standing his impatience to secure the golden prize, a fear of defeating his wishes, by prematurely seeking to do so, decided him on first trying to secure her regard: but, though assiduous in his attentions for the purpose, he as yet was not sufficiently assured to make his meditated proposal. Lady Castle Dermot indeed had not the slightest idea of changing her state again, or, if she had, it was not such a person as common report represented Dundonald to be that could have tempted her a selfish and dissipated being could but ill have administered to the happiness of a person not to be satisfied with less than doting tenderness and exclusive attention.

Her ladyship continued with Fidelia till his announcement. She did not keep him long in suspense as to her motive for desiring to see him. His astonishment at what she narrated was unutterable-not that he had ceased to remember the probability of having a daughter in existence; but that he had quite forgot the possibility of her being again thrown upon him.

He certainly had felt some compunctious visitings of nature on her account, but had hitherto studiously resisted their influence, from a fear of injuring himself by yielding to them. For some minutes he remained undecided how to act, forgetting, in the surprise and confusion of his thoughts, that he could not possibly give a stronger proof of his being guilty of what he was accused of than by this hesitation, innocence and truth being ever prompt in answering.

At length, on her ladyship pressing for an answer, in a manner that involuntarily betrayed the extraordinary interest she took in Fidelia, a sudden idea, from this eircumstance, of some advantage being likely to accrue to him from the measure, induced him to acknowledge himself the father of the fair fugitive; but to do so without entering into a vindication of his conduct towards her, was not of course thought of. But, ere he attempted this, he deemed it requisite to learn all she knew concerning herself; and having

ascertained this from the countess, he took advantage of her ignorance of any affinity to the Beaumonts to conceal his connexion with them, fabricating, with very little difficulty, a tale wide of the truth, and which of course was not without the inconsistencies generally detected in such.

But to be satisfied that Fidelia was indeed his daughter was almost all that lady Castle Dermot desired, since, once assured of this, she could no longer have any fear about disclosing her real wishes respecting her-wishes which this discovery had not. in the least altered, since a father so little known could scarcely, she thought, be considered by her as more than a mere nominal relation.

But though a selfish motive had induced Dundonald to acknowledge Fidelia to her ladyship, he by no means wished to do so to the public, and accordingly framed such an excuse to her ladyship for his not wishing to do so immediately, as at length to induce her to be satisfied for

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the present with the mere acknowledgment of their affinity to Fidelia, herself, and his son; in short, every thing was settled as he wished; and the countess at length left him, to inform Fidelia of the result of their conference, and conduct her to him.

When he saw her, he no longer wondered at what he had previously conceived the romantic interest of lady Castle Dermot for her; yet she recalled to his mind no features interesting from recollectionnot a trace of Miss Beaumont was discoverable in her countenance.

Dundonald was certainly not a man of exquisite feeling, but he certainly felt proud of such a daughter, more especially when he found her well-informed, and an adept in all those accomplishments that give additional charms to beauty, and in many instances more than supply the want of it. It

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Fidelia, it must be supposed, felt joy at no longer having to consider herself an unconnected being; but what she expe

rienced on the occasion was, like human joy in general, not without alloy. She could place no confidence in the kindness or protection of a parent who appeared to have decided on abandoning her, and the previous discovery of the morning dwelt heavily on her mind. She was not rendered happier, when, on expressing her determination to let the Beaumonts immediately know what had occurred, her father absolutely interdicted her, saying, at a proper time he would himself acquaint them with it, and, till then, desired there might be no further correspondence between them.

Fidelia tried to be obedient; but the idea of being still considered as a base ungrateful creature by them was so painful, so insupportable, that she at length ventured, to write a few lines to Mr. Beaumont, merely explanatory of the mistake respecting colonel Grandison, and entreating him to let her statement have the desired effect upon him-that of reinstating her in his good opinion. But, suspecting