The moment of crisis arrived--but not of triumph. Lady Angelica Headingham’s landau came to the door. But _trunks packed and corded_ gave no pang to her former lover--Mrs. Hungerford did not press her to stay--Mr. Barclay handed her into the carriage--she stooped to conquer, so far as to tell him that, as she had only Mr. Seebright and her maid, she could give him a seat in her carriage, if he would come to Weymouth, and that she would thence, in a fortnight at farthest, go to his aunt, dear Lady B----, in Leicestershire. But all in vain--she saw it would not do--bid her servant shut the carriage-door--desired Mr. Seebright to draw up the glass, and, with a look of angry contempt towards Mr. Barclay, threw herself back on the seat to conceal the vexation which she could not control, and drove away for ever from irreclaimable lovers and lost friends. We do not envy Mr. Seebright his trip to Weymouth with his patroness in this humour; but without troubling ourselves further to inquire what became of her, we leave her “To flaunt, and go down a disregarded thing.” Rosamond seemed to think that if Caroline married Mr. Barclay, the dénouement would be too near, too clear, and commonplace: she said that in this case Caroline would just be married, like any body else, to a man with a good fortune, good character, good sense, and every thing very good, but nothing extraordinary, and she would be settled at Mr. Barclay’s seat in Leicestershire, and she would be Mrs. Barclay, and, perhaps, happy enough, but nothing extraordinary. This plain view of things, and this positive termination of all hope of romance, did not please Rosamond’s imagination. She was relieved, when at last Caroline surprised her with the assurance that there was no probability of Mr. Barclay’s succeeding in his suit. “And yet,” said Caroline, “if I were compelled at this moment to marry, of all men I have ever yet seen, Mr. Barclay is the person to whom I could engage myself with the least reluctance--the person with whom I think I should have the best security for happiness.” Rosamond’s face again lengthened. “If that is the case,” said she, “though you have no intention of marrying him at present, you will, I suppose, be _reasoned into_ marrying him in time.” “No,” said Caroline, “for I cannot be reasoned into loving him.” “There’s my own dear Caroline,” cried Rosamond: “I was horribly afraid that this man of sense would have convinced you that esteem was quite sufficient without love.” “Impossible!” said Caroline. “There must be some very powerful motive that could induce me to quit my family: I can conceive no motive sufficiently powerful, except love.” Rosamond was delighted.