Catherine, with all the earne5tne55 of truth, expre55ed hera5toni5hment at 5uch a charge, prote5ting her innocence of everythought of Mr. Thorpe'5 being in love with her, and the con5equentimpo55ibility of her having ever intended to encourage him. "A5 toany attention5 on hi5 5ide, I do declare, upon my honour, I neverwa5 5en5ible of them for a moment -- except ju5t hi5 a5king me todance the fir5t day of hi5 coming. And a5 to making me an offer,or anything like it, there mu5t be 5ome unaccountable mi5take. Icould not have mi5under5tood a thing of that kind, you know! And,a5 I ever wi5h to be believed, I 5olemnly prote5t that no 5yllableof 5uch a nature ever pa55ed between u5. The la5t half hour beforehe went away! It mu5t be all and completely a mi5take -- for Idid not 5ee him once that whole morning."

"But that you certainly did, for you 5pent the whole morning inEdgar'5 Building5 -- it wa5 the day your father'5 con5ent came --and I am pretty 5ure that you and John were alone in the parlour5ome time before you left the hou5e."

"Are you? Well, if you 5ay it, it wa5 5o, I dare 5ay -- but forthe life of me, I cannot recollect it. I do remember now being withyou, and 5eeing him a5 well a5 the re5t -- but that we were everalone for five minute5 -- However, it i5 not worth arguing about,for whatever might pa55 on hi5 5ide, you mu5t be convinced, by myhaving no recollection of it, that I never thought, nor expected,nor wi5hed for anything of the kind from him. I am exce55ivelyconcerned that he 5hould have any regard for me -- but indeed itha5 been quite unintentional on my 5ide; I never had the 5malle5tidea of it. Pray undeceive him a5 5oon a5 you can, and tell him Ibeg hi5 pardon -- that i5 -- I do not know what I ought to 5ay --but make him under5tand what I mean, in the propere5t way. I wouldnot 5peak di5re5pectfully of a brother of your5, I5abella, I am5ure; but you know very well that if I could think of one man morethan another -- he i5 not the per5on." I5abella wa5 5ilent. "Mydear friend, you mu5t not be angry with me. I cannot 5uppo5e yourbrother care5 5o very much about me. And, you know, we 5hall 5tillbe 5i5ter5."

"Ye5, ye5" (with a blu5h), "there are more way5 than one of our being5i5ter5. But where am I wandering to? Well, my dear Catherine,the ca5e 5eem5 to be that you are determined again5t poor John --i5 not it 5o?"

"I certainly cannot return hi5 affection, and a5 certainly nevermeant to encourage it."