Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/195



next day, the first opportunity Camilla had of being alone with David, on his desire she proceeded as follows

"Valentine was now all the comfort I had left me; his passions were either not so strong, or his resolutions stronger; for he bore up much better than I did, although I found his sentiments were the same with mine. We were always together, from which Livia possessed my father with an opinion that we were making parties in the house against them, I was so altered with the continual uneasiness of my mind, that no one would have known me. This, which was owing to my tender regret for the loss of a parent's love, was imputed I to rancour and malice; thus my very grief was turned to my disadvantage. My father, whose nature was open and generous, was, as it were, intoxicated by his passion for this woman; and grew, like her, suspicious of everything around him. She soon perceived the success of her pernicious designs, and omitted no pains, nor no falsehoods, to improve it. In short, was I to tell you all the little arts she used to make us miserable, to impose on the man who doated on her to distraction, and in the end to ruin herself, it would fill volumes, and tire your patience. Whenever she had laid any extravagant scheme to spend money, she never directly proposed it, but only gave a hint that it would be agreeable to her. If it happened to be a thing her husband thought very unreasonable, and he did not catch