r
children will be called natural children, and have their own way to
make. No harm in that! Warm day for your journey." Catherine sighed, and
wiped her eyes; she no longer reproached the world, since the son of her
own mother disbelieved her.

The relations talked together for some minutes on the past--the present;
but there was embarrassment and constraint on both sides--it was so
difficult to avoid one subject; and after sixteen years of absence,
there is little left in common, even between those who once played
together round their parent's knees. Mr. Morton was glad at last to find
an excuse in Catherine's fatigue to leave her. "Cheer up, and take a
glass of something warm before you go to bed. Good night!" these were
his parting words.

Long was the conference, and sleepless the couch, of Mr. and Mrs.
Morton. At first that estimable lady positively declared she would not
and could not visit Catherine (as to receiving her, that was out of the
question). But she secretly resolved to give up that point in order to
insist with greater strength upon another-viz., the impossibility of
Catherine remaining in the town; such concession for the purpose of
resistance being a very common and sagacious policy with married ladies.
Accordingly, when suddenly, and with a good grace, Mrs. Morton appeared
affected by her husband's eloquence, and said, "Well, poor thing! if she
is so ill, and you wish it so much, I will call to-morrow," Mr. Morton
felt his heart softened towards the many excellent reasons which his
wife urged against allowing Catherine to reside in the town. He was
a political character--he had many enemies; the story of his seduced
sister, now forgotten, would certainly be raked up; it would affect his
comfort, perhaps his trade, certainly his eldest daughter, who was
now thirteen; it would be impossible then to adopt the plan hitherto
resolved upon--of passing off Sidney as the legitimate orphan of a
distant relation; it would be made a great handle for gossip by Miss
Pryinall. Added to all these reasons, one not less strong occurred to
Mr. Morton himself--the uncommon and merciless rigidity of his wife
would render all the other women in the town very glad of any topic that
would humble her own sense of immaculate propriety. Moreover, he
saw that if Catherine did remain, it would be a perpetual source of
irritation in his own home; he was a man who liked an easy life, and
avoided, as far as possible, all food f