r union was sure to be regarded; and that, under the circumstances, I
was prepared to flee with him at once. Poor John was literally paralysed
with joy; such was the force of his emotions, that he could find no
words in which to thank me; and that I, seeing him thus helpless, was
obliged to arrange, myself, the details of our flight, and of the stolen
marriage which was immediately to crown it. John had been at that time
projecting a visit to the metropolis. In this I bade him persevere, and
promised on the following day to join him at the Tavistock Hotel.

True, on my side, to every detail of our arrangement, I arose, on the
day in question, before the servants, packed a few necessaries in a bag,
took with me the little money I possessed, and bade farewell for ever to
the rectory. I walked with good spirits to a town some thirty miles from
home; and was set down the next morning in this great city of London. As
I walked from the coach-office to the hotel, I could not help exulting
in the pleasant change that had befallen me; beholding, meanwhile, with
innocent delight, the traffic of the streets, and depicting, in all the
colours of fancy, the reception that awaited me from John. But alas!
when I inquired for Mr. Fanshawe, the porter assured me there was no
such gentleman among the guests. By what channel our secret had leaked
out, or what pressure had been brought to bear on the too facile John, I
could never fathom. Enough that my family had triumphed; that I found
myself alone in London, tender in years, smarting under the most
sensible mortification, and by every sentiment of pride and self-respect
debarred for ever from my father's house.

I rose under the blow, and found lodgings in the neighbourhood of Euston
Road, where, for the first time in my life, I tasted the joys of
independence. Three days afterwards, an advertisement in _The Times_
directed me to the office of a solicitor whom I knew to be in my
father's confidence. There I was given the promise of a very moderate
allowance, and a distinct intimation that I must never look to be
received at home. I could not but resent so cruel a desertion, and I
told the lawyer it was a meeting I desired as little as themselves. He
smiled at my courageous spirit, paid me the first quarter of my income,
and gave me the remainder of my personal effects, which had been sent to
me, under his care, in a couple of rather ponderous boxes. With these I
returned in triumph to m