elopement. He was not devoid of regard for her, nor was he insensible to her beauty, but his principal object was her fortune. He had httle himself, and knew that in the event of an open courtship and proposal, he should be strongly opposed by her relations. Secrecy was therefore his only chance of success: and fortunately for his designs, he found Miss Hartley to be one of those weak, timid characters, who are naturally disposed to prefer dissimulation to openness, and seek to defend themselves by the resources of artifice. Being an intimate acquaintance of her brother, Luscombe had frequent opportunities of seeing the young lady, and had secured her affections, and exchanged vows even before the period at which this story commences. But he had long to wait, for Miss Hartley would not be of age till the end of the ensuing April, and by a previous elopement he should fail in accomplishing his principal object. In the mean time, he contrived to blind her brother, and even the supe rior discernment of his lady, by affecting not to admire Miss Hartley, and professing himself a confirmed bachelor. With an admirable air of sincerity he concurred with the real wishes of Lady Lacy, and the pretended ones of Mrs. Hartley, that Herbert should be married to Charlotte; and when the engagement was actually announced, nobody spoke of it with greater pleasure both to them and their acquain tance. This elopement was a severe and just punishment to Mrs. Hartley. Not only were her projects frustrated, but she was defeated with her own weapons, by persons whose talent and address she justly held to be inferior to her own. But in the ignominious warfare of cunning, the victory, as is meet, depends not upon those qualities of which any one has reason to be proud. The possession of high endowments is rather unfavourable to success. It induces a dangerous confidence, a disposition to bold and open measures, and a disregard of those petty advantages of which meaner craft will not scruple to avail itself. Mrs. Hartley, it is true, was not calculated to feel the lofty security and noble unsuspiciousness of her brother; but she was undoubtedly led, by a consciousness of address, to place too great a reliance on her own discrimination, and to pay too little attention to the actions of Charlotte Hartley and Mr. Luscombe, from the very erroneous belief that, let them do what they would, they could never deceive her. CHAPTER XVIII. Wooing thee 1 found thee of more value That now I aim at. Merry Wives of Windsor. THE time was now past when Lacy would consider it his duty to avoid the society of Agnes. All the serious obstacles which had opposed his love for her were now removed, and he accordingly made an early use of his newly acquired liberty, and called upon the Mortons at their residence at Twickenham. They had heard of Miss Hartley's marriage; and though scarcely any allusion could be made to such a subject, there was at least sufficient to satisfy Lacy that they were informed of his release. He saw Agnes, and though it was but for a short time, and their conversation was unimportant, there was a conscious timidity in her manner towards him, and a blush on her cheek at the first meeting, from which he drew the happiest auguries. He staid long, and contrived to implicate himself in a commission for Lady Louisa, which would afford him an excellent reason for calling soon again. The second visit secured to Lacy a still greater degree of friendly intimacy with the family, and an invitation to dine with them en famille on a following day. It was then, during the absence of the ladies after dinner, that the name of Sackville was first introduced, and in the course of conversation, Mr. Morton mentioned his office of trustee under the will of Mrs. Denham, and the power that he thereby possessed of withholding all, except ten thousand pounds, of the fortune of Agnes, in case of her marrying before the age of twenty-four without his consent. |