"Juliet Lansdowne."
Now seal and send it.
Juliet.Oh, Edward! it is hard to give up Madeline. But I believe you are right, and I ought not to regret it.
Edward.IknowI am right.
Juliet then rang the bell for a servant, to whom with a quivering lip and hesitating handshe gave the note, desiring him to leave it next door for Miss Malcolm.
After breakfast, when Juliet was again alone with her brother, she said to him, "Edward, I have never yet concealed any thing from my parents. I think if I were to disclose to them the whole truth, I should feel less miserable."
Edward approved of this determination, and they went together to their mother, to whom Juliet candidly related the whole history of their going to the theatre in disguise. She kindly endeavoured to throw as little blame on Madeline as possible; and Edward tried to apologize for Juliet's partiality for this dangerous girl, and for the yielding gentleness of disposition with which his sister had allowed herself to be influenced by her; and for her want of judgment in not perceiving the faults of Madeline in as strong a light as they appeared to every one else.
Mrs. Lansdowne's pleasure, on finding that her daughter had consented to give up this very improper intimacy, counterbalanced her regret at Juliet's having been persuaded by Madeline to join in the folly and indecorum of the preceding evening. For this, however, she thought the girls had been sufficientlypunished by all they had suffered at the theatre, and during their ignominious flight from it.
Madeline's parents had no suspicion of her having been at the play in disguise, and the idea of confessing it to them never for a moment entered her head. She was highly indignant at Juliet's note; and fortunately her resentment was too great to allow her to make any attempt at renewing their intimacy. She took care, however, to let no one suppose that the acquaintance had ceased by Juliet's desire; telling every body that Juliet Lansdowne was a little fool, and that she had grown quite tired of her.
In the spring, Mr. Malcolm removed with his family to New York, and their house next door to Mr. Lansdowne's was immediately taken by the father of Cecilia Selden who had again become the intimate friend of Juliet.
Transcriber's Note:Punctuation has been standardised. Hyphenation and spelling have been retained as appear in the original publication except as follows:Page 6Mrs. Evering had a very excellant cook, achanged toMrs. Evering had a veryexcellentcook, aPage 35vous remerçie,—Il fait beau-temschanged tovous remerçie,—Il faitbeau-tempsPage 72and then she counted all the window satchanged toand then she counted all thewindows atPage 109I will havethem. They will dechanged toI will havethem. They willdoPage 114kindness, and feeling really some embarrasmentchanged tokindness, and feeling really someembarrassment
Transcriber's Note:
Punctuation has been standardised. Hyphenation and spelling have been retained as appear in the original publication except as follows:
Page 6Mrs. Evering had a very excellant cook, achanged toMrs. Evering had a veryexcellentcook, a
Page 35vous remerçie,—Il fait beau-temschanged tovous remerçie,—Il faitbeau-temps
Page 72and then she counted all the window satchanged toand then she counted all thewindows at
Page 109I will havethem. They will dechanged toI will havethem. They willdo
Page 114kindness, and feeling really some embarrasmentchanged tokindness, and feeling really someembarrassment