第76章 (2/2)

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rs my junior,was left to the guardianship of my mother's nephew, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and myself.About a year ago, she was taken from school, and an establishment formed for her in London; and last summer she went with the lady who presided over it, to Ramsgate; and thither also went Mr. Wickham,undoubtedly by design; for there proved to have been a prior acquaintance between him and Mrs.Younge,in whose character we were most unhappily deceived;and by her connivance and aid, he so far recommended himself to Georgiana,whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of his kindness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself in love, and to consent to an elopement.She was then but fifteen,which must be her excuse;and after stating her imprudence,I am happy to add, that I owed the knowledge of it to herself. I joined them unexpectedly a day or two before the intended elopement, and then Georgiana, unable to support the idea of grieving and offending a brother whom she almost looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to me.You may imagine what I felt and how I acted.Regard for my sister's credit and feelings prevented any public exposure;but I wrote to Mr.Wickham,who left the place immediately,and Mrs.Younge was of course removed from her charge. Mr.Wickham's chief object was unquestionably my sister's fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds; but I cannot help supposing that the hope of revenging himself on me was a strong inducement. His revenge would have been complete indeed.

    “This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false,you will,I hope,acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr.Wickham.I know not in what manner,under what form of falsehood he had imposed on you;but his success is not perhaps to be wondered at. Ignorant as you previously were of everything concerning either, detection could not be in your power,and suspicion certainly not in your inclination.

    “You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you last night; but I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed.For the truth of everything here related,I can appeal more particularly to the testimony of Colonel Fitzwilliam,who,from our near relationship and constant intimacy, and, still more, as one of the executors of my father's will, has been unavoidably acquainted with every particular of these transactions. If your abhorrence of me should make my assertions valueless,you cannot be prevented by the same cause from confiding in my cousin;and that there may be the possibility of consulting him,I shall endeavour to find some opportunity of putting this letter in your hands in the course of the morning.I will only add,God bless you.