A Description of Millenium Hall: And the Country Adjacent Together with the Characters of the Inhabitants and Such Historical Anecdotes and Reflections As May Excite in the Reader Proper Sentiments of Humanity, and Lead the Mind to the Love of Virtue — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
A Description of Millenium Hall: And the Country Adjacent Together with the Characters of the Inhabitants and Such Historical Anecdotes and Reflections As May Excite in the Reader Proper Sentiments of Humanity, and Lead the Mind to the Love of Virtue
John Stuart Mill · en
Sir Charles now on his knees intreated her to acquaint him with the
misfortune she endeavoured to conceal, assuring her, that nothing could
give him so much concern as seeing her in that condition. She told him
she was sensible, that as his wife it was her duty to obey him (a duty
newly discovered, or at least newly performed by her ladyship); but she
feared she had not strength left to give it utterance. The endeavour
threw her into a hysteric fit, which was succeeded by so many others
that Sir Charles was almost frantic with his fears for so tender a wife,
who was thus reduced to the last agonies by her affectionate
apprehensions of giving him pain.
After rubbing her hands and feet till they were sore, suffocating her
with burnt feathers, and half poisoning her with medicines, Sir Charles
and her servants so far brought her to life that after sending her
attendants out of the room, she had just power to tell him she had
discovered an intrigue between his daughter and Simon the young farmer,
and then immediately sunk into another fit, which however did not last
so long; for as she had removed the heavy burden off her mind, she soon
began to recover.
Sir Charles was very much shocked at what Lady Melvyn told him, but
could not doubt the reality of the fact when he had seen the very
violent effect it had had on his tender wife. He asked her advice how to
proceed; and it was soon determined that it was necessary, either to
oblige Miss Melvyn to marry Mr Morgan directly, or to disclaim her for
ever, and remove the disgrace of so infamous a conduct as far from
themselves as possible. With this resolution she was to be immediately
acquainted.
Miss Melvyn was accordingly called in, and bitterly reproached by Sir
Charles; to which my lady added frequent lamentations that she should
so far forget herself, and disgrace so worthy a family, interspersing
with them many expressions of the undeserved tenderness she had always
had for her, and her great confidence in Miss Melvyn's prudence and
virtue, shedding tears for her having so unhappily swerved from them.