compliance with Miss Denham's than from ill temper.

This gave her hopes that she might make a good wife to Mr Parnel, the
object of her affections. He soon perceived that Miss Alworth did not
behold him with indifference, but as he was much captivated by Harriot's
charms, it at first had no other effect than leading him to indulge in
complaints of her cruelty to Miss Alworth, who listened with compassion.
Harriot often represented to him how little he ought to wish for her
consent to marry him, which he so strongly solicited; for should she
grant it, he would be miserable with a wife who did not love him. She
told him that were he indifferent, her being so might do very well, and
they live on together in that eternal ennui which must ever subsist
between a married couple who have no affection for each other, and while
natural good temper and prudence enabled them to dream away a dull life
in peace and dead insensibility, the world might call them happy; but
that if he really loved her, her indifference would render him more
wretched than the most blamable conduct. She would then represent the
advantages of marrying a woman whose sole affections he possessed,
though at first he felt for her only esteem and gratitude; and advised
him by all means to seek for one whose heart was in that situation,
which he was well qualified to find.

Though Harriot forbore to mention Miss Alworth's name, Mr Parnel well
understood to whom she alluded, but found it difficult to take her
advice. At length, however, deprived of all hope of obtaining the woman
he loved, and moved to compassion by the visible unhappiness of one who
loved him, he began to listen to it and frankly told Harriot that he
understood the aim of what she had said. She was not sorry to throw off
all restraint as it gave her the power of speaking more to the purpose
and at length brought him to say that he should not be unwilling to
marry her. Harriot feared lest the belief of Mr Parnel's still retaining
an affection for her might render Miss Alworth uneasy, and therefore
advised him gradually to slacken his addresses to her and at the same
time to increase in proportion his attentions for Miss Alworth, that he
might appear to prefer her, since a symptom of inconstancy she knew
would not so much affect her as any sign of indifference, and Harriot's
generosity so far exceeded her vanity that she very sincerely desired to
be thought neglected rather than give any alloy to