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minutes, collected forty guineas. Sydenham took the money in charge. The man

turns out to be a stray sheep of his flock. Mr. Fitzroy contributed very nobly to the subscription. I gave my two guineas, and lent my coach to convey the unfortunate -or rather no longer unfortunate woman to her husband, to whom Mr. Fitzroy was all anxiety to restore her, supposing the poor man must be almost distracted at her long absence."

"Oh, so good is Mr. Fitzroy!" said Julia; and the coach now stopped at the rectory, and doctor Sydenham was at the door to receive our heroine, whose hand he took with trembling eagerness, and pressed it to his lips-to his heart.

"Miss De Clifford," he said, "how has your goodness of this evening-so faithfully, so forcibly, so touchingly delineated by a child of nature-taught my heart to regret that mine has not been a wedded life! for now I might, perhaps, enjoy the blessing of such a daughter, to cheer my closing life, and smooth my bed of death."

Julia burst into tears." The so great praise I have received," she said, " for doing nothing, for which commendation need

at all to speak, has quite oppressive been for me: but your approbation touches so my heart, I do much wish that I did quite deserve it—but, sir, I do not. Though fortunately the so sad circumstance has terminated, I have been most much to blame. Ought I not to have subjected a poor, distressed, heart-miserable creature, to such, so great indignity-to the insult for suspicion -the fate so dreadful, of the undeserved prison? Ought I not to have shrunk from lady Gaythorn's raillery ?-for that was small. evil. I should have accompanied poor woman here myself; borrowed of the stay-athome servants their money, or written a note to you to send for me some."

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My child!" replied doctor Sydenham, your error was of judgment, not a failure in benevolence; and you should rejoice, not weep at it; for had you obeyed the dictates: of a ripened judgment, this poor family would have received a temporary relief, and no more as it is, by your error they are suddenly removed from poverty to comfort -health will, I trust, revisit them, and they shall experience want no more."

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Oh," said Julia, "your consolation is:

so good cheer to my heart! Yet must I grieve to think for the poor wife's ago nizing sufferings-detained from her sick, so sick husband, who must have tortures suffered of her absence, still, still lengthened."

"That he assuredly did; but there, too, good emanates from evil. The terror he experienced for the fate of his wife and child conquered disease: in an agony of despair he sought them everywhere his feeble frame could lead him to. The farmer, in whose barn he had reposed himself, compassionating his sufferings, brought him in his cart to Z.; to which place he traced his wife, learned her adventures, and followed the coach back to Dray Farm, where their most affecting meeting took place, and where they are to be comfortably lodged tonight: and the apothecary whom we took with us, seems to think the agitation of the poor fellow's mind has actually frightened away his ague; if not, change of air and diet, with proper medicine and peace of mind, will, I trust, effect his cure."

They now reached the drawing-room, where Mrs. Goodwin, in anxious tenderness, received our heroine, and silently press

ed her to her bosom. Mrs. Hargrave, finding it was the fashion to be charmed with Julia's benevolence in the evening's adven-ture, was elaborate in her encomiums.

"But do, dear doctor Sydenham, proceed in your description of the scene," said Mrs. Goodwin.

Her appearance was prepossessing," said doctor Sydenham: "she trembled excessively; but it looked like the tremour of feeling, not of guilt. Her cheeks were flushed with indignant shame, and her eyes, re-tiring from the gaze of those who suspected her integrity, rested on the face of her sleeping, innocent, unconscious infant, whom she clasped to her bursting heart with a convulsive grasp of energy, as if afraid that he should be taken from her. I think I dare answer for her innocence,' said Mr. Fitzroy, the moment he beheld her. The woman raised her eyes, thanked him by an eloquent look, and burst into an agony of tears. He filled a glass of wine, and offered it to her, but her trembling hand refused to carry it to her lips, and, with striking humanity and kindness, he held it while she drank a little eagerly-but only a little, for the taste of nourishment, the heat of the

room, the number of people gazing at her, and, above all, her dreadful state of mind, contributed to overpower her-her head became giddy, she tottered, and must have fallen, had not lord Francis Loraine caught her, and placed her in an elbow-chair. She was some moments before she revived; when, in the saddest tone of voice I ever heard, she faintly said, 'I tasted no kind of food this day till now. Mr. Fitzroy instantly took a biscuit, steeped it in wine, and tenderly fed her. We all now felt so strongly impressed with a conviction of her innocence, that we waited patiently until she was sufficiently recovered to enter upon her defence. Truth and gratitude were her guides, and taught her eloquence: she seemed to form a panorama round us, and realized the scene she painted. She spoke to the heart-we felt inspired by the virtues she described, and, humbly emulating Miss De Clifford, united to relieve her; but when she heard the sum collected for her, her frantic shriek of joy at having means to get her husband cured, thrilled through every heart, and quite unmanned her benefactors."

Doctor Sydenham's statement sensibly affected Julia, who felt no longer inclined

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