and determin'd. It was death to poor Caroline, or fomething worfe to meet her mother in fuch circumstances: yet fuch was her hard lot, and fhe was obliged to endure it. All things neceffary being provided, Caroline and Mr. Jaison took their leave of Mrs. Hodson and their father, (who return'd to his houfe in the country, and ordered them as foon as poffible to attend him there- and fet out on their journey. They were three days on the road, and on the third towards the evening, they arriv'd at the village, and having before fent notice, that they were coming, found the little wretched family in painful expectation of them. To express or describe the meeting of Caroline and her mother exceeds the ableft pen: I fhall leave it therefore to the reader's imagination: begging him only one moment to reflect on the sufferings of this mother and this child, and the prefent mournful circumftances of which the one was ignorant, yet fufpicious, and which the other well knew, but was afraid to disclose; and to which the great affection of the parent to her child, and the child to her parent, and the fincere love which always exifted between them, and then contemplate, what a meeting it must have been, where forrow on one hand, and joy on the other were so strangly and dreadfully mix'd and blended! Mrs. Sanfon hung around her neck, wept, and wrung her VOL. II. O hands hands, then run around the room ex claiming with all the violence of a diforder'd mind. Then kifs'd her returning daughter, enquired for her hufband, afk'd for her Lucy, rejoyc'd over her Caroline, and, in fhort, was agitated with fuch a tumult and hurry of paffions as human nature, one would conceive was fcarce able to fupport. When however the impetuofity of her mind was a little affuaged, fhe began anxiously to prefs and demand an account of all her mifery: "Tell me my child, faid fhe, are they both dead, fhall I never more behold them; am I the most miferable of all wretches, is your dear, dear father's heart quite broken, and is Lucy dead too, ruin'd loft and undone ?" Mr. Faijon took upon him to footh her grief, and as the only means fo to do, represented how much worse it might have been, and therefore what reason the had for thankfulness and refignation! But alas, all this was by no means availing: fhe begg'd to know the worst, and when Caroline, weeping with her, could not speak, the miserable mother fell down on her knees, and implor'd her daughter, faying-" She fhould be happier to know all her forrow, than to fufpect the moft confummate mifery." Caroline cou'd not bear this, nor yet cou'd fhe bear to fay the horrid things she had to fpeak. A long, long time was confumed in this dreadful dilemma of grief: and by flow degrees grees at length the whole was pour'd gently as poffible into the heart of the afflicted mother, and the wound healed at the fame time with as much oyl of comfort as was poffible. "What both at once wou'd fhe often cry out my oh that I cou'd die with them! oh that I might be buried in the fame grave with my beloved Mr. Sanfon, with whom I have lived fo many, many years, and now wretched widow whither shall I turn me?" Then wou'd fhe fix her eyes on the poor little children who ftood weeping around her, and lay'd their forrowing heads in her lap, fadly fobbing to behold their dear mother in such an agony of diftrefs --- Oh poor babes, would fhe fay, haplefs hapless orphans, who shall protect you now, who fhall guard you from a fate like your dear ruined fifter's? Oh that I had died the day, he was about to depart from me ---fool that I was to fuffer it --- wou'd God, I had gone with him---oh that I had never parted from him my heart too wou'd then have been broken, then should I too have died; then fhou'd I have died, and breath'd my laft by my dear tender husband's fide, and in one coffin with him never known the mifery of furviving, the mifery of living after so dear a friend, so affectinate a companion. But why do I live nowah foolish weak heart, that can bleed and la ment on every little occafion: but when fuch mighty forrows lay hold of it, is stout enough to bear them all, and will not, will not burst and fet me for ever free! Weep not, my pretty -- little ones, weep not my deareft children -- alas, alas, did I bid you not cry?--- oh join your harmless tears with me, and let us all weep and die together." Thus did the truly diftreft mother with all the eloquence of grief utter her deep and heart-affecting lamentations: little did her forrows abate, all that night or the next day, and fruitlefs almoft wholly fruitless was the voice of comfort from her daughter and Mr. Jaifon fhe feem'd however towards the evening fomewhat more at eafe and pacified when the doleful bell refounded, and its melancholy toll befpoke the approach of the hearfe to the town: fuch was the cuftom of the place, and they had forgot to over-rule it. Soon as fhe heard it, fhe burst into fresh agonies of grief and cried, "'tis for them, 'tis for them, my husband, my child are coming, and I'll fly, I'll run to meet them: I come, your wife, your mother comes; oh dear remains of all I lov'd, I'll haften to receive you, and I'll welcome you, yes, yes, I'll welcome you with fuch a true and unfeigned grief, as none shall doubt of, none fhall call a compliment :"The noife of the hearfe now approach'd the -- house: house upon which she fell along on the floor, ftopp'd her ears and cried "Let me not hear it, for heaven's fake, let me not hear it oh that I were deaf, oh that I were blind and cou'd not fee!--- Yet fhall I be ungrateful? not see thee, oh my husband, life or death makes no diftinction in my love - ungrateful, what not fee thy dear remains ?--- and my poor child -- where are they (here fhe arofe) lead me to them- and I will fo embrace their livelefs corpses, so warm with tears, their clayey senselefs limbs, as either (the found of men removing the coffins ftruck her as fhe was uttering this)" oh horrible, moft horrible, muft they be then thus handled---can they not help themfelves what is it come to this? --- I'll help them then my hands fhall join to do that office for them! Oh fhe wou'd walk with fuch a sprightly grace-methinks, I see her now, fo nimbly would my Lucy tread that thresholdand now rude hands even labour to convey her lifeless body o'er it! Not fo fhe enter'd once, dear healthful pair, not fo they enter'd thefe unfortunate doors! Oh happy daughter thus to be join'd with thy departed father - oh hapless mother thus to be feperated, thus cut off from both!" While she was uttering this, the coffin of Mr. Sanfon was brought into the room,foon as the faw it, fhe fcream'd out, fhe fmote 0 3 her |