be not weakened or impaired. I do not say, indeed, that your profession is to be esteemed irreligious or immoral; but it certainly is exposed to many snares, and does require an unusual share of attention. I hope you will not neglect to attend church regularly and punctually. It will assuredly be noticed if you neglect this duty. Many will keep you in countenance should you be disposed to slight the public ordinances of religion; but there are also not a few who patronize public musical performances, and who also attend on religious worship: it is desirable therefore to let these persons see that you are also attentive to the duties of religion, I must add, Miss Primrose, that I am concerned to find you so bent upon this scheme. It would have given me great pleasure, had all things proceeded rightly, to afford you an asylum in this house till the return of your father, or till any other change had rendered such accommodation no longer necessary. But, as circumstances now are, this cannot be.” It is easy to conceive what effect such language as this must have had on the sensitive mind and almost broken heart of Penelope Primrose. It is very true that, in this address to her, Mr Darnley had no malicious or cruel intention, though every sentence which he uttered grieved her to the very soul. Well was it for Penelope that she was partly prepared for something of this kind, and that her sorrows had crept upon her gradually. Therefore she bore all this with a most enduring patience, and never attempted to make any explanation or apology otherwise than by meekly and calmly replying to the elaborate harangue of Mr Darnley: “I thank you, sir, for your advice; I hope and trust I shall attend to it; but I wish you to understand that I am not acting purely according to my own inclinations in adopting this employment. I am sorry that I am under the necessity--” The sentence was unfinished, and the tone in which it was uttered excited Mr Darnley’s compassion: but he thought it very strange that Miss Primrose should express any reluctance to engage in a pursuit which, according to all appearance, she had voluntarily and unnecessarily adopted. The young ladies also were very sorry for her, but still they could not help blaming her mentally for her fickleness towards their brother; for they were sure that he was attached to her, and they plainly saw, or at least thought they saw, that she had withdrawn her affections from him. Penelope also was very well convinced, by this interview with the family, that all her hopes of Robert Darnley were gone.