husband--such the law considered him--should disturb the mind he

could not conquer. I mentioned my intention of setting out for
Lisbon, to claim my uncle's protection, the moment my health

would permit.'
"The tranquillity however, which I was recovering, was soon

interrupted. My landlady came up to me one day, with eyes swollen
with weeping, unable to utter what she was commanded to say. She

declared, 'That she was never so miserable in her life; that she
must appear an ungrateful monster; and that she would readily go

down on her knees to me, to intreat me to forgive her, as she had
done to her husband to spare her the cruel task.' Sobs prevented

her from proceeding, or answering my impatient enquiries, to know
what she meant.

"When she became a little more composed, she took a newspaper
out of her pocket, declaring, 'that her heart smote her, but what

could she do?--she must obey her husband.' I snatched the paper
from her. An advertisement quickly met my eye, purporting, that

'Maria Venables had, without any assignable cause, absconded from
her husband; and any person harbouring her, was menaced with the

utmostseverity of the law.'
"Perfectly acquainted with Mr. Venables' meanness of soul,

this step did not excite my surprise, and scarcely my contempt.
Resentment in my breast, never survived love. I bade the poor

woman, in a kind tone, wipe her eyes, and request her husband to
come up, and speak to me himself.

"My manner awed him. He respected a lady, though not a woman;
and began to mutter out an apology.

"'Mr. Venables was a rich gentleman; he wished to oblige me,
but he had suffered enough by the law already, to tremble at the

thought; besides, for certain, we should come together again, and
then even I should not thank him for being accessary to keeping us

asunder.--A husband and wife were, God knows, just as one,--and
all would come round at last.' He uttered a drawling 'Hem!' and

then with an arch look, added--'Master might have had his little
frolics--but--Lord bless your heart!--men would be men while the

world stands.'
"To argue with this privileged first-born of reason, I perceived,

would be vain. I therefore only requested him to let me remain
another day at his house, while I sought for a lodging; and not to

inform Mr. Venables that I had ever been sheltered there.
"He consented, because he had not the courage to refuse a

person for whom he had an habitual respect; but I heard the pent-up
choler burst forth in curses, when he met his wife, who was waiting

impatiently at the foot of the stairs, to know what effect my
expostulations would have on him.

"Without wasting any time in the fruitless indulgence of
vexation, I once more set out in search of an abode in which I

could hide myself for a few weeks.
"Agreeing to pay an exorbitant price, I hired an apartment,

without any reference being required relative to my character:
indeed, a glance at my shape seemed to say, that my motive for

concealment was sufficientlyobvious. Thus was I obliged to shroud
my head in infamy.

"To avoid all danger of detection--I use the appropriate word,
my child, for I was hunted out like a felon--I determined to take

possession of my new lodgings that very evening.
"I did not inform my landlady where I was going. I knew that

she had a sincereaffection for me, and would willingly have run
any risk to show her gratitude; yet I was fully convinced, that a

few kind words from Johnny would have found the woman in her, and
her dear benefactress, as she termed me in an agony of tears, would

have been sacrificed, to recompense her tyrant for condescending
to treat her like an equal. He could be kind-hearted, as she

expressed it, when he pleased. And this thawed sternness, contrasted
with his habitual brutality, was the more acceptable, and could

not be purchased at too dear a rate.
"The sight of the advertisement made me desirous of taking

refuge with my uncle, let what would be the consequence; and I
repaired in a hackney coach (afraid of meeting some person who

might chance to know me, had I walked) to the chambers of my uncle's
friend.

"He received me with great politeness (my uncle had already
prepossessed him in my favour), and listened, with interest, to my

explanation of the motives which had induced me to fly from home,
and skulk in obscurity, with all the timidity of fear that ought

only to be the companion of guilt. He lamented, with rather more
gallantry than, in my situation, I thought delicate, that such a

woman should be thrown away on a man insensible to the charms of
beauty or grace. He seemed at a loss what to advise me to do, to

evade my husband's search, without hastening to my uncle, whom, he
hesitating said, I might not find alive. He uttered this intelligence

with visible regret; requested me, at least, to wait for the arrival
of the next packet; offered me what money I wanted, and promised

to visit me.
"He kept his word; still no letter arrived to put an end to

my painful state of suspense. I procured some books and music, to
beguile the tedioussolitary days.

'Come, ever smiling Liberty,
'And with thee bring thy jocund train:'

I sung--and sung till, saddened by the strain of joy, I bitterly
lamented the fate that deprived me of all social pleasure. Comparative

liberty indeed I had possessed myself of; but the jocund train
lagged far behind!

CHAPTER 13
"BY WATCHING my only visitor, my uncle's friend, or by some other

means, Mr. Venables discovered my residence, and came to enquire
for me. The maid-servant assured him there was no such person in

the house. A bustle ensued--I caught the
alarm--listened--distinguished his voice, and immediately locked

the door. They suddenly grew still; and I waited near a quarter
of an hour, before I heard him open the parlour door, and mount

the stairs with the mistress of the house, who obsequiously declared
that she knew nothing of me.

"Finding my door locked, she requested me to open it, and
prepare to go home with my husband, poor gentleman! to whom I had

already occasioned sufficient vexation.' I made no reply.
Mr. Venables then, in an assumed tone of softness, intreated me,

'to consider what he suffered, and my own reputation, and get the
better of childish resentment.' He ran on in the same strain,

pretending to address me, but evidently adapting his discourse
to the capacity of the landlady; who, at every pause, uttered

an exclamation of pity; or 'Yes, to be sure--Very true, sir.'
"Sick of the farce, and perceiving that I could not avoid the

hated interview, I opened the door, and he entered. Advancing with
easy assurance to take my hand, I shrunk from his touch, with an

involuntary start, as I should have done from a noisome reptile,
with more disgust than terror. His conductress was retiring, to

give us, as she said, an opportunity to accommodate matters. But
I bade her come in, or I would go out; and curiosity impelled her

to obey me.
"Mr. Venables began to expostulate; and this woman, proud of

his confidence, to second him. But I calmly silenced her, in the
midst of a vulgar harangue, and turning to him, asked, 'Why he

vainly tormented me? declaring that no power on earth should force
me back to his house.'

"After a long altercation, the particulars of which, it would
be to no purpose to repeat, he left the room. Some time was spent

in loud conversation in the parlour below, and I discovered that
he had brought his friend, an attorney, with him.*

* In the original edition the paragraph following is
preceded by three lines of asterisks [Publisher's note].

The tumult on the landing place, brought out a gentleman, who
had recently taken apartments in the house; he enquired why I was

thus assailed?* The voluble attorneyinstantly" target="_blank" title="ad.立即，立刻">instantlyrepeated the trite
tale. The stranger turned to me, observing, with the most soothing

politeness and manly interest, that 'my countenance told a very
different story.' He added, 'that I should not be insulted, or

forced out of the house, by any body.'
* The introduction of Darnford as the deliverer of Maria,

in an early stage of the history, is already stated (Chap.
III.) to have been an after-thought of the author.