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"Lord, Miss Beverley is so grave!" cried Mrs Harrel; "nothing of this sort gives her any pleasure"

"She has indeed," answered Cecilia, trying to s always surrounded by workmen"

And, as soon as she was able, she retired to her roo, both on the part of Mr Arnott and the Hills, a resentment at the injustice of Mr Harrel, which fixed her in the resolution of breaking through that facility of compliance, which had hitherto confined her disapprobation to her own breast, and venturing, henceforward, tonothing but reason and principle in her own

Her first effort towards this change wasMrs Harrel to a large card asse

Mrs Harrel, extremely surprised, asked a thousand ti it to proceed from some very extraordinary cause; nor was she, without the utmost difficulty, persuaded at last that sheby herself

But the next day, when the refusal was repeated, she was still more incredulous; it seemed to her impossible that any one who had the power to be encircled with company, could by choice spend a second afternoon alone: and she was so urgent in her request to be entrusted with the secret, that Cecilia found no way left to appease her, but by frankly confessing she eary of eternal visiting, and sick of living always in a crowd

"Suppose, then," cried she, "I send for Miss Larolles to co, declined this proposal, assuring her that no such assistant was necessary for her entertain contention that she was able to convince her there would be no cruelty in leaving her by herself

The following day, however, her trouble diht little more of the matter, and forbore any earnestness of solicitation: and, from that time, she suffered her to follow her own humour with very little opposition Cecilia was much concerned to find her so unmoved; and not less disappointed at the indifference of Mr Harrel, who, being seldo her too rarely either to co struck, as she had hoped, with the neay in which she passed her tie, and interfered not upon the subject

Sir Robert Floyer, who continued to see her when he dined in Portman Square, often enquired what she did with herself in an evening; but never obtaining any satisfactory answer, he concluded her engageer