-establish himself in the favour of Miss Delamere; from
which, absence, and large draughts of flattery dispensed with French
adroitness, had a little displaced him. This stratagem put his brother
James on so fair a footing with the widow, that he thought her fortune
would be secured before she could discover it to be only a stratagem,
and that her lover was still likely to continue a younger brother.

James Crofts seeing the necessity of dispatch, became so importunate,
that Mrs. Ashwood, despairing of Fitz-Edward, and believing she might
not again meet with a man so near a title, for which she had a violent
inclination, was prevailed on to promise she would make him happy as
soon as she returned to her own house.

It was now the end of June; and Lady Adelina, whose situation grew very
critical, had at length yielded to the entreaties of her two friends,
and agreed to go wherever they thought she could obtain assistance and
concealment in the approaching hour.

Mrs. Stafford and Emmeline, after long and frequent reflections and
consultations on the subject, concluded that no situation would be so
proper as Bath. In a place resorted to by all sorts of people, less
enquiry is excited than in a provincial town, where strangers are
objects of curiosity to it's idle inhabitants. To Bath, therefore, it
was determined Lady Adelina should go. But when the time of her journey,
and her arrangements there, came to be discussed, she expressed so much
terror least she should be known, so much anguish at leaving those to
whose tender pity she was so greatly indebted, and such melancholy
conviction that she should not survive, that the sensible heart of
Emmeline could not behold without sharing her agonies; nor was Mrs.
Stafford less affected. When they returned home after this interview,
Emmeline was pursued by the image of the poor unhappy Adelina. But to
give, to the wretched, only barren sympathy, was not in her nature,
where more effectual relief was in her power. She thought, that if by
her presence she could alleviate the anguish, and soothe the sorrows of
the fair mourner, perhaps save her character and her life, and be the
means of restoring her to her family, she should perform an action
gratifying to her own heart, and acceptable to heaven. The more she
reflected on it, the more anxious she became to execute it--and she at
length named it to Mrs. Stafford.

Mrs. Stafford, tho' aware of the numberless objections which might have
been made to such a plan, could not
