Had not Lilla's spirits been naturally elastic, they must have bent beneath these continued and painful trials; her young heart often felt breaking, but the sense of religion, the excellent principles instilled both by Mrs.Douglas and Mrs.Hamilton now had their full effect, and sustained her amidst all.

She never wavered in her duty to her father; she never complained even in her letters to her dearest and most confidential friends.
"Have you thought on the subject we spoke of last night, Lilla ?" asked her father, entering suddenly, and seating himself gloomily on a chair some paces from her.

His daughter started as she saw him, for the first tone of his voice betrayed he was more than usually irritable and gloomy.
"Yes, father, I have," she replied, somewhat timidly.
"And what is your answer ?" "I fear you will be displeased, my dear father; but indeed I cannot answer differently to last night." "You are still resolved then to refuse Philip Clapperton ?" Lilla was silent.
"And pray may I ask the cause of your fastidiousness, Miss Grahame?
Your burst of tears last night made a very pretty scene no doubt, but they gave me no proper answer." "It is not only that I cannot love Mr.Clapperton, father, but I cannot respect him." "And pray why not?
I tell you, Lilla, blunt, even coarse, if you like, as he is, unpolished, hasty, yet he has a better heart by far than many of those more elegant and attractive sprigs of nobility, amongst which perhaps your romantic fancy has wandered, as being the only husbands fitted for you." "You do me injustice, father.

I have never indulged in such romantic visions, but I cannot willingly unite my fate with one in whom I see no fixed principle of action--one who owns no guide but pleasure.

His heart may be good, I doubt it not; but I cannot respect one who spends his whole life in fox-hunting, drinking, and all the pleasures peculiar to the members of country clubs." "In other words, a plain, honest-speaking, English gentleman is not fine enough for you.