Oh, Mary! my pure-hearted, angel cousin, how much of my present happiness I owe to you.

Suppose you had suffered me to wander on in the maze of darkness.
At this moment I should have been a desolate, deluded, miserable nun; clinging to a religion which, instead of Bible truths, filled the anxious, aching heart with monkish legends of unattested miracles, and in place of the pure worship of God, gives us mummeries nearer akin to pagan rites! I thank God that I am released from my thraldom.

I see now the tissue of falsehood so plausible in which all things were wrapped.

Blackness and deceit in the garb of truth and purity! And it is horrible, to think that he who so led me astray claims to be my brother! Mary, Mary, how can I tell Mr.Stewart this ?--tell him that I have wandered from the true faith--that I have knelt in confession to him who cursed our common father! He will despise me for my weakness: for only yesterday he said he first loved me for my clear insight into right and wrong, and my scorn of deceit and hypocrisy! Yet I deceived you; at least, tacitly--you who have ever loved me so truly, you who have saved me at last, and pointed out the road to heaven.

Mary, forgive me! I never asked pardon of any on earth before, but I wronged you, good and gentle though you always were.