he were standing where you stand. I look upon you as
no enemy--"

"You do me only justice," said Mr Rowland, leaning upon the chair which
Hester had brought for herself.

"I wish to do you justice; and therefore I warn you that if you do not
procure complete protection for my husband--not only for this day--but
for the future;--if you do not cause your wife to retract her
slanders--"

"Stop, Mrs Hope! this is going too far," said Mr Rowland, drawing
himself up, and putting on an air of offended dignity.

"It is not going too far. You cannot, you dare not, pretend to be
offended with what I say, when you know that my noble husband has been
injured in his character and his prospects, attacked in his domestic
peace, and now exposed to peril of his life, by the falsehoods your wife
has told. I tell you that we do not impute her crimes to you. If this
is justice, you will prove it by doing your full duty to my husband. If
you decline any part of this duty--if you countenance her slanders--if
you shrink from my husband's side in whatever we may have to go
through--if you do not either compel your wife to do us right, or do it
yourself in opposition to her--you are her partner in guilt, as well as
in life and lot."

"Consider what a situation you place me in!--But what would you have me
do?"

"I would have you see that every false charge she has brought is
retracted--every vile insinuation recanted. You must make her say
everywhere that my husband has not stolen dead bodies; that he is not a
plotter against the peace and order of society; that he has not poisoned
a child by mistake, or cut off a sound limb for the sake of practice and
amusement. Your wife has said these things, and you know it; and you
must make her contradict them all."

"Consider what a situation you place me in!" said Mr Rowland again.

"Be generous, Hester!" said Margaret.

"Do not trample on a wretched man!" cried Mr Rowland, covering his face
with his hands.

"`Consider!' `Be generous!'" exclaimed Hester in a softened tone. "I
might well say, Consider what a situation my husband is placed in! and
that I must see justice done to him before I can be generous to others;
but I have such a husband that I can afford to spare the wretched, and
be generous to the humbled. Go now and do _your_ duty by us: and the
next time you hear your wife say that we do not love and are not happy,
tell her that if we forbear to crush her, it is because w