the greater part of his life in the
army, where he had lately signalized himself by his bravery and conduct,
now returned to England on being promoted to a regiment; and having some
business to transact with Lord Montreville in his official capacity, he
was invited to the house, and greatly admired both the Miss Delameres,
whose parties he now joined at Bath.

Crofts soon afterwards obtaining a short respite from his political
engagement, went thither also; and tho' Miss Delamere really thought
Lord Westhaven quite unexceptionable, she had been so habituated to
behave particularly to Crofts, that she could not now alter it, or
perhaps was not conscious of the familiar footing on which she allowed
him to be with her.

Lord Westhaven, who had at first hesitated between the sprightly dignity
of the elder sister, and the soft and more bewitching graces of the
younger, no sooner saw the conduct of Miss Delamere towards Crofts, than
his doubts were at an end. Her faults of temper had been hitherto
concealed from him, and he believed her heart as good as her sister's;
indeed, according to the sentimental turn her discourse frequently took,
he might have supposed it more refined and sublime. But when he observed
her behaviour to Crofts, he thought that she must either be secretly
engaged to him, or be a decided coquet. Turning therefore all his
attention to Augusta, he soon found that her temper was as truly good as
her person was interesting, and that the too great timidity of her
manner was solely owing to her being continually checked by her mother's
partiality to her sister.

A very short study of her character convinced him she was exactly the
woman calculated to make him happy. He told her so; and found her by no
means averse to his making the same declaration to her father and
mother.

Lord Montreville received it with pleasure; and preliminaries were soon
settled. In about six weeks, Lord Westhaven and Miss Augusta Delamere
were married at Bath, to the infinite satisfaction of all parties except
Miss Delamere; who could not be very well pleased with the preference
shewn her younger sister by a man whose morals, person, and fortune,
were all superior to what even her own high spirit had taught her to
expect in a husband.

Crofts, tho' he saw all apprehensions of having Lord Westhaven for a
rival were at an end, could not help fearing that so advantageous a
match for the younger, might make the elder more unwilling to accept a
simple commoner with a fortune greatly inferior.

The removal, however, of Lady Westhaven gave him more frequent
opportunities to urge