Charlotte Smith

“ Ormsby; though the matter of the letter was cleared up, he saw, that the father of Rosalie regarded him as one who had been the cause of Montalbert's estrangement from her; that long and disagreeable explanations must take place, and that he could hardly hope to be received even as the friend of her to whom he felt such painful partiality.—Ormsby, while he anxiously hastened his departure, treated him with coolness, almost with incivility; but Lessington, with milder manners, was more ready to believe that no blame could attach to the conduct of Rosalie in regard to him. ”

“ Rosalie, though still conscious of, and grateful for the attentions of Lessington, seemed too ill to enter into conversation or explanation of any kind. But at length in attempting to sooth and to reason with her, he prevailed upon her to say, that she should die contented, and even prefer death, if she could but see her child once more, and ask his father's protection for him. ”

“ He saw the extreme concern which Rosalie might feel, if any evil should happen even to a stranger, whose offence towards her was at least palliated by ignorance; but should Montalbert or Vyvian be wounded, or fall, the consequences to her must be still more dreadful.
All this no sooner struck Walsingham, than he explained as clearly as he could the nature of his apprehensions to Lessington, who saw at once they were too well grounded, for Walsingham described his relation as rash, haughty, and violent ”

“ Ormsby and Lessington, as the suffering patient was apparently sleeping, had walked out to relive their fatigued and anxious spirits by the air, and having remained on about half an hour, they were met, just as they entered the house, by Claudine: who, with expressions of great joy in her countenance, told them, in her broken English, "That Mr. Walsingham was come; Le bon Walsingham, l'excellent Ami de sa chere Maitresse;" for all that, and more his generosity to her, had made him appear to Claudine. ”

“ The wild indiscretion of Claudine had communicated to her mistress the arrival of Walsingham; and though her regard for him was as pure and innocent as that which she felt for either of those whom she had learned to consider as her brothers, yet she suffered extremely when she found he was gone, and had not seen her: not only because she was sure it would give him pain, but because it convinced her that the generous protection he had offered her had been the cause of his becoming suspected by those who ought to have felt the greatest obligation towards him ”

“ Mr. Vyvian has taken it with him to Brighthelmstone, where your servant told us you were to be found, in order to demand an explanation."
"My servant!" exclaimed Walsingham, more and more surprised; "there is certainly some strange mistake in all this. Pray, Sir, with what name was it signed?" Lessington then answering it was "S. Walsingham." Walsingham began immediately to suspect the truth; but when Lessington explained to him the contents of this letter, and that they evidently alluded to a demand of satisfaction, which the writer of it had received from Montalbert ”