Page 188 (1/1)

Delvile then bowed to her with a look that accused her of insincerity, and the carriage drove away

Teazed by these eternal h the object of her supposed partiality was so frequently changed, the notion of her positive engagement with one of the duelists was invariable, she resolved with all the speed in her power, to commission Mr Monckton to wait upon Sir Robert Floyer, and in her own naive a formal rejection to his proposals, and desire him thenceforward to make known, by every opportunity, their total independence of each other: for sick of debating with Mr Harrel, and detesting all intercourse with Sir Robert, she now dropt her design of seeking an explanation herself

She was received by Mrs Harrel with the same coldness hich she had parted from her That lady appeared now to have some uneasiness upon her mind, and Cecilia endeavoured to draw fro any alleviation in friendship, she studiously avoided her, seeht Cecilia perceived this encreasing reserve with ood offices had ry to find that her advice had not merely failed of success, but even exposed her to aversion

Mr Harrel, on the contrary, behaved to her with unusual civility, seee her, and desirous to render his house reeable to her than ever But in this he did not prosper; for Cecilia, i in her apart none had been usted by such a detection of duplicity, that he sunk yet lower than before in her opinion, and she repined at the necessity she was under of any longer continuing his guest

The joy of Mr Arnott at again seeing her, was visible and sincere; and not a little was it encreased by finding that Cecilia, who sought not more to avoid Mr Harrel and Sir Robert, than she was herself avoided by Mrs Harrel, talked with pleasure to nobody else in the house, and scarcely attempted to conceal that he was the only one of the family who possessed any portion of her esteen of paying her rather ht necessary; but the violence he did hinant to the task, that his insolence, breaking forth by starts, and checked only by compulsion, was but the uise it