--his sister must see him, too; and in order to
prepare her, I must first see her. Go now, and lose no time about it."

"There is no necessity for a carriage, Sir Thomas; I can have him here
in a quarter of an hour."

Sir Thomas went to the drawing-room with the expectation of finding Lucy
there--a proof that the discovery of his son affected him very much, and
deeply; for, in general his habit when he wanted to speak with her was
to have her brought to the library, which was his favorite apartment.
She was not there, however, and without ringing, or making any further
inquiries, he proceeded to an elegant little boudoir, formerly occupied
by her mother and herself, before this insane persecution had rendered
her life so wretched. The chief desire of her heart now was to look at
and examine and contemplate every object that belonged to that mother,
or in which she ever took an interest. On this account, she had of late
selected this boudoir as her favorite apartment; and here, lying asleep
upon a sofa, her cheek resting upon one arm, the baronet found her. He
approached calmly, and with a more extraordinary combination of feelings
than perhaps he had ever experienced in his life, looked upon her; and
whether it was the unprotected helplessness of sleep, or the mournful
impress of suffering and sorrow, that gave such a touching charm to her
beauty, or whether it was the united influence of both, it is difficult
to say; but the fact was, that for an instant he felt one touch of pity
at his heart.

"She is evidently unhappy," thought he, as he contemplated her; "and
that face, lovely as it is, has become the exponent of misery and
distress. Goodness me! how wan she is! how pale! and how distinctly do
those beautiful blue veins run through her white and death-like temples!
Perhaps, after all, I am wrong in urging on this marriage. But what can
I do? I have no fixed principle from any source sufficiently authentic
to guide me; no creed which I can believe. This life is everything to
us; for what do we know, what can we know, of another? And yet, could
it be that for my indifference to what is termed revealed truth, God
Almighty is now making me the instrument of my own punishment? But
how can I receive this doctrine? for here, before my eyes, is not the
innocent suffering as much, if not more, than the guilty, even granting
that I am so? And if I am perversely incredulous, is not here my son
restored to me, as if to reward