thanks to the ingenious and fertile malignity of Hycy the
accomplished--despite of this, and despite of all, the natural reaction
of her heart had set in--their past endearments, their confidence their
tenderness, their love, now began, after the first vehement expression
of pride and high principle had exhausted the offended mind of its
indignation, to gradually resume their influence over her. A review,
besides, of her own conduct towards her lover was by no means
satisfactory to her. Whilst she could not certainly but condemn him,
she felt as if she had judged him upon a principle at once too cold and
rigorous. Indeed, now that a portion of time had enabled her mind to
cool, she could scarcely understand why it was that she had passed, so
harsh a sentence upon him. She was not, however, capable of analyzing
her own mind and feelings upon the occasion, or she might have known
that her severity towards the man I was the consequence, on her part, of
that innate scorn and indignation which pure and lofty minds naturally
entertain against everything dishonorable and base, and that it is a
very difficult thing to disassociate the crime from the criminal, even
in cases where the latter may have had a strong hold upon the affections
of such a noble nature. Nay, the very fact of finding that one's
affections have been fixed upon a person capable of such dishonor,
produces a double portion of indignation at the discovery of their
profligacy, because it supposes, in the first place, that something like
imposture must have been practised upon us in securing our affections,
or what is still more degrading, that we must have been materially
devoid of common penetration, or we could not have suffered ourselves to
become the dupe of craft and dissimulation.

Our high-minded heroine, however, had no other theory upon the subject
of her own feelings, than that she loved her religion and its precepts,
and detested every word that was at variance with truth, and every act
inconsistent with honesty and that faithful integrity which resists
temptation and corruption in whatever plausible shapes they may approach
it.

Be this, however, as it may, she now found that, as time advanced, her
heart began to fall into its original habits. The tumult occasioned by
the shock resulting from her lover's want of integrity, had now nearly
passed away, and the affection of the woman began to supersede the
severity of the judge. By degrees she was ena