me."

"Pshaw! Miss Milner, this is the old argument. He may love you too well
to spoil you--consider that he is your guardian as well as your lover, he
means also to become your husband; and he is a man of such nice honour,
that he will not indulge you with any power before marriage, to which he
does not intend to submit hereafter."

"But tenderness, affection, the politeness due from a lover to his
mistress demands his submission; and as I now despair of enticing, I
will oblige him to it--at least I'll make the trial, and know my fate at
once."

"What do you mean to do?"

"Invite Lord Frederick to the house, and ask my guardian's consent for
our immediate union; you will then see, what effect that will have upon
his pride."

"But you will then make it too late for him to be humble. If you
resolve on this, my dear Miss Milner, you are undone at once--you may
thus hurry yourself into a marriage with a man you do not love, and the
misery of your whole future life may be the result. Or, would you force
Mr. Dorriforth (I mean Lord Elmwood) to another duel with my Lord
Frederick?"

"No, call him Dorriforth," answered she, with the tears stealing from
her eyes; "I thank you for calling him so; for by that name alone, is he
dear to me."

"Nay, Miss Milner, with what rapture did you not receive his love, as
Lord Elmwood!"

"But under this title he has been barbarous; under the first, he was all
friendship and tenderness."

Notwithstanding Miss Milner indulged herself in all these soft
bewailings to her friend--before Lord Elmwood she maintained a degree of
pride and steadiness, which surprised even him, who perhaps thought less
of her love for him, than any other person. She now began to fear she
had gone too far in discovering her affection, and resolved to make
trial of a contrary method. She determined to retrieve that haughty
character which had inspired so many of her admirers with passion, and
take the chance of its effect upon this only one, to whom she ever
acknowledged a mutual attachment. But although she acted this character
well--so well, that every one but Miss Woodley thought her in
earnest--yet, with nice and attentive anxiety, she watched even the
slightest circumstances that might revive her hopes, or confirm her
despair. Lord Elmwood's behaviour was calculated only to produce the
latter--he was cold, polite, and perfectly indifferent. Yet, whatever his
manners now were, they did not remove from he