day has not yet arrived!"

"And did you not mention to your father what the old notary had informed
you of,--the abrupt breaking off of the two marriages M. d'Harville had
been on the point of contracting?"

"Indeed, I did, my lord. I signified to my father, upon the occasion of
the conversation I was relating to you, a wish to speak with him alone,
upon which Madame Roland abruptly rose and quitted the apartment. 'I
have no objection to the union you propose with M. d'Harville,' said I;
'only, as I understand, he has twice been upon the point of marriage,
and--' 'Enough--enough!' interrupted he, hastily. 'I know all about
those two affairs, which were so abruptly broken off merely because
matters of a pecuniary nature were not satisfactorily arranged;
although, I am bound to assure you, that not the slightest shadow of
blame was attributable to M. d'Harville. If that be your only objection,
you may consider the match as concluded on, and yourself as
married,--ay, and happily, too,--for, spite of your conduct, my first
wish is for your happiness.'"

"No doubt Madame Roland was delighted with your marriage?"

"Delighted? Yes, my lord," said Clemence, with bitterness. "She was, and
well might be, delighted with this union, which was, in fact, of her
effecting. She it was who had first suggested it to my father; she knew
full well the real occasion of breaking off the marriages so nearly
completed by M. d'Harville, and hence arose her exceeding anxiety for
him to become my husband."

"What motive could she possibly have had?"

"She sought to avenge herself on me by condemning me to a life of
wretchedness."

"But your father--"

"Deceived by Madame Roland, he fully and implicitly believed that
interested motives alone had set aside the two former marriages of M.
d'Harville."

"What a horrible scheme! But what was this mysterious reason?"

"You shall know shortly. Well, M. d'Harville arrived at Aubiers, and, I
confess, I was much pleased with his appearance, manners, and cultivated
mind. He seemed very amiable and kind, though somewhat melancholy. I
remarked in him a contradiction which charmed and astonished me at the
same time. His personal and mental advantages were considerable, his
fortune princely, and his birth illustrious; yet, at times, the
expression of his countenance would change, from a firm and manly energy
and decision of purpose, to an almost timid, shrinking look, as though
he feared even his