Christian life; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Young women -- Conduct of life -- Fiction
The remains of my unfortunate father still lay near me; and, unable to
overcome my horror of passing the chamber of death, I remained entirely
secluded in my apartment. The first intruder upon this seclusion was the
person who came to seal my father's repositories of papers and money.
Having performed his office elsewhere, he entered my apartment with
little ceremony; and, telling me that he understood my father had
intrusted me with jewels of value, informed me, that it was necessary to
prevent access to them for the present. Accustomed as I was to receive
all outward testimonies of respect, the intrusion of a stranger at such
a time appeared to me a savage outrage. I was ignorant of all the forms
of business; and his errand assumed the nature of the most insulting
suspicion. Had all the jewels of the earth lain at my feet he might have
borne them away unresisted by me; but the proud spirit which grief had
bowed almost to the dust roused itself at once to repel insult; and,
pointing to the casket, I haughtily commanded him to do his office
quickly and begone. By this sally of impatience, a few trinkets of value
which I might have justly claimed as my own were lost to me, being
contained in the casket which I thus suffered to be appropriated.
Insulted as I thought, and persecuted in my only place of refuge, I
became desirous to quit my dismal abode. I imagined, that whatever
impropriety there might be in the continuance of Juliet's residence in
my desolate habitation, there could be no reason to deter me from taking
refuge with my friend;--my gentle, my affectionate friend, who had ever
rejoiced in my prosperity, and gloried in my accomplishments, and loved
even my faults. Checking the tears which gushed from my eyes at the
thought that a father's roof must shelter me no more, I announced my
intention to my friend in a short billet:--'Come to me, dearest Juliet,'
I said, 'come and take me from this house of misery, I only stipulate,
that you will not ask me to join your brother's family circle. I wish to
see no human being except yourself,--for who is there left me to love
but you?--Your own ELLEN PERCY.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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