Page 5 (1/1)
Here she had dwelt since the interratitude of her disposition, she had perhaps been content to dwell till her own, had not her guardians interfered to remove her
Reluctantly she complied; she quitted her early companions, the friend she most revered, and the spot which contained the relicks of all she had yet lived to lauardians, and attended by two servants, she began her journey froh in the priay, fashionable and splendid, had been appointed by her uncle to be one of her trustees; a choice which had for object the peculiar gratification of his niece, whosefriend Mr Harrel had married, and in whose house he therefore knew she would ood-nature could dictate or politeness suggest to dispel her e; and Cecilia, in whose disposition sweetness was teentleness with fortitude, suffered not his kind offices to seelimpse a friendly hill afforded of her native town, and ht of it She revived her spirits by plans of future happiness, dwelt upon the delight hich she shouldhis consolation, amply rewarded his trouble
Her serenity, however, had yet another, though o, since another friend was yet to be met, and another fareas yet to be taken
At the distance of seven miles from Bury resided Mr Monckton, the richest and hbourhood, at whose house Cecilia and her guardian were invited to breakfast in their journey
Mr Monckton, as the younger son of a noble fareat native strength of e of the world, and to faculties thethe character of every other, a dissi his own In the bloom of his youth, impatient for wealth and aer of quality, whose age, though sixty- seven, was but a the s far more repulsive than her wrinkles An inequality of years so considerable, had led him to expect that the fortune he had thus acquired, would speedily be released from the burthen hich it was at present incumbered; but his expectations proved as vain as they were mercenary, and his lady was not more the dupe of his protestations than he was himself of his own purposes Ten years he had been ood, and her faculties were unierly he had watched for her dissolution, yet his eagerness had injured no health but his own! So short-sighted is selfish cunning, that in airatification of the present moment, it obscures the evils of the future, while it irity and honour