from town had been the effect of her own choice, and for
giving the better colour, he went down himself, and brought her
up.--They lived together, after this, much better than they had done
for some months before their quarrel, and were now, in appearance,
perfectly reconciled; I say, in appearance, for all was outward shew,
neither of them had in their hearts the least true affection, nor
could forgive the other for what had passed between them.

The excessive constraint which both put upon themselves, in order to
conceal the real sentiments of their hearts from each other, as well
as from the world, could not but be extremely painful:--Natura
suffered her as little as possible out of his sight, though he could
have wished a possibility of avoiding her for ever, and was obliged to
do all he could, to make that pass for a fondness of her presence,
which was indeed only the effect of his jealousy of her behaviour in
absence:--she affected to think herself happy in his company, for no
other reason, than to win him to an assurance of her reformation, as
might render him less observant than he had been of what she did, even
at the time (as was afterwards discovered) when she seemed most sorry
and angry with herself for having given him any cause of suspicion
since their marriage.

Both, in fine, endured all that could make marriage dreadful,
especially Natura, who having with his former wife experienced all the
felicity of that state, was the more wretched by the sad alternative;
and as he could not sometimes forbear comparing the present with the
past, fell frequently into perfect convulsions of grief and remorse,
for having plunged himself into it.

A perpetual dissimulation is what human nature finds among the things
which are impossible to perform;--and I am pretty certain, that the
most artful person that ever breathed, could not, at all times, and in
all circumstances, restrain so far his real inclinations, as to give
no indications of them to an observing eye; and it is scarce probable,
but that the very attempt in Natura and his wife, gave rise to as many
reflections on their conduct in this point, as there was too much room
to make on others.

It was indeed a kind of farce acted by this unhappy pair, in which
both played their parts so aukwardly, that the real character would
frequently peep out, and though each dissembled, yet neither was
deceived; but as I said before, this could not last for ever; and the