He saw, and in a little while well understood, the temper
of his niece; and, with a consideration under all circumstances rather
creditable, he would most usually defer, with a ready accommodation of
his own, to her peculiarities. He was pleased and proud of her
accomplishments; and from being thus proud, so far as such an emotion
could consistently comport with a life and a licentiousness such as his,
he had learned, in reality, to love the object who could thus awaken a
sentiment so much beyond those inculcated by all his other habits. To
her he exhibited none of the harsh manner which marked his intercourse
with all other persons; and in his heart sincerely regretted, and sought
to avoid the necessity which, as we have elsewhere seen, had made him
pledge her hand to Rivers--a disposition of it which he knew was no less
galling and painful to her than it was irksome yet unavoidable to
himself.
Unhappily, however, for these sentiments, he was too much under the
control and at the mercy of his colleague to resist or refuse his
application for her person; and though for a long time baffling, under
various pretences, the pursuit of that ferocious ruffian, he felt that
the time was at hand, unless some providential interference willed it
otherwise, when the sacrifice would be insisted on and must be made; or
probably her safety, as well as his own, might necessarily be
compromised.
Pages:
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484