rival acknowledged she had now an earthly as well as an heavenly protector. This was the man she loved, the man whom she had endeavoured to fix as her paramour, at the hazard of every temporal and eternal hope. This recollection gave renewed fierceness to her manner, while she inquired, if she was at liberty to return to the home from which she had been basely inveigled. "would op "Who," said Selina, pose so wise, so honourable a measure?" "The perjured, mean, yet specious, Avondel. You disclaim all knowledge of the plots and counterplots by which my ruin has been achieved. To whom, then, can I ascribe them but to him, who first attempted to corrupt the wife of his friend, and with ten-fold baseness exposed her confi dence in his plighted faith to derision and shame." Selina started at the daring effrontery of Paulina, in accusing an accomplice of the crime in which she was more deeply involved. The maliguity which mingled with her rage distorted her features, and described a soul more fiend like than Selina could believe tenanted so beautiful a form, and she deplored the depravity which contaminated such commanding ta. lents. Fixed, interminable revenge, the sanguinary rancour of the Italian, betrayed by the unguarded frenzy of the woman, flashed in her countenance, whose agonized contortions spoke the workings of two passions striving for mastery, whose full indulgence were incompatible with each other. The horror and consternation of Selina's look recalled Paulina's attention to the nature of the confidence VOL III, Q which she thus unwarily bestowed, and convinced her of the necessity of resuming that external self-command of which she was so consummate a mistress. She burst into tears, conjured Selina not to notice the extravagance of a woman rendered frantic by a contrariety and multiplicity of woes, and she laboured so solicitously to vindicate herself from the suspicion of harbouring any resentment against Lord Avondel, whom she acknowledged to be noble and virtuous, that by over-acting the part of a self-accuser she confirmed instead of dispelling Selina's fears, for the safety of the repentant earl. Thus ended an interview that exposed benevolence to one of those disappointments which so often attend its efforts to do good, and compel it to look for its reward to Him who judges of actions by a surer criterion than uccess. CHAP. XXX. Even thee fair Queen, from thy amazing height WE left Lord Avondel returning to Berkley-square. He meditated on the events which had restored to him the long-lost Selina in a new and interesting character, injured, and amiable, with no impediment either real or imaginary, to his future enjoyment of her society, and to his deriving inestimable advantages from her vir tue, wisdom, and piety. His thoughts sometimes wandered to Paulina with anxiety, but without regret, and with as little of self-reproach as a considerable share of self-esteem, combating a high regard for honour, would permit. He had lost an artful, impetuous, fraudulent, mistress, he had recovered a sincere, steady friend. The calm magnanimity with which she sacrificed her dearest wishes, and justest claims to the advantage or misery of others, extorted his admiration, and his own gentle Emily rose in his opinion as the docile pupil of such an instructress. It was long before he could withdraw his wonder from the living to peruse the documents which so reluctantly discovered the guilt of the dead. With a trembling hand he opened the packet given him by Selina, and first read a billet from his father to Lady Montolieu, which too clearly proved their criminal intercourse. His |