ward's body home, that his last
remains might be deposited in the family vault.

Lady Lambton received these mournful tidings with excessive grief, and
communicated them to Mrs Thornby. Louisa, from the time of the
messenger's setting out for Germany, had been pleasing herself with
reflecting on the joyful reception he would meet with from Sir Edward,
and had frequently anticipated, in imagination, the pleasures she and
Sir Edward would receive at seeing each other after so melancholy a
separation. She now every hour expected him, and when Mrs Thornby began
to prepare her against surprise, she imagined he was arrived and that
her kind mother was endeavouring to guard her against too sudden joy.
She attempted to break through the delay which must arise from all this
caution by begging to know if he was in the house, desiring her not to
fear any ill effects from his sudden appearance, and rose from her seat,
in order to attend her mother to Sir Edward. Mrs Thornby made her sit
down again, and with a countenance which spoke very different things
from what she expected, acquainted her with the fatal end of all her
hopes.

Louisa was shocked in proportion to the degree to which she was before
elated. She sunk lifeless in the arms of her mother, who had clasped her
to her breast, and it was a considerable time before their cruel
endeavours to bring her to her senses succeeded. Her first sensation was
an agony of grief; she accused herself of being the occasion of Sir
Edward's death, and from the unfortunate consequences of her actions,
arraigned her motives for them. Mrs Thornby and Mr d'Avora, whom she
had sent for on this occasion, endeavoured to convince her she was no
way to blame, that what she had done was laudable, and she ought not to
judge of an action by its consequences, which must always remain in the
hands of the Almighty, to whom we are accountable for our motives, but
who best knows when they ought to be crowned with success. When they had
prevailed with her to exculpate herself, her piety and patience made it
the more easy to persuade her calmly to submit to the decrees of
providence. She soon saw that to suffer was her duty, and though she
might grieve, she must not repine. The good advice of her two friends
was some support to her mind, but her chief strength arose from her
frequent petitions to him who tried her in sufferings to grant her
patience to bear them with due resignation. Such addresses, ferventl