Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 192: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MYSTERY OF ST, MARK’S ABBEY. 179 | atid the advantages that were offered to me in an union with Rufus, whe, ine dependent of the situation he had with the Baron de Morton, had property ef his own, and he was certain would make it his constant study to «lo all that was in his power to render me happy, for that he loved me, and with a passion ardent as it was sincere, he had not the least doubt. We also warmly eulogised his character to the utmost, apd any one to have heard him would have thought Rufses was a perfect paragon of all that is amiable, virtuqus, and affectionate. But I was not te be deluded :—E had well read his real character, which any observing person might quickly do, and I knew him te be a villain—one with whom my days would be passed in perpetual sorrow. Alas! how fatally have these prognostications been verified—bow powerful have been my sufferings since it has been my wretched fate to be bis wife. “I made no other answer to the words of my fatner, than by sapplicating him for the present to spare my feelings, and seeing the very precarious situation in which, by illness, I was placed, he did as I desired, and de- sisted. “« By the same means which Gilbert and me had managed to communicate with each other since he had been ordered not to visit the house, we contrived to do so, now I was able to quit my chamber ; and this, indeed, was » blessing, if it only afferded us the Opportunity of pouring our sorrows into each other’s bosoms, without any prospect ef our ever being able to avert the fate which seemed to be impending over us. “ As the time appreached which my father had fixed upon for the ynion of me and Rufus, our unhappieess increased, and Gilbert reproached the cruel conduct of my father in no very measured terms, and I could not but re- ciprocate his sentiments. It was now two moaths since we had met, and, of course, J need not tell yeu, Miss, how anxsious we were once more to behold each other. Gilbert had frequestly, in the letters which he had sent to me, urged me to contrive to meet him, and I was eager to comply with his request, but hitherto I bad had no opportuaity, in such restraint was I held by my faiber, and so perpetually was I annoyed by the presence of Rufus. At length, however, fortune did smile wpom us:—my father was called away a few miles in the country, on particular business, and Rufus was compelled to attend his master on an excursion for a few days, so that [ was thus left with no one but my mother, to whom iny father left strict injunctions to watch closely after me ; but he bed no suspicion that Gilbert would attempt to come nigh the house, as it was so long since he had done so, and, ignorant of the correspondence which had been guing on between us, he, doubtless, imagined that Gilbert had givey up all thoughts of me, and fixed his affections on some other female. I, there- fore, nude my lover acquainted with these eircumetances the day before, and appointed a place, where I was resolved, by some meags or the other, to contrive to meet him on the subsequent day. ‘* The morning arrived, and my father departed, which I never beheld with such feelings of satisfaction in my life before. I had previously devised the means of getting away from the house, and I did not suffer many minutes to elapse before | made the attempt. My mother was busily occupied with her domestic affairs, and I requested that she would permit me to walk in the adjacent fields for a while, ap it was a beautiful morning, and letterly I had im - CORNICLOO 1(GO)