Page 127 (1/1)

Her agitation as they entered the great gallery was too much for any endeavour at discourse; she could only look at her companion

Eleanor's countenance was dejected, yet sedate; and its colooain she passed through the folding doors, again her hand was upon the important lock, and Catherine, hardly able to breathe, was turning to close the forure of the general hiallery, stood before her! The name of "Eleanor"

at the sa, giving to his daughter the first intimation of his presence, and to Catherine terror upon terror An attempt at conceal him, yet she could scarcely hope to have escaped his eye; and when her friend, ith an apologizing look darted hastily by her, had joined and disappeared with hi herself in, believed that she should never have courage to go down again She reitation, deeply co a sueneral to attend him in his own apart a carriage drive up to the abbey, she was emboldened to descend and meet hiay with coeneral as the friend of his daughter, in a complimentary style, which so well concealed his resentful ire, as to make her feel secure at least of life for the present And Eleanor, with a command of countenance which did honour to her concern for his character, taking an early occasion of saying to her, "My father only wanted an to hope that she had either been unseen by the general, or that from some consideration of policy she should be allowed to suppose herself so Upon this trust she dared still to re occurred to disturb it

In the course of thisher next attempt on the forbidden door alone It would beof the er of a second detection, to court her into an apart her heart, could not be the office of a friend The general's uthter; and, besides, she thought the examination itself would be more satisfactory if made without any companion It would be impossible to explain to Eleanor the suspicions, from which the other had, in all likelihood, been hitherto happily exempt; nor could she therefore, in her presence, search for those proofs of the general's cruelty, which however they ht yet have escaped discovery, she felt confident of soasp Of the way to the apartet it over before Henry's return, as expected on the ht, her courage high; at four o'clock, the sun was noo hours above the horizon, and it would be only her retiring to dress half an hour earlier than usual