I.
Mary 0
, the heroine of this fiction 57
, was the daughter of
Edward , who married
Eliza 2
1 61 , a gentle , fashionable girl 58
, with a kind of indolence in her 2
temper , which might be termed negative good-nature : her 2
virtues , indeed , were all of that stamp .
She 2
carefully attended to the _ shews _ of things , and her 2
opinions , I 3
should have said prejudices , were such as the generality approved of .
She 2
was educated with the expectation of a large fortune , of course became a mere machine : the homage of made a great part of her 2
puerile amusements , and she 2
never imagined there were any relative duties for her 2
to fulfil : notions of her 2
own consequence , by these means , were interwoven in her 2
mind , and the years of youth spent in acquiring a few superficial accomplishments , without having any taste for them .
When she 2
was first introduced into the polite circle , she 2
danced with an officer , whom
she 2
faintly wished to be united to
5 ; but soon after recommending another in a more distinguished rank of life 1
, she 2
readily submitted to his 6
will , and promised to love , honour , and obey , ( a vicious fool 1
, ) as in duty bound .
While they 7
resided in London 8
, they 7
lived in the usual fashionable style , and seldom saw each other ; nor were they 7
much more sociable when they 7
wooed rural felicity for more than half the year , in a delightful country 9
, where Nature , with lavish hand , had scattered beauties around ; for the master 1
, with brute , unconscious gaze , passed them by unobserved , and sought amusement in country sports .
He 1
hunted in the morning , and after eating an immoderate dinner , generally fell asleep : this seasonable rest enabled him 1
to digest the cumbrous load ; he 1
would then visit ; and when he 1
compared their 11
ruddy glow of health with 's countenance , which even rouge could not enliven , it is not necessary to say which a _ gourmand _ 12
would give the preference to .
Their 11
vulgar dance of spirits were infinitely more agreeable to his 1
fancy than her 2
sickly , die-away languor .
Her 2
voice was but the shadow of a sound , and she 2
had , to complete her 2
delicacy , so relaxed her 2
nerves , that she 2
became a mere nothing .
Many such noughts are there in the female world !
yet she 2
had a good opinion of her 2
own merit , -- truly , she 2
said long prayers , -- and sometimes read her 2
Week 's Preparation : she 2
dreaded that horrid place vulgarly called _
hell 13
_
13 , the regions below 62
; but whether her 2
's was a mounting spirit , I 3
can not pretend to determine ; or what sort of a planet would have been proper for her 2
, when she 2
left her 2
_ material _ part in this world 14
, let metaphysicians 15
settle ; I 3
have nothing to say to her 2
unclothed spirit .
As she 2
was sometimes obliged to be alone , or only with her 2
French waiting-maid
16 , she 2
sent to the metropolis 17
for all the new publications , and while she 2
was dressing her 2
hair , and she 2
could turn her 2
eyes from the glass , she 2
ran over those most delightful substitutes for bodily dissipation , novels .
I 3
say bodily , or the animal soul , for a rational one can find no employment in polite circles .
The glare of lights , the studied inelegancies of dress , and the compliments offered up at the shrine of false beauty , are all equally addressed to the senses .
When she 2
could not any longer indulge the caprices of fancy one way , she 2
tried another .
The Platonic Marriage , Eliza Warwick , and some other interesting tales were perused with eagerness .
Nothing could be more natural than the developement of the passions , nor more striking than the views of the human heart .
What delicate struggles !
and uncommonly pretty turns of thought !
The picture that was found on a bramble-bush , the new sensitive-plant , or tree , which caught the swain 18
by the upper-garment , and presented to his 18
ravished eyes a portrait .
-- Fatal image !
-- It planted a thorn in a till then insensible heart , and sent a new kind of a knight-errant 19
into the world 20
.
But even this was nothing to the catastrophe , and the circumstance on which it hung , the hornet settling on the sleeping lover 21
's face .
What a _ heart-rending _ accident !
She 2
planted , in imitation of those susceptible souls 22
, a rose bush ; but there was not a lover 23
to weep in concert with her 2
, when she 2
watered it with her 2
tears .
-- Alas !
Alas !
If would excuse the sportiveness of fancy , and give me 3
credit for genius , I 3
would go on and tell them 24
such tales as would force the sweet tears of sensibility to flow in copious showers down beautiful cheeks , to the discomposure of rouge , & c. & c. Nay , I 3
would make it so interesting , that the fair peruser 25
should beg the hair-dresser 26
to settle the curls himself 26
, and not interrupt her 25
.
She 2
had besides another resource , two most beautiful dogs , who shared her 2
bed , and reclined on cushions near her 2
all the day .
These she 2
watched with the most assiduous care , and bestowed on them the warmest caresses .
This fondness for animals was not that kind of _ attendrissement _ which makes a person 27
take pleasure in providing for the subsistence and comfort of a living creature ; but it proceeded from vanity , it gave her 2
an opportunity of lisping out the prettiest French expressions of ecstatic fondness , in accents that had never been attuned by tenderness .
She 2
was chaste , according to the vulgar acceptation of the word , that is , she 2
did not make any actual _ faux pas _ ; she 2
feared the world 28
, and was indolent ; but then , to make amends for this seeming self-denial , she 2
read all the sentimental novels , dwelt on the love-scenes , and , had she 2
thought while she 2
read , her 2
mind would have been contaminated ; as she 2
accompanied the lovers 29
to the lonely arbors 30
, and would walk with them 29
by the clear light of the moon .
She 2
wondered did not stay at home 31
.
She 2
was jealous -- why did he 1
not love her 2
, sit by her 2
side , squeeze her 2
hand , and look unutterable things ?
Gentle reader 32
, I 3
will tell thee 56
; they 7
neither of them 7
felt what they 7
could not utter .
I 3
will not pretend to say that they 7
always annexed an idea to a word ; but they 7
had none of those feelings which are not easily analyzed .
CHAP .
II .
In due time she 2
brought forth a son 33
, a feeble babe 59
; and the following year a daughter 0
.
After the mother 34
's throes she 2
felt very few sentiments of maternal tenderness : the children 35
were given to nurses 36
, and she 2
played with her 2
dogs .
Want of exercise prevented the least chance of her 2
recovering strength ; and two or three milk-fevers brought on a consumption , to which her 2
constitution tended .
all died in their 35
infancy , except the two first , and she 2
began to grow fond of the son 33
, as he 33
was remarkably handsome .
For years she 2
divided her 2
time between the sofa , and the card-table .
She 2
thought not of death , though on the borders of the grave ; nor did any of the duties of occur to her 2
as necessary .
were left in the nursery ; and when Mary 0
, the little blushing girl 60
, appeared , she 2
would send the awkward thing 0
away .
To own the truth , she 0
was awkward enough , in a house 38
without any play-mates ; for had been sent to school 39
, and she 0
scarcely knew how to employ herself 0
; she 0
would ramble about the garden 40
, admire the flowers , and play with the dogs .
An old house-keeper 41
told her 0
stories , read to her 0
, and , at last , taught her 0
to read .
talked of enquiring for a governess 42
when her 2
health would permit ; and , in the interim desired her 2
own maid 16
to teach her 0
French .
As she 0
had learned to read , she 0
perused with avidity every book that came in her 0
way .
Neglected in every respect , and left to the operations of her 0
own mind , she 0
considered every thing that came under her 0
inspection , and learned to think .
She 0
had heard of a separate state , and that angels 43
sometimes visited this earth 44
.
She 0
would sit in a thick wood 45
in the park 46
, and talk to them 43
; make little songs addressed to them 43
, and sing them 43
to tunes of her 0
own composing ; and her 0
native wood notes wild were sweet and touching .
always exclaimed against female acquirements , and was glad that 's indolence and ill health made her 2
not trouble herself 2
about them .
She 2
had besides another reason , she 2
did not wish to have a fine tall girl 47
brought forward into notice as ; she 2
still expected to recover , and figure away in the gay world .
was very tyrannical and passionate ; indeed so very easily irritated when inebriated , that Mary 0
was continually in dread lest he 1
should frighten to death ; her 2
sickness called forth all Mary 0
's tenderness , and exercised her 0
compassion so continually , that it became more than a match for self-love , and was the governing propensity of her 0
heart through life .
She 0
was violent in her 0
temper ; but she 0
saw 's faults , and would weep when obliged to compare his 1
temper with her 0
own .
-- She 0
did more ; artless prayers rose to Heaven 48
for pardon , when she 0
was conscious of having erred ; and her 0
contrition was so exceedingly painful , that she 0
watched diligently the first movements of anger and impatience , to save herself 0
this cruel remorse .
Sublime ideas filled her 0
young mind -- always connected with devotional sentiments ; extemporary effusions of gratitude , and rhapsodies of praise would burst often from her 0
, when she 0
listened to the birds , or pursued the deer .
She 0
would gaze on the moon , and ramble through the gloomy path 49
, observing the various shapes the clouds assumed , and listen to the sea that was not far distant 50
.
The wandering spirits , which she 0
imagined inhabited every part of nature , were her 0
constant friends
51 and confidants 52
.
She 0
began to consider the Great First Cause 53
, formed just notions of his 53
attributes , and , in particular , dwelt on his 53
wisdom and goodness .
Could she 0
have loved or mother 2
, had they 7
returned her 0
affection , she 0
would not so soon , perhaps , have sought out a new world 54
.
Her 0
sensibility prompted her 0
to search for an object to love ; on earth 55
it was not to be found : had often disappointed her 0
, and the apparent partiality she 2
shewed to gave her 0
exquisite pain -- produced a kind of habitual melancholy , led her 0
into a fondness for reading tales of woe , and made her 0
almost realize the fictitious distress .