Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Amelia And not to be finished ever, without advice from me! Opie I had almost given it up. Amelia Give up that adorable creature? Nothing I ever saw in all this world ... of all the little I have seen! — that did not disappoint me, but two things. Guess. Mrs. Inchbald What then? Amelia The Cumberland lakes; and Mary Wollstone- craft! ' Mrs. Inchbald But why do you still call her Mary Wollstone- craft? Amelia Mrs. Imlay, if you will, then. (Reenter Tom with preparations for the tea- table. Mrs. Inchbald crosses him, laughing.) Mrs. Inchbald (to Tom) Peter, my fan! My fan, Peter!' You had no fan, ma'am, that I know of. (motioning Tom away, smilingly) Ladies, you are her friends, are you not? I could beg you, be true to her in this. She is the truest- hearted champion you ever had. Mrs. Inchbald — It will be so useful to remember that, dear Opie; when I need a champion. Do go on. She was sitting for me: I had begged it. And I began this. But I cannot go on with it, till her face and her heart are . . . further from that shadow. Mrs. Inchbald What shadow?.. . Oh, Mr. Imlay's shadow. (doggedly) Yes, Imlay. Mrs. Inchbald So recent a widow! Her history is full of sorrow, madam; personal grief and disaster coming close upon the dire scene of the revolution in France; where — as you must have heard, she met Mr. Imlay . . . Mrs. Inchbald Yes, we've all heard that. And a Republican marriage it was, no doubt, if any. Amelia Of course. As an Englishwoman her life would have been in danger — but Mr. Imlay was from America. Was he not? Yes. He had even fought in Washington's army. — He matters nothing now. — The point is only that she wrecked her hope and happiness upon a rock. She was a high-hearted woman... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.