Cecilia; Or, Memoirs of an Heiress — Volume 2Burney, Fanny
General
Cecilia; Or, Memoirs of an Heiress — Volume 2
Burney, Fanny
England -- Fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Love stories; Young women -- Fiction
Yet this plan, till Cecilia was summoned to dinner, they had not the
resolution to put in practice. They were then obliged to be gone, and
their parting was very melancholy. Mrs Harrel wept immoderately, and
Mr Arnott felt a concern too tender for avowal, though too sincere
for concealment. Cecilia, however glad to change her situation, was
extremely depressed by their sorrow, and entreated to have frequent
accounts of their proceedings, warmly repeating her offers of service,
and protestations of faithful regard.
She accompanied them to the chaise, and then went to the dining parlour,
where she found Mr and Mrs Delvile, but saw nothing more of their son
the whole day.
The next morning after breakfast, Mrs Delvile set out upon some
leave-taking visits, and Cecilia went in a chair to Fetter-lane; here,
already waiting for her, she met the punctual Mr Monckton, and the
disappointed Jew, who most unwillingly was paid off, and relinquished
his bonds; and who found in the severe and crafty Mr Monckton, another
sort of man to deal with than the necessitous and heedless Mr Harrel.
As soon as he was dismissed, other bonds were drawn and signed, the old
ones were destroyed; and Cecilia, to her infinite satisfaction, had no
creditor but Mr Monckton. Her bookseller, indeed, was still unpaid, but
her debt with him was public, and gave her not any uneasiness.
She now, with the warmest expressions of gratitude, took leave of Mr
Monckton, who suffered the most painful struggles in repressing the
various apprehensions to which the parting, and her establishment at the
Delviles gave rise.
She then enquired briefly into the affairs of Mrs Hill, and having heard
a satisfactory account of them, returned to St James's-square.
BOOK VI
CHAPTER i. -- A DEBATE.
It was still early, and Mrs Delvile was not expected till late. Cecilia,
therefore, determined to make a visit to Miss Belfield, to whom she had
been denied during the late disorders at Mr Harrel's, and whom she could
not endure to mortify by quitting town without seeing, since whatever
were her doubts about Delvile, of her she had none.
To Portland-street, therefore, she ordered her chair, deliberating
as she went whether it were better to adhere to the reserve she
had hitherto maintained, or to satisfy her perplexity at once by an
investigation into the truth. And still were these scruples undecided,
when, looking in at the windows as she passed them to the door of the
house, she perceived Miss Belfield standing in the parlour with a letter
in her hand, which she was fervently pressing to her lips.
Struck by this sight, a thousand painful conjectures occurred to her,
all representing that the letter was from Delvile, and all explaining
to his dishonour the mystery of his late conduct. And far were her
suspicions from diminishing, when, upon being shown into the parlour,
Miss Belfield, trembling with her eagerness to hide it, hastily forced
the letter into her pocket.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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