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A reply of rallying incredulity was rising to the lips of Mr Monckton, when reading in the looks of Cecilia an entire approbation of this sentiment, he checked his desire of ridicule, and exclaimed, "spoken like a man of honour, and one whose works may profit the world!"

"From my earliest youth to the present hour," continued Belfield, "literature has been the favourite object of my pursuit, my recreation in leisure, and my hope in eovernable, that I es throughout life It was the bar to ave me a distaste to other studies; it was the cause of s, because to all I preferred it It has sunk me to distress, it has involved ht lect the ht itself be lad, Sir," said Cecilia, "your various enterprizes and struggles have at length ended in a project which promises you so much satisfaction But you will surely suffer your sister and your mother to partake of it? for who is there that your prosperity will make so happy?"

"You do the any interest in their affairs; but to own to you the truth, what to me appears prosperity, will to them wear another aspect They have looked forward to ht everything within h their hopes were absurd, I ae to meet their tears, which I am sure will not be spared when they see me"

"'Tis fro, "that you are cruel, and from affection to your friends that you otten them?"

There was a delicacy in this reproach exactly suited to work upon Belfield, who feeling it with quickness, started up, and cried, "I believe I aer to second the generous i at his impetuosity, insisted he should first finish his breakfast

"Your friends," said Cecilia, "can have no mortification so hard to bear as your voluntary absence; and if they see but that you are happy, they will soon be reconciled to whatever situation you may chuse"

"Happy!" repeated he, with aniion in the first rude state of nature, to civilization and refinee; no intercourse with society, no consolation from books; ht, and no enjoyment in my power but from sleep and from food Weary of an existence which thus levelled rew asha to the reave up the precipitate plan, to pursue one more consonant to reason I came to town, hired a room, and sent for pen, ink and paper: what I have written are trifles, but the Bookseller has not rejected the my new occupation with that I had just quitted, I seemed exalted on the sudden froent being But when first I opened a book, after so long an abstinence from all ar regaled suddenly with food, ever seized on his repast with ry avidity"