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Here they stopt at the lodgings Delvile handed both the ladies out Cecilia, eager to avoid his importunities, and dreadfully disturbed, hastily past him, and ran up stairs; but Mrs Charlton refused not his ar-rooave orders that a post-chaise ht be sent for immediately
Delvile now felt offended in his turn; but suppressing his veheravely and quietly said "Determined as you are to leave n, at least, before we part, to be more explicit in your accusation, and tell me if indeed it is possible you can suspect that the wretch who broke off the ceremony, had ever from me received provocation for such an action?"
"I know not what to suspect," said Cecilia, "where every thing is thus involved in obscurity; but I must own I should have some difficulty to think those words the effect of chance, or to credit that their speaker was concealed without design"
"You are right, then, madam," cried he, resentfully, "to discard nance, since I see you believe ine I am better informed in this affair than I appear to be You have said I shall make you miserable,--no, madam, no! your happiness and misery depend not upon one you hold so worthless!"
"On whatever they depend," said Cecilia, "I a than superstitious, but none of our proceedings have prospered, and since their privacy has always been contrary both to ment and my principles, I know not how to repine at a failure I cannot think un; you will be ready, I hope, to set off in it directly?"
Delvile, too angry to trust himself to speak, noalked about the room, and endeavoured to calh silent till the chaise was announced, when he heard that dreaded sound, and saw Cecilia steady in her purpose of departing, he was sohis hands in a transport of passion and grief, he exclaimed "This, then, Cecilia, is your faith! this is the felicity you bid s, and the perforement!"
Cecilia, struck by these reproaches, turned back; but while she hesitated how to answer them, he went on, "You are insensible to my misery, and impenetrable to my entreaties; a secret eneh for her enh even her existence was thisto condeue conjecture, than in all you have observed of the whole tenour ofwhy, you are disposed to believe er to banish uilt itself, wound uilty!"