child, who was idolized by the faith ful Lucy, bent her steps to the cell

--

would only have loved her fallen friend the more. The next day

her father, and with satisfaction learned from the keeper that Allanby had frequently been looking out of the door of his cell, as if expecting somebody; and at night as he was going to bed, had asked whether the lady had not been there. Did he?' said Maria in a transport; 'Let me see him directly.'-But after the first joyful emotion had subsided, which gen

of her father. The way to the mad-earlier than usual Maria visited house lay by the residence of Mr. Arnold, and at the door she saw the carriages waiting to convey the bride and her train to the coun try seat of her mother-in-law. Maria hurried on as fast as her trembling limbs could carry her, and discerned Mr. Arnold among the crowd, bustling about with all the important consequence of a pleased and happy parent. Not ́daring to analyze her feelings. sheerally accompanied her entrance,

rushed forward, and soon found herself at the door of the bedlam. Looking up at the greated windows, while her ears were assailed by the cries of insanity within, she contemplated it as the forlorn abode of her father, whose dejected palid face formed a striking contrast to the ruddy satisfied countenance of Mr. Arnold. So oppressed were her spirits, that she was resolved not to enter that morning

and as soon as she was able she returned home; there she shut herself up in her own apartment, and spent the rest of the day in mournful solitary meditation. In the mean time the amiable Amelia sighed for the absent Maria, and, surrounded by joyous friends, yet felt the want of her congratulations. The last word Amelia left with the servants, as she bad them adieu was to be sure to send after her any note or letter that might come. No note however, did come, and had Amelia known the motive she

she saw no ground to think his symptoms were more favourable than before. The keeper now informed her, that a violent raving fit had followed her last parting with him, and therefore advised in future that she should make her escape unseen. This visit having passed away without any thing material occurring, she returned to Lucy, to whom she repeated over and over the question her farther had asked, 'If the lady had not been there?'

Mr. Arnold having staid a few days with the new married couple returned home. His daughter, before he left her, had most earnestly charged him to be the advocate of Maria, if he heard her malevolenly attacked; and an opportunity soon occurred to exercise the joint benevolence of his daughter and himself. He was drinking tea in a large party, when a lady, whose insipid and uninteresting daughters had once consi

dered Maria as a formidable rival,

said with no small share of malig

are judged there with the same severity you judge tere, Miss Al

nity, Truly I hear that good-for-lanby and you will never be visit

nothing creature, Allanby's daughter is come to town: None but one of her cast would have the - impudence to shew her face here. after what has passed.' 'Impudence, indeed!' rejoined anothe lady. But this girl must be a hardened wretch,' resumed Mrs Ravencroft, the first speaker; 'her fellow is tired of her mos likely, and therefore she will soon

'To

ing anquantance.'—At.er this, Mr. Arnold related the contrition and pious resolution of Maria, which excited the glow of pity in the bosoms of all present, except the rigidly virtuous mother and daughler. Fallen as she is, she is still Maria Allanby was repeated round the room. Mrs Ravencroft could ill brook the sympathy in favour of Maria, and in a scream

some people may do any thing, & yet be praised up to the skies. It was always Miss Allanby here, & Miss Alianby there-though other people's children could do as well, but had more modesty to conceal it.

be on the town" More likely,'ing voice said, 'Well, for my part r plied Mr. Arnold, in the church. yard: Miss Allanby no longer possesses charms to attract the eye of the libertine. She is now an object whom the compassionate and humane cannot behold without the liveliest emotion.' be sure,' replied Mrs Ravenc oft, the girl had always a persuasive tongue of her own; and as to her beauty, I never thought it of the kind that would last long. But you have seen her, Mr. Arnold, and I much wonder that you, the father af a family, should subunit to regard such trash.'

Ah! cried one of the Miss Ravencroft's, 'she had always courage enough for any thing.' Yes,' resumed her mamma, and it ended in her becoming a -but I shall not repeat the term.'

Fallen as she is,' said Mr. Arnold, in her day of innocence & prosperity she never expressed he self to an erring neighbour with unchristian severity, but set you an example of that forbearance you ought to imitate.' 'Set me an example vocifeated Mis R.; but come, my child en, I cannot sit to hear such immoral talk: She is now held up as an example for modest women !'—Mr. Arnold now rose: I will leave the company,' said he, for I am tired of hearing myself so stupidly

and wickedly misrepresented. I detest the crime of Maria, and would not have received into gen●ral female company; but at the same time, I feel proud to vindicate the penitent, and to assert, that she will one day appeal from this ering world, to a kind long suffering creator.' Bowing respectfully, he then withdrew.Immediately on ti e publication of Maria's story and intentions, she received work from all the neighbouring gentry; but while she went on prosperously, lucy's school declined, and Maria found it necessary to remove, which she did to a cottage on the heath, near to her friend, the old farmer's. Not long ate Lucy ma ried to a respectable tradesman in the town, and they offered Maria an asylum, but she preferred solitude and her own peaceful abode.

gret the insulting manner in whicht he had justified his past conduct and future intentions. He felt that he had incurred the contempt of Maria, and from her determined and dignified manner, when he bad her adieu, he was certain she had learned to despise him. In the morning, therefore, he resolved to visit her, and apologize for what had passed, by saying, 'he was infernally drunk.' He had just ordered a coach, when Mrs. Stewart appeared, and announced Maria's elopement. His rage and astonishment were indiscribable, but these soon gave way to an anx. iety for her safety and that of his child. For some minutes he was incapable of determining how he should proceed in tracing the fugitives. When Mrs. Stewart had detailed the evidence whic confirmed her flight, & stated that she had not taken any of her cloaths with her, he burst into an agony of grief, and exclaiming, Then she has destroyed both herself and the child sunk down insensible upon the sofa. The same idea had occurred to Mrs. Stewart, who had dispatched servants different ways, during the night, to fmd if she were still in existence, that she might allay the fears of Talbot on this head. When he awoke to recollection, and felt the gnaw.

Four months after her return, Maria saw in the paper an account of Talbot's marriage, and felt some curiosity to know what had postponed the union which was to have taken place on the Monday after her leaving town. But dismissing this feeling from her mind as a weakness, from that moment she resolved to consider him not only as one who had been guilty of pe: fidy and deceit, but of brutal and unnatural neglect. In this lasting stings of unavailing remorse, accusation, however, Maria was unjust. When Talbot awoke, on the morning following her alope ment, & the fumes of the wine had subsided, he remembered with re

remembring that a coach left town that very night for her native place from the White Horse cellar, and it was possible that she might || have obtained a lodging the night

before, to stay there till the coaching in the night with cold, for at

set off the following evening, he immediately went to Piccadilly, to see if places for a lady and child

one of the inns I learned that a young woman and child had been found frozen to death last night,

owned. While I was thinking of setting off there directly a woman came down with a shawl and a silk hankerchief belonging to the unfortunate lady, and said the young person had those things on, I wanted no further proofs my lord; the conviction turned me sick. yet this is better than self-murder, & I think my master had best know it from your lordship, who I hope will think so too. Your lordship's humble servant, P. Pearson.'

had been taken; but no such pas-and carried to the next town to be sengers were on the list, nor did any one know that such persons had entered the coach, as she got in only at the moment of its setting off. When Talbat had turned to Mrs. Stuart, he told her, that if Maria did not arrive by the evening, he woud himself go some miles in the cauch, to see if it stopped, to take her up on the road. This resolution he carried into effect, and travelled six miles in hopes of hearing her call to the coachman to stop. At length, his expectation failing him, he desired to be set down, and commenced his way back on foot, without a great coat, and in the violent attack of a fever, anxiously praying to meet Maria, at the time she was proceeding to her native place with her lunatic father.-When he arrived at London, he was almost in a delirium, but had sense sufficient to desire Pearson to inform his father of the state he was in, -and take the rout to; to enquire at every place on the road if a lady and child had been seen there. The servant obeyed, and Talbot's father, who had been in. formed of the cause of his illness, soon received the following letter from Pearson, while he was altending at his bed-side.

'My lord, the e is reason to fear Miss Ailanby and the child perish.

After the first emotion had subsided, Talbot's father saw that the formidable rival of his future daughter-in-law was no longer an object of fear; and as his son in his rayings was haunted by a conviction, that Maria had murdered herself and child, of whose deaths he was the abandoned cause, he resolved to communicate the truth at a fit opportunity: This he did, just before he received the following letter from Pearson.

'My lord it was all false about Miss Allanby; she is alive at.She stoped at an inn on the road, and parted with her shawl and suk coat for some things she wanted, and a bussey of a maid servant there went off with them and her chance kid in the nig. Bu as this will be joyful news to my master, and overjoy is sometimes as bad as overso.row, I guess your

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