172 THE LEGEND OF THE ABBEY TOWER. 



The baronet, however, had (or deemed he had) reasons for more 

 than mere suspicion ; and he determined on taking my advice as to 

 effecting the separation of the parties. He therefore hastened to the 

 sexton's house. Mary was not there ; nor had she been there during 

 the several preceding hours. On comparing notes, both parents 

 jumped to the same conclusion, that there was something clandes- 

 tine between the young gentleman and Mary, and the poor sexton 

 no sooner perceived the evidence of it, than he evinced a deep dis- 

 tress, and broke into a fearful fit of anger at his daughter's conduct. 

 Sir Baldwin became proportionally pacific, and behaved with a 

 most winning courtesy to his honest partner in filial deception. 

 " We may judge wrongly," said he, " but to render ourselves per- 

 fectly comfortable, in the removal of every possible cause for suspi- 

 cion, I would propose that they should be separated. A relative of 

 mine is about to travel on the continent ; and I will venture to 

 secure Mary a comfortable situation in the moving establishment.'' 



The sexton bowed in grateful acknowledgment. " It will be such 

 a nice thing," continued the baronet, proceeding of course to string 

 together a variety of comfortable assurances and prospective delights, 

 thinking they might be joyfully accepted by Mary. 



They had just settled this delectable plan of operations, when 

 Mary, in ignorance of Sir Baldwin's presence, entered the room. 

 Her confusion was great, and she would have instantly retired, but 

 that the baronet, with an affected expression of kindness, bade her 

 remain. As the crimson left her cheek, it appeared as though she 

 had been previously acted upon by grief or much excitement. The 

 parents looked at each other as if they had simultaneously divined 

 the cause of that expression in her now pallid countenance, the 

 loveliness of which, at this moment, so struck the baronet, that 

 he wondered not at any degree of admiration short of a marriage 

 offer. 



The proposal of a delightful jaunt to the continent was then, with 

 a due measure of good advice, made to the unhappy girl. The 

 advice was not heard ; but, a withering sound of banishment seemed 

 to strike her ear, and fell upon her heart like the blasting gust 

 of the desert Simoom ! She listened, as requiring a repetition of 

 the sentence, ere she could believe in such cruelty. Her father 

 bluntly reiterated the baronet's kind offer ; upbraided her with folJy 

 in not snatching at such an opportunity, and charged her with 

 ingratitude to her benefactor. An incoherent reply was all she 

 made. Clasping her hands upon her forehead as if to subdue her 



