Innocence so triumphant:  villany so debased, they must mean!

Unawares to myself, I had moved onward to my angel—­’And dost thou, dost thou, still disclaiming, still advancing—­dost thou, dost thou, still insidiously move towards me?’—­[And her hand was extended] ’I dare—­I dare—­not rashly neither—­my heart from principle abhors the act, which thou makest necessary!—­God, in thy mercy! [lifting up her eyes and hands] God, in thy mercy!’

I threw myself to the farther end of the room.  An ejaculation, a silent ejaculation, employing her thoughts that moment; Polly says the whites of her lovely eyes were only visible:  and, in the instant that she extended her hand, assuredly to strike the fatal blow, [how the very recital terrifies me!] she cast her eye towards me, and saw me at the utmost distance the room would allow, and heard my broken voice—­my voice was utterly broken; nor knew I what I said, or whether to the purpose or not —­and her charming cheeks, that were all in a glow before, turned pale, as if terrified at her own purpose; and lifting up her eyes—­’Thank God! —­thank God! said the angel—­delivered for the present; for the present delivered—­from myself—­keep, Sir, that distance;’ [looking down towards me, who was prostrate on the floor, my heart pierced, as with an hundred daggers;] ’that distance has saved a life; to what reserved, the Almighty only knows!’—­

To be happy, Madam; and to make happy!—­And, O let me hope for your favour for to-morrow—­I will put off my journey till then—­and may God—­

Swear not, Sir!—­with an awful and piercing aspect—­you have too often sworn!—­God’s eye is upon us!—­His more immediate eye; and looked wildly.  —­But the women looked up to the ceiling, as if afraid of God’s eye, and trembled.  And well they might, and I too, who so very lately had each of us the devil in our hearts.

If not to-morrow, Madam, say but next Thursday, your uncle’s birth-day; say but next Thursday!

’This I say, of this you may assure yourself, I never, never will be your’s.—­And let me hope, that I may be entitled to the performance of your promise, to be permitted to leave this innocent house, as one called it, (but long have my ears been accustomed to such inversions of words), as soon as the day breaks.’

Did my perdition depend upon it, that you cannot, Madam, but upon terms.  And I hope you will not terrify me—­still dreading the accursed knife.

’Nothing less than an attempt upon my honour shall make me desperate.  I have no view but to defend my honour:  with such a view only I entered into treaty with your infamous agent below.  The resolution you have seen, I trust, God will give me again, upon the same occasion.  But for a less, I wish not for it.—­Only take notice, women, that I am no wife of this man:  basely as he has used me, I am not his wife.  He has no authority over me.  If he go away by-and-by, and you act by his authority to detain me, look to it.’