5/11 Don't be foolhardy enough to put any one on the scent of them." "Don't be troubled about that. I have sacrificed too much in gaining the wealth desired ever to hold it with a careless or relaxing grasp. And yet its mere possession brings not the repose of mind, the sense of independence, that were so pleasingly foreshadowed. I want a companion; and there is only one, in the wide world, who can be to me what I desire." "Fanny Markland ?" "Yes." "You wish to make her your wife ?" "She is too pure to be happy in any other relation. Yes; I wish to gain her for my bride." "A thing more difficult than you imagine." "The task may be difficult; but, I will not believe, impossible." "And it is in this matter you desire my service ?" "Yes." "I am ready. |