Mr. Tyrold gave his daughter some slight cautions and general advice;
but thought it wisest, since he found her tranquil and unsuspicious, not
to raise apprehensions that might disturb her composure, nor awaken
ideas of which the termination must be doubtful.
Her mother deemed the matter to be undeserving the least serious alarm.
The man had appeared to her from the beginning to be a despicable
adventurer; and her lofty contempt of all low arts made her conclude her
well-principled Eugenia as superior to their snares as to their
practice.
This conference completely quieted the fears of Sir Hugh; who
relinquished his design of sending for Clermont, and imagined Edgar to
have been too severe in his judgment of Bellamy, who had only knelt in
pure compassion, to prevail with Eugenia to take care of her life.
The rector and his lady were already gone before the cottage group came
home. Edgar was anxious to inquire of Sir Hugh what had passed. The
three females, concluding he had still something to say relative to his
proposals, by tacit agreement, retired to their own rooms.
They were not, however, as concurrent in their eagerness to re-assemble.
Miss Margland and Indiana watched the moment when they might appease
their burning curiosity by descending: but Eugenia wished to prolong her
absence, that she might recover from the embarrassment she had just
suffered; and Camilla determined not to appear again till the next
morning.
For the first time in her life after the shortest separation, she
forbore to seek Eugenia, [who] she supposed would have gathered all the
particular of the approaching nuptials. She felt no desire to hear them.
It was a period to which, hitherto, she had looked forward as to a
thing of course; but this day it had struck her that Edgar and Indiana
could not be happy together.--She had even surmised, from his last
speech, that he lamented, in secret, the connexion he had formed.
The gentlest pity took possession of her breast; an increasing
admiration succeeded to her pity. She could not bear to witness so
unequal a scene, as the full satisfaction of Sir Hugh contrasted with
the seriousness, perhaps repentance, of Edgar. She pleaded an head-ache,
and went to bed.