Hale: Madame D'Arhlay 



23 



The other, from The Wanderer, shows how the characters often talk 

 to each other: 



"Harleigh! dearest Harleigh! you are master of my soul! You are sover- 

 eign of my esteem, my admiration, my every feeling of tenderness, and every 

 idea of perfection! — accept then the warm homage of a glowing heart, that 

 beats for you; and that, beating in vain, will beat no more." . . 



[Harliegh on one knee]: "Elinor! you crown me, then, with honours, 

 but to kill me with torture." 



These passages clearly reveal why, altho many pages are moist with 

 tears, there is a dearth of genuine pathos. 



We find a few exceptions to these '^ambitious scenes of distress". 

 In two or three instances Madame D'Arblay has shown that she can 

 depict with much tenderness scenes that are really pathetic. Mrs. 

 Hill tells her simple story of her husband's illness and Billy's death 

 with sincerity, and with no hint of sentimentality or theatricality.^^ 

 The scene in which Edgar leaves Camilla to go on his foreign tour has 

 a high degree of restraint, and her parting from her uncle when he 

 expects to die shows considerable reserve: 



"Is my Uncle well enough to speak?" cried Camilla, softly opening the 

 door, "and may I — for one single moment, — see him?" . . . 



"That's the voice of my dear Camilla!" said Sir Hugh; "Come in, my 

 little love, for I sha'n't shock your tender heart now, for I am going to get 

 better." 



Camilla, in an extacy, was instantly at his bed-side, passionately exclaim- 

 ing, "My dear, dear uncle! will you indeed recover?" 



******* 



Tears flowed fast down the cheeks of Mr. Tyrold, as he uttered whatever 

 he could suggest most tenderly soothing to his Brother : and the young mourn- 

 ers, not daring to resist, were all gliding away, except Camilla, whose hand 

 was fast grasped in that of her uncle. 



"Ah, my Camilla," cried he, as she would gently have withdrawn it, 

 "how shall I part with my little dear darling? This is the worst twitch to me 

 of all, with all my contentedness! And the more because I know you love your 

 poor old uncle, just as well as if he had left you all he was worth, though you 

 won't get one penny by his death!" 



"O my dear, dearest Uncle—" exclaimed Camilla, in a passionate flood of 

 tears; when Mr. Tyrold, assuring them both the consequences might be 

 fatal, tore her away from the bed and the room.^^ 



8^ The Wanderer, I, 400. 



89 Select Essays of Macaulay (ed. Thurber), 171. 



90 Cecilia, I, 83. 



91 Camilla, V, 34 ff. 



92 Ibid, II, 423, 431 ff. 



