Page:Advice to young ladies on their duties and conduct in life - Arthur - 1849.djvu/97

Rh to give any authority for what she had said. But Emily mildly argued with her on the folly of this, and, in extenuation of what she had done, assured her, that, if she herself had been the subject of the remarks in question, she would have felt it to be equally her duty to apprize her of the injury she was suffering. But Ellen could not see the matter in any better light than as a betrayal of confidence on the part of Emily. The result was, that, on tracing the charge made to the person given as her authority by Ellen, more than half of the averments of Ellen were denied, and a very different version of the whole story given, by which it was clear that she had added nearly all of the offensive matter; not as sheer fabrications, but as inferences from what had been said. It seems she has not forgiven Emily for honestly putting it into the power of an innocent person to vindicate herself from injurious charges, but has as grossly misrepresented and injured her, as she did the person whom Emily warned of the evil things said against her. You can now judge how far Emily R is to be condemned as a tattler on the testimony of Ellen B.”

“Clearly enough,” replied the lady, with some warmth of manner. “I must at once renew my acquaintance with Emily. As for the other, on