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just gone through; that when my cousin

Emily knocked at my door; I was weeping

in strong hysterics。



You will readily conceive my distress;

when you reflect upon my strong dislike to

my cousin Edward; combined with my

youth and extreme inexperience。 Any

proposal of such a nature must have

agitated me; but that it should have come

from the man whom of all others I most

loathed and abhorred; and to whom I had;

as clearly as manner could do it; expressed

the state of my feelings; was almost too

overwhelming to be borne。 It was a calamity;

too; in which I could not claim the sym…

pathy of my cousin Emily; which had

always been extended to me in my minor

grievances。 Still I hoped that it might

not be unattended with good; for I

thought that one inevitable and most

welcome consequence would result from

this painful eclaircissment; in the

discontinuance of my cousin's odious

persecution。



When I arose next morning; it was with

the fervent hope that I might never again

behold the face; or even hear the name; of

my cousin Edward; but such a consummation;

though devoutly to be wished; was

hardly likely to occur。 The painful

impressions of yesterday were too vivid to

be at once erased; and I could not help

feeling some dim foreboding of coming

annoyance and evil。



To expect on my cousin's part anything

like delicacy or consideration for me; was

out of the question。 I saw that he had

set his heart upon my property; and that

he was not likely easily to forego such an

acquisitionpossessing what might have

been considered opportunities and facilities

almost to compel my compliance。



I now keenly felt the unreasonableness

of my father's conduct in placing me to

reside with a family of all whose members;

with one exception; he was wholly

ignorant; and I bitterly felt the helplessness

of my situation。 I determined; however;

in case of my cousin's persevering in

his addresses; to lay all the particulars

before my uncle; although he had never in

kindness or intimacy gone a step beyond

our first interview; and to throw myself

upon his hospitality and his sense of honour

for protection against a repetition of such

scenes。



My cousin's conduct may appear to have

been an inadequate cause for such serious

uneasiness; but my alarm was caused

neither by his acts nor words; but entirely

by his manner; which was strange and even

intimidating to excess。 At the beginning

of the yesterday's interview there was a

sort of bullying swagger in his air; which

towards the end gave place to the brutal

vehemence of an undisguised ruffiana

transition which had tempted me into a belief

that he might seek even forcibly to extort

from me a consent to his wishes; or by

means still more horrible; of which I

scarcely dared to trust myself to think;

to possess himself of my property。



I was early next day summoned to attend

my uncle in his private room; which lay in

a corner turret of the old building; and

thither I accordingly went; wondering all

the way what this unusual measure might

prelude。 When I entered the room; he

did not rise in his usual courteous way to

greet me; but simply pointed to a chair

opposite to his own。 This boded nothing

agreeable。 I sat down; however; silently

waiting until he should open the conversation。



'Lady Margaret;' at length he said; in a

tone of greater sternness than I thought

him capable of using; 'I have hitherto

spoken to you as a friend; but I have not

forgotten that I am also your guardian;

and that my authority as such gives me a

right to control your conduct。 I shall

put a question to you; and I expect and

will demand a plain; direct answer。 Have

I rightly been informed that you have con…

temptuously rejected the suit and hand of

my son Edward?'



I stammered forth with a good deal of

trepidation:



'I believethat is; I have; sir; rejected

my cousin's proposals; and my coldness

and discouragement might have

convinced him that I had determined to

do so。'



'Madam;' replied he; with suppressed;

but; as it appeared to me; intense anger;

'I have lived long enough to know that

COLDNESS and discouragement; and such

terms; form the common cant of a worthless

coquette。 You know to the full; as

well as I; that COLDNESS AND DISCOURAGEMENT

may be so exhibited as to convince

their object that he is neither distasteful

or indifferent to the person who wears this

manner。 You know; too; none better; that

an affected neglect; when skilfully managed;

is amongst the most formidable of the

engines which artful beauty can employ。

I tell you; madam; that having; without

one word spoken in discouragement;

permitted my son's most marked attentions

for a twelvemonth or more; you have no

right to dismiss him with no further

explanation than demurely telling him that

you had always looked coldly upon him;

and neither your wealth nor your LADYSHIP'

(there was an emphasis of scorn on the

word; which would have become Sir

Giles Overreach himself) 'can warrant you

in treating with contempt the affectionate

regard of an honest heart。'



I was too much shocked at this undisguised

attempt to bully me into an acquiescence

in the interested and unprincipled

plan for their own aggrandisement; which

I now perceived my uncle and his son to

have deliberately entered into; at once to

find strength or collectedness to frame an

answer to what he had said。 At length I

replied; with some firmness:



'In all that you have just now said; sir;

you have grossly misstated my conduct and

motives。 Your information must have been

most incorrect as far as it regards my

conduct towards my cousin; my manner

towards him could have conveyed nothing

but dislike; and if anything could have

added to the strong aversion which I

have long felt towards him; it would be

his attempting thus to trick and frighten

me into a marriage which he knows to be

revolting to me; and which is sought by

him only as a means for securing to

himself whatever property is mine。'



As I said this; I fixed my eyes upon

those of my uncle; but he was too old in

the world's ways to falter beneath the

gaze of more searching eyes than mine; he

simply said:



'Are you acquainted with the provisions

of your father's will?'



I answered in the affirmative; and he

continued:



'Then you must be aware that if my

son Edward werewhich God forbidthe

unprincipled; reckless man you pretend to

think him'(here he spoke very slowly;

as if he intended that every word which

escaped him should be registered in my

memory; while at the same time the

expression of his countenance underwent a

gradual but horrible change; and the eyes

which he fixed upon me became so darkly

vivid; that I almost lost sight of everything

else)'if he were what you have

described him; think you; girl; he could

find no briefer means than wedding

contracts to gain his ends? 'twas but to gripe

your slender neck until the breath had

stopped; and lands; and lakes; and all were

his。'



I stood staring at him for many minutes

after he had ceased to speak; fascinated

by the terrible serpent…like gaze; until he

continued with a welcome change of countenance:



'I will not speak again to you upon this

topic until one month has passed。 You

shall have time to consider the relative

advantages of the two courses which are

open to you。 I should be sorry to hurry

you to a decision。 I am satisfied with

having stated my feelings upon the subject;

and pointed out to you the path of duty。

Remember this day monthnot one word

sooner。'



He then rose; and I left the room; much

agitated and exhausted。



This interview; all the circumstances

attending it; but most particularly the

formidable expression of my uncle's

countenance while he talked; though hypothetically;

of murder; combined to arouse all

my worst suspicions of him。 I dreaded to

look upon the face that had so recently

worn the appalling livery of guilt and

malignity。 I regarded it with the

mingled fear and loathing with which one

looks upon an object which has tortured

them in a nightmare。



In a few days after the interview; the

particulars of which I have just related; I

found a note upon my toilet…table; and on

opening it I read as follows:





     'MY DEAR LADY MARGARET;

          'You will be perhaps surprised to

see a strange face in your room to…day。 I

have dismissed your Irish maid; and

secured a French one to wait upon youa

step rendered necessary by my proposing

shortly to visit the Continent; with all my

family。

          'Your faithful guardian;

                    'ARTHUR TN。'





On inquiry; I found that my faithful

attendant was actually gone; and far on

her way to the town of Galway; and in

her stead th

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