Hobson in the light the most disadvantageous
to Ethel Newcome. A young nobleman--with grief and pain Ethel's aunt must
own the fact--a young man of notoriously dissipated habits but of great
wealth and rank, had been pursued by the unhappy Lady Kew--Mrs. Hobson
would not say by her niece, that were too dreadful--had been pursued, and
followed, and hunted down in the most notorious manner, and finally made
to propose! Let Ethel's conduct and punishment be a warning to my dearest
girls, and let them bless Heaven they have parents who are not worldly!
After all the trouble and pains, Mrs. Hobson did not say disgrace, the
Marquis takes the very first pretext to break off the match, and leaves
the unfortunate girl for ever!
And now we have to tell of the hardest blow which fell upon poor Ethel,
and this was that her good uncle Thomas Newcome believed the charges
against her. He was willing enough to listen now to anything which was
said against that branch of the family. With such a traitor,
double-dealer, dastard as Barnes at its head, what could the rest of the
race be? When the Colonel offered to endow Ethel and Clive with every
shilling he had in the world, had not Barnes, the arch-traitor,
temporised and told him falsehoods, and hesitated about throwing him off
until the Marquis had declared himself? Yes.
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