 sister for some years; and
ardently wished to embrace her and her children. But Fitz-Edward was at
her house; and to meet Fitz-Edward was impossible. Lady Clancarryl,
deceived by a plausible story, which had been framed to account for Lady
Adelina's absence, was, as well as her Lord, entirely ignorant of the
share Fitz-Edward had in it: they believed it to have been occasioned
solely by her antipathy to Trelawny, and her fear lest her relations
should insist on her again residing with him; and it was necessary that
nothing should be said to undeceive them.

Godolphin had therefore been obliged to form several excuses to account
for his declining the pressing invitations he received; and he found
that his eldest sister was already much hurt by his apparent neglect. In
one of her last letters, she had mentioned that Fitz-Edward was gone to
France; and Lady Adelina pointed out to Godolphin several passages which
convinced him he had given pain by his long absence to his beloved
Camilla, and prevailed upon him to go to Ireland. He arrived therefore
at Lough Carryl two days after his sister had returned thither with Lord
Delamere.







Mr. Godolphin was extremely surprised to find, in Ireland, Delamere, the
happy Delamere! who he supposed had long since been with Emmeline,
waiting the fortunate hour that was to unite them for ever. A very few
weeks now remained of the year which he had promised to remain
unmarried; yet instead of his being ready to attend his bride to
England, to claim in the face of the world his father's consent, he was
lingering in another country, where he appeared to have come only to
indulge dejection; for he frequently fled from society, and when he was
in it, forgot himself in gloomy reveries.

Nobody knew why he came to Ireland, unless to satisfy a curiosity of
which nothing appeared to remain; yet he still continued there; and as
Lord and Lady Clancarryl were now used to his singular humour, they
never enquired into it's cause; while he, flattered by the regard of two
persons so amiable and respectable, suffered not his enmity to
Fitz-Edward to interfere with the satisfaction he sometimes took in
their society; tho' he oftener past the day almost entirely alone.
Godolphin could not repress the anxious curiosity he felt, to know what,
at this period, could separate lovers whose union appeared so certain.
But this curiosity he had no means of satisfying. Lady Clancarryl had
heard nothing of his engagement, or any hint of his approaching
marriage; and tho' he was
