h, though
certainly far less indecent than the other most revolting of all
immodest practices which I have just mentioned. Others, again,
admitted no visitors further than their dressing-room, and thought
themselves very scrupulous; but there were others, as there must be
at all times, who, with feelings of true modesty and perfect
delicacy, hesitated not to use all proper and rational liberty, yet
shrunk instinctively from the least coarseness of thought or
language, and never yielded to aught that was immodest in custom or
demeanour.
Of these was Lady Laura Gaveston; and though she had no fear of
becoming the talk of the town, or losing the slightest particle of a
bright and pure reputation, by treating one who had rendered her
important services in all respects as she would a brother, by being
seen with him often and often alone, by showing herself with him in
public places, or by any other act of the kind that her heart
prompted her to, she in no way gave in to the evil practices which
the English had learned from their continental neighbours, and,
indeed, never thought or reasoned upon the subject, feeling that
decency as well as morality is a matter of sentiment and not of
custom.
The peculiar situation in which the Duke and Wilton were placed
towards each other; the Duke's repeated entreaties that Wilton would
see him every day, if possible; the intimacy that had arisen from
services rendered and received, produced that constant and continual
intercourse which was necessary to the happiness of two people who
loved as Wilton and Laura did; not a day passed without their seeing
each other, scarcely a day passed without their being alone together,
sometimes even for hours; and every moment that they thus spent in
each other's society increased their feelings of love and tenderness
for each other, their hopes, their confidence, their esteem.
Not a secret of Laura's bosom was now concealed from him she loved,
not a thought, not a feeling. She delighted to tell him all: with
whatever subject her mind was employed, with whatever bright thing
her fancy sported, Wilton was always made the sharer; and it was the
same with him. The course that their thoughts pursued was certainly
not always alike, but they generally arrived at the same conclusion,
she by a longer and a softer way, he by a more rapid, vigorous, and
direct one. It was like the passing of a hill by two different roads;
the one, for the bold climber, over the steepest brow; the other, for
gentl