were not fit company for Lady Clementina, it is to be
hoped that she was company for angels. She died within the first year of
her marriage, a faithful, an affectionate wife, and a mother.

When William heard of her death, he felt a sudden shock, and a kind of
fleeting thought glanced across his mind, that

"Had he known she had been so near her dissolution, she might have been
introduced to Lady Clementina, and he himself would have called her
sister."

That is (if he had defined his fleeting idea), "They would have had no
objection to have met this poor woman for the _last time_, and would have
descended to the familiarity of kindred, in order to have wished her a
good journey to the other world."

Or, is there in death something which so raises the abjectness of the
poor, that, on their approach to its sheltering abode, the arrogant
believer feels the equality he had before denied, and trembles?

CHAPTER VII.

The wife of Henry had been dead near six weeks before the dean heard the
news. A month then elapsed in thoughts by himself, and consultations
with Lady Clementina, how he should conduct himself on this occurrence.
Her advice was,

"That, as Henry was the younger, and by their stations, in every sense
the dean's inferior, Henry ought first to make overtures of
reconciliation."

The dean answered, "He had no doubt of his brother's good will to him,
but that he had reason to think, from the knowledge of his temper, he
would be more likely to come to him upon an occasion to bestow comfort,
than to receive it. For instance, if I had suffered the misfortune of
losing your ladyship, my brother, I have no doubt, would have forgotten
his resentment, and--"

She was offended that the loss of the vulgar wife of Henry should be
compared to the loss of her--she lamented her indiscretion in forming an
alliance with a family of no rank, and implored the dean to wait till his
brother should make some concession to him, before he renewed the
acquaintance.

Though Lady Clementina had mentioned on this occasion her _indiscretion_,
she was of a prudent age--she was near forty--yet, possessing rather a
handsome face and person, she would not have impressed the spectator with
a supposition that she was near so old had she not constantly attempted
to appear much younger. Her dress was fantastically fashionable, her
manners affected all the various passions of youth, and her conversation
was perpetually embel