Let me implore you then to listen to her, and be guided by her advice.
Pray believe, dearest Emily, that I am now, as ever, your most affectionate husband, and that I have no wish so strong as that we should not be compelled to part.
LOUIS TREVELYAN.
This epistle was, in many respects, a very injudicious composition.
Trevelyan should have trusted either to the eloquence of his own written words, or to that of the ambassador whom he was about to despatch; but by sending both he weakened both.

And then there were certain words in the letter which were odious to Mrs.Trevelyan, and must have been odious to any young wife.

He had said that he did not "as yet" suspect her of having done anything wrong.

And then, when he endeavoured to explain to her that a separation would be very injurious to herself, he had coupled her sister with her, thus seeming to imply that the injury to be avoided was of a material kind.

She had better do what he told her, as, otherwise, she and her sister would not have a roof over their head! That was the nature of the threat which his words were supposed to convey.
The matter had become so serious, that Mrs.Trevelyan, haughty and stiff-necked as she was, did not dare to abstain from showing the letter to her sister.