ment of her Love, and the oppreffion of her defpair, appeared to be in a declining flate of health, and by her altered looks exceedingly alarmed the fondeft of parents.

Terrified at the condition to which Lætitia's partialities in favour of Sir James, and the uncer tainty occafioned by Sir James's filence, had reduced her, Mr. Bendifh could not behold her in that condition without the fincereft concern, and the most diftreffing apprchenfions. By repeated requests he prevailed on her to confefs the caufe of the pitiable change he had for fome time obferved in her; but her confeffion only ferved to increase his difquiet on her account, as he was afraid to expect the wifhed-for removal of it, and as he could not decently, he thought, take any steps towards the accomplishment of his defires, and the difmiffion of his doubts.

While the good Mr. Bendifh, and his deserving daughter, were thus unhappily fituated, the latter drooping every day more and more under the preffure of her tender forrows, and the former most affectionately lamenting the havock which thofe forrows had made in her conflitution, they were both fuddenly relieved from their refpe&tive miferies by the frank and generous behaviour of Sir James, by which he gave a happy turn to their fpirits

fpirits, and exhibited himself in a light equally amiable and engaging.

It was fome time indeed before Lætitia, (after what she had fuffered, during the agonies of fufpence,) recovered her health; fhe was, however, in a little while reftored to the full enjoyment of it. With the tranquillity of her mind, the beauty of her perfon returned; and it was, indeed, fo much heightened by the happiness of her heart, that Sir James grew more cnamoured of her than he had ever been and as her converfation alfo improved upon him, with the increafing freedom which his generous propofal had produced, he could not reftrain himself from urging with all the eagernefs of an impatient lover to fix a near day for the completion of his felicity. With all the delicacy ever becoming her fex, particularly fo upon fuch an occafion, fhe difcovered the pleafure which his eagernefs gave her; with equal delicacy fhe left the nomination of her wedding day to him.

The delay on Sir James's fide, with regard to the disclosure of that paffion for Lætitia which she had certainly kindled in his bofom, did not arise from a diminution of it, in confequence of any impropriety in her conduct: it refulted entirely from the ftimulating defire he felt to be affured his paffion was returned; having never, in all his con

nections

nections with the female part of the human fpecies, feen or converfed with a woman alluring enough to make a conqueft of his heart. Accuftomed, from his rank, his fortune, and his great alliances, to appear chiefly in the higher walks of life, he had with too much attention marked the behaviour of women of fashion to wish to have any matrimonial tranfactions with them.

Boldness and affectation were two acquired accomplishments in the fair fex which he never admired; and as thofe females who, in other refpects, were most attractive in his eyes, distinguished themfelves in those accomplishments, he found in himself no propensity to figure in the character of a married man.

Sir James's appearance at Buxton, at that time, was merely accidental: he had no intention to vifit that place when he left London, in order to make fome improvements upon his Derbyshire eftate it was in compliance with the particular requeft of an old friend whom he overtook a few miles from the above mentioned town, that he accompanied him to the place to which he was going for the benefit of his health. When he was at the Wells, he was indeed fufficiently fatisfied with the company he met there, not to repent of the change

he had made in his travelling plan; but little did he imagine, that among the ladies affembled at Buxton he fhould find one fufficiently engaging to render herself neceffary to his happiness.

To the happinefs of Sir James, Lætitia became abfolutely neceffary foon after his arrival at Buxton: fhe appeared to him in every respect a woman formed to make an unexceptionable wife and the moment he thought he could depend upon her being as much in love with him, as he was with her, he avowed his paffion in the most flattering overtures.

As the friend whom Sir James had overtaken upon the road was the minifter of a neighbouring parish, the nuptial ceremony was performed by him in his own church.

When all the previous preparations were finifhed, the happy pair, with Mr. Bendifh, not lefs happy, though in a different way, then fet out thoroughly pleafed with the bufinefs of the morning to Halton farm.

Lætitia, upon her arrival at the farm, not only found a very elegant houfe very pleafantly fituated, but the alfo found every accommodation which fhe wifhed for to make life agreeable. No woman ever entered into the marriage state with

more

more tranfporting profpects: no woman ever was more deferving of all the felicity which that ftate can beftow.

On the approach of winter, Sir James carried his Lætitia to London, not without fome triumphant fenfations, believing that he had, in her, a wife as much fuperior to the common run of married women in point of conjugal merit, as fhe appeared in his eyes fuperior to moft women married or fingle, in point of perfonal beauty. Allowances fhould ever be made-and ever will be made by candid people-for the uxorious effufions of a doating hufband; but Sir James Halton met with very few friends in the great world ready to bear the overflowings of his enraptured heart: they thought his behaviour to Lady Halton extremely ridiculous; and almost every female of his acquaintance, efpecially the unmarried ladies, and thofe who had hoped to fhare his title with him, exclaimed against his choice of a wife in pretty fmart expreffions, mixing with their fatire as much wit as they could mufter up upon fo provoking an occafion.

Thofe, however, who faw her elevation with the greatest difquiet, behaved to her with the greatest politenefs: and very naturally thinking that they could not fo effectually alienate her hufband's

G g 2