'Am I then to be of the party, madam?' said Emily, with extreme surprise

and emotion. 'Most certainly,' replied her aunt, 'how could you imagine

we should leave you behind? But I see you are thinking of the Chevalier;

he is not yet, I believe, informed of the journey, but he very soon

will be so. Signor Montoni is gone to acquaint Madame Clairval of our

journey, and to say, that the proposed connection between the families

must from this time be thought of no more.'

The unfeeling manner, in which Madame Montoni thus informed her niece,

that she must be separated, perhaps for ever, from the man, with whom

she was on the point of being united for life, added to the dismay,

which she must otherwise have suffered at such intelligence. When

she could speak, she asked the cause of the sudden change in Madame's

sentiments towards Valancourt, but the only reply she could obtain was,

that the Signor had forbade the connection, considering it to be greatly

inferior to what Emily might reasonably expect.

'I now leave the affair entirely to the Signor,' added Madame Montoni,

'but I must say, that M. Valancourt never was a favourite with me, and

I was overpersuaded, or I should not have given my consent to the

connection. I was weak enough--I am so foolish sometimes!--to suffer

other people's uneasiness to affect me, and so my better judgment

yielded to your affliction. But the Signor has very properly pointed out

the folly of this, and he shall not have to reprove me a second time. I

am determined, that you shall submit to those, who know how to guide you

better than yourself--I am determined, that you shall be conformable.'

Emily would have been astonished at the assertions of this eloquent

speech, had not her mind been so overwhelmed by the sudden shock it had

received, that she scarcely heard a word of what was latterly addressed

to her. Whatever were the weaknesses of Madame Montoni, she might have

avoided to accuse herself with those of compassion and tenderness to the

feelings of others, and especially to those of Emily. It was the same

ambition, that lately prevailed upon her to solicit an alliance with

Madame Clairval's family, which induced her to withdraw from it, now

that her marriage with Montoni had exalted her self-consequence, and,

with it, her views for her niece.

Emily was, at this time, too much affected to employ either

remonstrance, or entreaty on this topic; and when, at length, she

attempted the latter, her emotion overcame her speech, and she retired

to her apartment, to think, if in the present state of her mind to think

was possible, upon this sudden and overwhelming subject. It was very

long, before her spirits were sufficiently composed to permit the

reflection, which, when it came, was dark and even terrible. She saw,

that Montoni sought to aggrandise himself in his disposal of her, and

it occurred, that his friend Cavigni was the person, for whom he was

interested. The prospect of going to Italy was still rendered darker,

when she considered the tumultuous situation of that country, then

torn by civil commotion, where every petty state was at war with its

neighbour, and even every castle liable to the attack of an invader.

She considered the person, to whose immediate guidance she would

be committed, and the vast distance, that was to separate her from

Valancourt, and, at the recollection of him, every other image vanished

from her mind, and every thought was again obscured by grief.




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