to leave us together, and so make her keep her word whether she will or
no."

The Miss Charltons took the hint, and went away; while Cecilia, who had
not at all suspected he meant seriously to speak with her, remained
extremely perplexed to think what he had to say.

"Mrs Delvile," cried he, continuing the same air of easy good humour,
"though I allowed her not to speak to me above twenty words, took up
near ten of them to tell me that you had behaved to her like an angel.
Why so she ought, cried I; what else was she sent for here to look so
like one? I charged her, therefore, to take all that as a thing of
course; and to prove that I really think what I say, I am now going to
make a trial of you, that, if you are any thing less, will induce you
to order some of your men to drive me into the street. The truth is, I
have had a little commission given me, which in the first place I know
not how to introduce, and which, in the second, as far as I can judge,
appears to be absolutely superfluous."

Cecilia now felt uneasy and alarmed, and begged him to explain himself.
He then dropt the levity with which he had begun the discourse, and
after a grave, yet gentle preparation, expressive of his unwillingness
to distress her, and his firm persuasion of her uncommon worthiness, he
acquainted her that he was no stranger to her situation with respect to
the Delvile family.

"Good God!" cried she, blushing and much amazed; "and who"---

"I knew it," said he, "from the moment I attended Mr Mortimer in his
illness at Delvile Castle. He could not conceal from me that the seat