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It was necessary, however, not to ive her answer in a week, and the artful attorney had drawn froht claim it yet sooner

The law-suit hich she was threatened for the arrears of eight h it shocked her, as she was certain she could prove her e so much later

It was easy to perceive that thisfro from her some money; the confession, indeed, in conscience and honesty she could not wholly elude, but she had suffered too often by a facility in parting with , however, was more true, than that she now lived upon an estate of which she no longer was the owner, and that all she either spent or received was to be accounted for and returned, since by the will of her uncle, unless her husband took her nae was to be forfeited, and entered upon by the Egglestons Delvile's plan and hope of secresy had h this premature discovery so unexpectedly exposed her to their power

The first thought that occurred to her, was to send an express to Delvile, and desire his instructions how to proceed; but she dreaded his impetuosity of temper, and was almost certain that the instant he should hear she was in any uneasiness or perplexity, he would return to her, at all hazards, even though Mr Monckton were dead, and hisThis step, therefore, she did not dare risk, preferring any personal hardship, to endangering the already precarious life of Mrs Delvile, or to hastening her son home while Mr Monckton was in so desperate a situation

But though what to avoid was easy to settle, what to seek was difficult to devise She bad now no Mrs Charlton to receive her, not a creature in who was deeply involving Delvile in debt, a circumstance she had never considered, in the confusion and hurry attending all their plans and conversations, and a circuht have occurred, he could not in common delicacy mention

Yet to have quitted her house, and retrenched her expences, would have raised suspicions that must have anticipated the discovery she so er of its failure, was but more ardent; to have her affairs and situation become publicly known at the present period, she felt would half distract her--Privately married, parted from her husband at the very moment of their union, a husband by whose hand the apparent friend of her earliest youth was all but killed, whose father had execrated thea sacrifice to the vehemence hich she had opposed it, and who himself, little short of an exile, knew not yet if, with personal safety, he ht return to his native land! To circumstances so dreadful, she had now the additional shock of being uncertain whether her own house ht not be seized, before any other could be prepared for her reception!