'I have
dismissed this young man, at last,' said she, 'and I hope my house
will never again be disturbed with similar visits. He assures me,
that your interview was not preconcerted.'
'Dear madam!' said Emily in extreme emotion, 'you surely did not ask
him the question!' 'Most certainly I did; you could not suppose I
should be so imprudent as to neglect it.'
'Good God!' exclaimed Emily, 'what an opinion must he form of me,
since you, Madam, could express a suspicion of such ill conduct!'
'It is of very little consequence what opinion he may form of you,'
replied her aunt, 'for I have put an end to the affair; but I believe
he will not form a worse opinion of me for my prudent conduct. I let
him see, that I was not to be trifled with, and that I had more
delicacy, than to permit any clandestine correspondence to be carried
on in my house.'
Emily had frequently heard Madame Cheron use the word delicacy, but
she was now more than usually perplexed to understand how she meant
to apply it in this instance, in which her whole conduct appeared to
merit the very reverse of the term.
Pages:
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311