Languages & literature > Man of feeling

ro8 THE MAN OF FEELING;
“ I could contain rayfelf no longer.
Wretch, I exclaimed, doit thou imagine
that my father’s heart could brook de-,
pendance on the deitroyer of his child?
and tamely accept of a bafe equivalent
for her honour and his own!” “ Honour,
my Emily, faid he, is the word of fools
or of thofe wffer men who cheat them
It is a fantaflic bauble that does not fui^
the gravity of your father’s age ; but^
whatever it is, I am afraid it can never
be perfedly restored to you : exchange
the word then, and let pleafure be your
objed now.” At thefe words he clafped
fne in his arms, and preffed his lips rude¬
ly to my bofom. I flatted from my feat,
“ Perfidious villain! faid 1, who dareft in_
fult the weaknefs thou haft undone ; were
that father here, thy coward foul would
fhrink from the vengeance of his honour!
Curd be that wretch who has deprived
him of it! oh! doubly curd, who has
dragged on his hoary head the infamy
which