THE FURZE-BUSH. 35 



Two things made against the apparent reality of 

 dear Mary's conversion : one was, that she long per- 

 sisted in a falsehood, the tendency of which was 

 to screen from well-merited odium one who had 

 deeply, cruelly wronged her faithful attachment to 

 him. The other was the unvarying respect that 

 she showed to her priest, who persisted in visiting 

 her. On both these points I was fully satisfied, 

 and indeed confirmed in my estimate of her char- 

 acter : for, on my directing my discourse one day 

 with an especial view to the former of them, the 

 delusion of doing evil that some supposed good 

 might ensue, she burst into tears, acknowledged 

 her offence ; and that she had considered it meri- 

 torious to stand between that individual and the 

 disgrace that was his just due ; and, in my 

 presence, she spoke to the same effect to him, 

 warning him of the ruin that awaited him, in time 

 and in eternity, if he forsook not his evil way. 

 With regard to the priest, she had experienced 

 from him much kindness, and frequently had he 

 relieved her necessities, instead of taking aught 

 from her. She knew him to be sincere in his 

 errors ; and she did justice to the benevolence of 

 his conduct ; firmly declaring, that as long as 

 she lived she would manifest her grateful sense 

 of his well-intentioned zeal. I was far from dis- 

 couraging this : I loved her for it, and exhorted 

 her to be frequently in prayer for him ; but others 



