ably fell in his way, he fixed his eyes on mine with such horror, as perfectly frightened me. He himself, on some trifling excuse, put off our wedding. Dorimene was often in tears, find seemed relapsing into her former distemper. This, indeed, we imputed to the weakness her fever had left upon her; but my brother too soon caught the infection, and his mind seemed to labour with some grief, which he could neither perfectly stifle, and yet was unwilling to reveal. I observed he went abroad more than usual, and I was often left in the house with only servants.
"One evening, when I came into my chamber, I found a letter on my table in an unknown hand; but how was I surprised to read these words! 'Whatever you do, Isabelle, avoid Dumont; for the marrying him will certainly prove fatal to you both.' Guess, ladies, what I must feel to have all my happiness thus suddenly destroyed; and, in its place, to see this dreadful scene of confusion. Conjectures would have been endless; I could not bring myself to suspect the Chevalier's honour; besides, what I saw him daily suffer convinced me there was something very extraordinary at the bottom, which it was impossible for me to fathom. But now, in order to make you understand the remaining part of my story, I must go back, and let you into the cause of this terrible alteration in our family, which I afterwards learned from the mouth of the person who was the occasion of it. But this I shall defer till to-morrow; for although my resolution has hitherto kept up my spirits, so as not to interrupt the narration, and trouble you with what I feel, yet am I often so racked with the remembrance of past scenes, that I really grow faint, and am able to proceed no further at present." Isabelle retired for that evening, with a promise of coming to them again the next morning.
She left the whole company very anxious to know
