he
sight of his best friends now became irksome to him;--he not only
loathed, but grew incapable of all business;--he shut himself in his
closet, shunned conversation, was scarce prevailed on to take the
necessary supports of nature, and seemed as if his soul was buried in
the tomb of his son, and only a kind of vegetative life remained
within him.

His sister, who loved him very affectionately, and for whom he had
always preserved the tenderest amity, being informed of his
disconsolate condition, came to town, flattering herself with being
able to dissipate, at least some part of his chagrin. To this end she
brought with her all her children, some of whom he had never seen, and
had frequently expressed by letter, the desire he had of embracing
them, and the regret he had that the great affairs he was always
constantly engaged in, would not permit him time to take a journey
into the country where she lived.

But how greatly did she deceive herself;--he was too far sunk in the
lethargy of grief, to be roused out of it by all her kind
endeavours;--on the contrary, the sight of those near and dear
relatives she presented to him only added to his affliction, by
reminding him in a more lively manner of his own loss; and the sad
effect she found their presence had on him, obliged her to remove them
immediately from his eyes.

She could not, however, think of quitting him in a state so truly
deplorable, and so unbecoming of his circumstances and character:--she
remained in his house, would pursue him wherever he retired, and as
she was a woman of excellent sense, as well as good-nature, invented a
thousand little stratagems to divert his thoughts from the melancholly
theme which had too much engrossed them, but had not the satisfaction
to perceive that any thing she could say or do, occasioned the least
movement of that fixed sullenness, which, by a long habit, appeared
like a second nature in him.

This poor lady found also other matters of surprize and discontent, on
her staying in town, besides the sad situation of her brother's
health:--as she had never been informed of the disunion between him
and his wife, much less of the occasion of it, the behaviour of that
lady filled her with the utmost astonishment:--to perceive she took no
pains to alleviate his sorrows, never came into the room where he was,
or even sent her woman with those common compliments, which he
received from all who had the least acquaintance with