ed--'if I had been guilty of
the feelings with which you have charged me, I would not have thus
sought you, in spite of all your repulses. Let me now declare to you,
in the earnestness of a sincere heart, that I am innocent of all you
allege against me. I have always regarded you as one of my choicest
friends. I have always endeavoured to prefer you before myself, instead
of setting myself above you. You have, therefore, accused me
wrongfully, but I do most heartily forgive you. Will you not then
forgive me for an imaginary fault?'

"For a few moments after I commenced speaking, she continued to look at
me with the same cold, repulsive stare, not deigning to touch the hand
that I still extended. But she saw that I was sincere; she felt that I
was sincere, and this melted her down. As I ceased speaking, she
started forward with a quick, convulsed movement, and throwing her arms
around me, hid her face in my bosom and wept aloud. It was some time
before the tumult of her feelings subsided.

"'Can you indeed forgive me?' she at length said; 'my strange, blind,
wayward folly?'

"'Let us be friends as we were, Mrs. ----,' I replied, 'and let this
hour be forgotten, or only remembered as a seal to our friendship.'

"From that day, Louisa, there has been no jarring string in our
friendly intercourse. Mrs. ---- really felt aggrieved; she thought that
she perceived in my conduct all that she had alleged, and it wounded
her to the quick. But the earnest sincerity with which I sought her out
and persisted in seeing her, convinced her that she had altogether
misunderstood the import of my manner, which, under the peculiar state
of her feelings, put on a false appearance."

"Well, Mrs. Appleton," Louisa said with a deep inspiration, as that
lady ceased speaking, "I cannot say that I think you did wrong: indeed,
I feel that you were right; but I cannot act from such unselfish
motives; it is not in me."

"But you can compel yourself to do right, Louisa, even where there is
no genuine good impulse prompting to correct actions. It is by our thus
compelling ourselves, and struggling against the activity of a wrong
motive, that a right one is formed. If I had consulted only my
feelings, and had suffered only offended self-love to speak, I should
never have persevered in seeing my friend; to this day there would have
been a gulf between us."

"Still, it seems to me that we ought not, as a general thing, to humour
persons in these