FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   >>   >|  
neasy at his stay with me here, proposed that I would put myself into Lady Betty's protection; assuring me that he thought he could not leave me at Mrs. Sorlings's with safety to myself. And upon my declining to do that, for the reasons I gave you in my last,* he urged me to make a demand of my estate. * See Letter XXVIII. of this volume. He knew it, I told him, to be my resolution not to litigate with my father. Nor would he put me upon it, he replied, but as the last thing. But if my spirit would not permit me to be obliged, as I called it, to any body, and yet if my relations would refuse me my own, he knew not how I could keep up that spirit, without being put to inconveniences, which would give him infinite concern--Unless--unless--unless, he said, hesitating, as if afraid to speak out--unless I would take the only method I could take, to obtain the possession of my own. What is that, Sir? Sure the man saw by my looks, when he came with his creeping unless's, that I guessed what he meant. Ah! Madam, can you be at a loss to know what that method is?--They will not dispute with a man that right which they contest with you. Why said he with a man, instead of with him? Yet he looked as if he wanted to be encouraged to say more. So, Sir, you would have me employ a lawyer, would you, notwithstanding what I have ever declared as to litigating with my father? No, I would not, my dearest creature, snatching my hand, and pressing it with his lips--except you would make me the lawyer. Had he said me at first, I should have been above the affectation of mentioning a lawyer. I blushed. The man pursued not the subject so ardently, but that it was more easy as well as more natural to avoid it than to fall into it. Would to Heaven he might, without offending!--But I so over-awed him!--[over-awed him!--Your* notion, my dear!]--And so the over-awed, bashful man went off from the subject, repeating his proposal, that I would demand my own estate, or empower some man of the law to demand it, if I would not [he put in] empower a happier man to demand it. But it could not be amiss, he thought, to acquaint my two trustees, that I intended to assume it. * See Letter XIX. of this volume. I should know better what to do, I told him, when he was at a distance from me, and known to be so. I suppose, Sir, that if my father propose my return, and engage never to mentions Solmes to me, nor any other
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
demand
 

lawyer

 

father

 

thought

 

empower

 

subject

 

method

 
spirit
 

volume

 
estate

Letter

 

ardently

 

notwithstanding

 

natural

 

pursued

 
mentioning
 

litigating

 
pressing
 

snatching

 

dearest


creature

 
affectation
 

blushed

 

declared

 

bashful

 

distance

 

assume

 
trustees
 

intended

 

suppose


propose
 

Solmes

 
mentions
 

return

 

engage

 

acquaint

 

notion

 

Heaven

 

offending

 

proposed


happier

 

proposal

 

repeating

 
assuring
 
refuse
 

relations

 
Unless
 

protection

 

hesitating

 

concern