals-Pray, madam, sit down.

He took her hand, and led her to a chair not far distant from them; and sat down in one between them and her.

His sisters owned they were startled at his complaisance to her. Dear ladies; they forgot, at that moment, that mercy and justice are sister graces, and cannot be separated in a virtuous bosom.

Pray, madam, compose yourself; looking upon her with eyes of anguish and pity mingled, as the ladies said, they afterwards recollected with more approbation than at the time. What, my Lucy, must be the reflections

of this humane man, respecting his father, and her, at that moment!

He turned to his sisters, as if to give Mrs. Oldham time to recover herself. A flood of tears relieved her. She tried to suppress her audible sobs, and, most considerately, he would not hear them. Her emotions attracting the eyes of the ladies, he took them off, by asking them something about a picture that hung on the other side of the

room.

He then drew his chair nearer to her, and again taking her trembling hand-I am not a stranger to your melancholy story, Mrs. Oldham-be not discomposed

He stopt to give her a few moments' time to recover herself-resuming; See in me a friend, ready to thank you for all your past good offices, and to forget all mistaken

ones.

She could not bear this. She threw herself at his feet. He raised her to her chair.

Poor Mr. Oldham, said he, was unhappily careless! Yet I have been told he loved you, and that you merited his love-your misfortunes threw you into the knowledge of our family. You have been a faithful manager of the affairs of this house-by written evidences I can justify you; evidences that no one here will, I am sure, dispute.

It was plain that his father had written in her praise, as an economist; the only light in which this pious son was then willing to consider her.

Indeed, I have-and I would still have been

No more of that, madam. Mr. Grandison, who is a good-natured man, but a little hasty, has told me that he treated you with unkindness. He owns you were patient under it. Patience never yet was a solitary virtue. He thought you wrong for insisting to put your seal: but he

was mistaken: you did right, as to the thing; and I dare say, a woman of your prudence did not wrong in the manNo one can judge properly of another, that cannot be that very other in imagination, when he takes the judg

ner.

ment-seat.

O my brother! O my brother!—said both ladies at one time-half in admiration, though half-concerned, at a goodness so eclipsing.

Bear with me, my sisters. We have all something to be forgiven for.

They knew not how far they were concerned, in his opinion, in the admonition, from what their father had written of them. They owned, that they were mortified: yet knew not how to be angry with a brother, who, though more than an equal sufferer with them, could charity.

preserve his

He then made a motion, dinner-time, as he said, not being near, for chocolate; and referred to Mrs. Oldham to direct it, as knowing best where every thing was. She referred to the delivered-up keys. Caroline called in her servant, and gave them to her. Sir Charles desired Mrs. Oldham to be so good as to direct the maid.

The ladies easily saw, that he intended by this, to relieve the poor woman by some little employment; and to take the opportunity of her absence, to endeavour to reconcile them to his intentions, as well as manner of behaving to her.

The moment she was gone out of the room, he thus addressed himself to the ladies :

My dear sisters, let me beg of you to think favourably of me on this occasion. I would not disoblige you for the world. I consider not the case of this poor woman, on the foot of her own merits, with regard to us. Our fa