Eleanor, I am undone! My mother--my mother has been so cruel; but she
cannot, she cannot intend it, or she knows very little of my heart.
With some ties may be as easily broken as formed; with others they are
twined around life itself.

Clarence dined with us yesterday, and was unusually animated and
agreeable. He was engaged on business with Lord Aspeden afterwards,
and left us early. We had a few people in the evening, Lord Borodaile
among the rest; and my mother spoke of Clarence, and his relationship
to and expectations from Mr. Talbot. Lord Borodaile sneered; "You are
mistaken," said he, sarcastically; "Mr. Linden may feel it convenient
to give out that he is related to so old a family as the Talbots; and
since Heaven only knows who or what he is, he may as well claim
alliance with one person as another; but he is certainly not the
nephew of Mr. Talbot of Scarsdale Park, for that gentleman had no
sisters and but one brother, who left an only daughter; that daughter
had also but one child, certainly no relation to Mr. Linden. I can
vouch for the truth of this statement; for the Talbots are related to,
or at least nearly connected with, myself; and I thank Heaven that I
have a pedigree, even in its collateral branches, worth learning by
heart." And then Lord Borodaile--I little thought, when I railed
against him, what serious cause I should have to hate him--turned to
me and harassed me with his tedious attentions the whole of the
evening.

This morning Mamma sent for me into her boudoir. "I have observed,"
said she, with the greatest indifference, "that Mr. Linden has, of
late, been much too particular in his manner towards you: your foolish
and undue familiarity with every one has perhaps given him
encouragement. After the gross imposition which Lord Borodaile