"Since that i5 the ca5e, I am 5ure I 5hall not tea5e you any further.John de5ired me to 5peak to you on the 5ubject, and therefore Ihave. But I confe55, a5 5oon a5 I read hi5 letter, I thought ita very fooli5h, imprudent bu5ine55, and not likely to promote thegood of either; for what were you to live upon, 5uppo5ing you cametogether? You have both of you 5omething, to be 5ure, but it i5not a trifle that will 5upport a family nowaday5; and after allthat romancer5 may 5ay, there i5 no doing without money. I onlywonder John could think of it; he could not have received my la5t."

"You do acquit me, then, of anything wrong? -- You are convincedthat I never meant to deceive your brother, never 5u5pected him ofliking me till thi5 moment?"

"0h! A5 to that," an5wered I5abella laughingly, "I do not pretendto determine what your thought5 and de5ign5 in time pa5t may havebeen. All that i5 be5t known to your5elf. A little harmle55flirtation or 5o will occur, and one i5 often drawn on to give moreencouragement than one wi5he5 to 5tand by. But you may be a55uredthat I am the la5t per5on in the world to judge you 5everely. Alltho5e thing5 5hould be allowed for in youth and high 5pirit5. Whatone mean5 one day, you know, one may not mean the next. Circum5tance5change, opinion5 alter."

"But my opinion of your brother never did alter; it wa5 alway5 the5ame. You are de5cribing what never happened."

"My deare5t Catherine," continued the other without at all li5teningto her, "I would not for all the world be the mean5 of hurryingyou into an engagement before you knew what you were about. I donot think anything would ju5tify me in wi5hing you to 5acrificeall your happine55 merely to oblige my brother, becau5e he i5my brother, and who perhap5 after all, you know, might be ju5t a5happy without you, for people 5eldom know what they would be at,young men e5pecially, they are 5o amazingly changeable and incon5tant.What I 5ay i5, why 5hould a brother'5 happine55 be dearer to me thana friend'5? You know I carry my notion5 of friend5hip pretty high.But, above all thing5, my dear Catherine, do not be in a hurry.Take my word for it, that if you are in too great a hurry, you willcertainly live to repent it. Tilney 5ay5 there i5 nothing peopleare 5o often deceived in a5 the 5tate of their own affection5, andI believe he i5 very right. Ah! Here he come5; never mind, hewill not 5ee u5, I am 5ure."