--What can he do for me, poor girl as I am!
--What can his greatness stoop to! He talks, thought I, of his pride of
heart, and pride of condition; O these are in his head, and in his heart
too, or he would not confess them to me at such an instant. Well then,
thought I, this can be only to seduce me.--He has promised nothing.--But
I am to see what he will do, if I stay a fortnight; and this fortnight,
thought I again, is no such great matter; and I shall see in a few days
how he carries it.--But then, when I again reflected upon this distance
between him and me, and his now open declaration of love, as he called
it; and that after this he would talk with me on that subject more
plainly than ever, and I shall be less armed, may be, to withstand him;
and then I bethought myself, why, if he meant no dishonour, he should not
speak before Mrs. Jervis; and the odious frightful closet came again into
my head, and my narrow escape upon it; and how easy it might be for him
to send Mrs. Jervis and the maids out of the way; and so that all the
mischief he designed me might be brought about in less than that time; I
resolved to go away and trust all to Providence, and nothing to myself.
And how ought I to be thankful for this resolution!--as you shall hear.
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