and many of the sentiments which I imbibed in the only tolerable

period of my life, returned with their full force. Still what
should induce me to be the champion for sufferinghumanity?--Who

ever risked any thing for me?--Who ever acknowledged me to be a
fellow-creature?"--

Maria took her hand, and Jemima, more overcome by kindness
than she had ever been by cruelty, hastened out of the room to

conceal her emotions.
Darnford soon after heard his summons, and, taking leave of

him, Maria promised to gratify his curiosity, with respect to
herself, the first opportunity.

CHAPTER 6
ACTIVE as love was in the heart of Maria, the story she had just

heard made her thoughts take a wider range. The opening buds of
hope closed, as if they had put forth too early, and the the happiest

day of her life was overcast by the most melancholy reflections.
Thinking of Jemima's peculiar fate and her own, she was led to

consider the oppressed state of women, and to lament that she had
given birth to a daughter. Sleep fled from her eyelids, while she

dwelt on the wretchedness of unprotected infancy, till sympathy
with Jemima changed to agony, when it seemed probable that her own

babe might even now be in the very state she so forcibly described.
Maria thought, and thought again. Jemima's humanity had rather

been benumbed than killed, by the keen frost she had to brave at
her entrance into life; an appeal then to her feelings, on this

tender point, surely would not be fruitless; and Maria began to
anticipate the delight it would afford her to gain intelligence of

her child. This project was now the only subject of reflection;
and she watched impatiently" target="_blank" title="ad.不耐烦地，急躁地">impatiently for the dawn of day, with that determinate

purpose which generally insures success.
At the usual hour, Jemima brought her breakfast, and a tender

note from Darnford. She ran her eye hastily over it, and her heart
calmly hoarded up the rapture a fresh assurance of affection,

affection such as she wished to inspire, gave her, without diverting
her mind a moment from its design. While Jemima waited to take

away the breakfast, Maria alluded to the reflections, that had
haunted her during the night to the exclusion of sleep. She spoke

with energy of Jemima's unmerited sufferings, and of the fate of
a number of deserted females, placed within the sweep of a whirlwind,

from which it was next to impossible to escape. Perceiving the
effect her conversation produced on the countenance of her guard,

she grasped the arm of Jemima with that resistible" target="_blank" title="a.不可抵抗的">irresistiblewarmth which
defies repulse, exclaiming--"With your heart, and such dreadful

experience, can you lend your aid to deprive my babe of a mother's
tenderness, a mother's care? In the name of God, assist me to snatch

her from destruction! Let me but give her an education--let me but
prepare her body and mind to encounter the ills which await her

sex, and I will teach her to consider you as her second mother,
and herself as the prop of your age. Yes, Jemima, look at me--

observe me closely, and read my very soul; you merit a better fate;"
she held out her hand with a firm gesture of assurance;

"and I will procure it for you, as a testimony of my esteem,
as well as of my gratitude."

Jemima had not power to resist this persuasivetorrent; and,
owning that the house in which she was confined, was situated on

the banks of the Thames, only a few miles from London, and not on
the sea-coast, as Darnford had supposed, she promised to invent

some excuse for her absence, and go herself to trace the situation,
and enquire concerning the health, of this abandoned daughter.

Her manner implied an intention to do something more, but she seemed
unwilling to impart her design; and Maria, glad to have obtained

the main point, thought it best to leave her to the workings of
her own mind; convinced that she had the power of interesting her

still more in favour of herself and child,
by a simple recital of facts.

In the evening, Jemima informed the impatient mother, that on
the morrow she should hasten to town before the family hour of

rising, and received all the information necessary, as a clue to
her search. The "Good night!" Maria uttered was peculiarly solemn

and affectionate" target="_blank" title="a.亲爱的">affectionate. Glad expectation sparkled in her eye; and, for
the first time since her detention, she pronounced the name of her

child with pleasureable fondness; and, with all the garrulity of
a nurse, described her first smile when she recognized her mother.

Recollecting herself, a still kinder "Adieu!" with a "God bless
you!"--that seemed to include a maternal benediction,

dismissed Jemima.
The drearysolitude of the ensuing day, lengthened by impatiently" target="_blank" title="ad.不耐烦地，急躁地">impatiently

dwelling on the same idea, was intolerably wearisome. She listened
for the sound of a particular clock, which some directions of the

wind allowed her to hear distinctly. She marked the shadow gaining
on the wall; and, twilight thickening into darkness, her breath

seemed oppressed while she anxiously counted nine.--The last sound
was a stroke of despair on her heart; for she expected every moment,

without seeing Jemima, to have her light extinguished by the savage
female who supplied her place. She was even obliged to prepare

for bed, restless as she was, not to disoblige her new attendant.
She had been cautioned not to speak too freely to her; but the

caution was needless, her countenance would still more emphatically
have made her shrink back. Such was the ferocity of manner,

conspicuous in every word and gesture of this hag, that Maria was
afraid to enquire, why Jemima, who had faithfully promised to see

her before her door was shut for the night, came not?--
and, when the key turned in the lock, to consign her to

a night of suspence, she felt a degree of anguish which
the circumstances scarcely justified.

Continually on the watch, the shutting of a door, or the sound
of a foot-step, made her start and tremble with apprehension,

something like what she felt, when, at her entrance, dragged along
the gallery, she began to doubt whether she were not surrounded

by demons?
Fatigued by an endless rotation of thought and wild alarms,

she looked like a spectre, when Jemima entered in the morning;
especially as her eyes darted out of her head, to read in Jemima's

countenance, almost as pallid, the intelligence she dared not trust
her tongue to demand. Jemima put down the tea-things, and appeared

very busy in arranging the table. Maria took up a cup with trembling
hand, then forcibly recovering her fortitude, and restraining the

convulsive movement which agitated the muscles of her mouth, she
said, "Spare yourself the pain of preparing me for your information,

I adjure you!--My child is dead!" Jemima solemnly answered, "Yes;"
with a look expressive of compassion and angry emotions.

"Leave me," added Maria, making a fresh effort to govern her
feelings, and hiding her face in her handkerchief, to conceal her

anguish--"It is enough--I know that my babe is no more--I will
hear the particulars when I am"--calmer, she could not utter; and

Jemima, without importuning her by idle attempts to console her,
left the room.

Plunged in the deepest melancholy, she would not admit Darnford's
visits; and such is the force of early associations even on strong

minds, that, for a while, she indulged the superstitious notion
that she was justly punished by the death of her child, for having

for an instant ceased to regret her loss. Two or three letters from
Darnford, full of soothing, manly tenderness, only added poignancy

to these accusing emotions; yet the passionate style in which he
expressed, what he termed the first and fondest wish of his heart,

"that his affection might make her some amends for the cruelty and
injustice she had endured," inspired a sentiment of gratitude to

heaven; and her eyes filled with delicious tears, when, at the
conclusion of his letter, wishing to supply the place of her unworthy

relations, whose want of principle he execrated, he assured her,
calling her his dearest girl, "that it should henceforth be the

business of his life to make her happy."
He begged, in a note sent the following morning, to be permitted

to see her, when his presence would be no intrusion on her grief,
and so earnestly intreated to be allowed, according to promise, to

beguile the tedious moments of absence, by dwelling on the events
of her past life, that she sent him the memoirs which had been

written for her daughter, promising Jemima the perusal as soon as
he returned them.

CHAPTER 7
"ADDRESSING these memoirs to you, my child, uncertain whether I

shall ever have an opportunity of instructing you, many observations
will probably flow from my heart, which only a mother--a mother

schooled in misery, could make.
"The tenderness of a father who knew the world, might be great;

but could it equal that of a mother--of a mother, labouring under
a portion of the misery, which the constitution of society seems

to have entailed on all her kind? It is, my child, my dearest
daughter, only such a mother, who will dare to break through all

restraint to provide for your happiness--who will voluntarily
brave censure herself, to ward off sorrow from your bosom. From