d upon to break through her apparent, her
acknowledged duty, upon any consideration?' And, if not, was she to be
so prevailed upon to prevent an apprehended evil only?

Thou, Lovelace, the tempter (thou wilt again break out and say) to be
the accuser!

But I am not the accuser. I am the arguer only, and, in my heart,
all the time acquit and worship the divine creature. 'But let me,
nevertheless, examine, whether the acquital be owing to her merit, or to
my weakness--Weakness the true name of love!'

But shall we suppose another motive?--And that is LOVE; a motive which
all the world will excuse her for. 'But let me tell all the world that
do, not because they ought, but because all the world is apt to be
misled by it.'

Let LOVE then be the motive:--Love of whom?

A Lovelace, is the answer.

'Is there but one Lovelace in the world? May not more Lovelaces be
attracted by so fine a figure? By such exalted qualities? It was her
character that drew me to her: and it was her beauty and good sense that
rivetted my chains: and now all together make me think her a subject
worthy of my attempts, worthy of my ambition.'

But has she had the candour, the openness, to acknowledge that love?

She has not.

'Well then, if love be at the bottom, is there not another fault lurking
beneath the shadow of that love?--Has she not affectation?--Or is it
pride of heart?'

And what results?--'Is then the divine Clarissa capable of loving a man
whom she ought not to love? And is she capable of affectation? And is
her virtue founded in pride?--And, if the answer to these questions be
affirmative, must she not then be a woman?'

And can she keep this love at bay? Can she make him, who has been
accustomed to triumph over other women, tremble? Can she conduct
herself, as to make him, at times, question whether she loves him or
any man; 'yet not have the requisite command over the passion itself in
steps of the highest consequence to her honour, as she thinks,' [I
am trying her, Jack, by her own thoughts,] 'but suffer herself to be
provoked to promise to abandon her father's house, and go off with
him, knowing his character; and even conditioning not to marry till
improbably and remote contingencies were to come to pass? What though
the provocations were such as would justify any other woman; yet was
a CLARISSA to be susceptible to provocations which she thinks herself
highly censurable for being so much moved by?'

But let us see t