12 MAY-FAIR DAY AND

For awhile Joanna obeyed, but presently she began
to perceive that the unhappy and distressful state of
her sister’s mind was aggravated by these interviews.
Dorothy was no longer open towards her; there was
a coldness and a reserve which she could not pene-
trate, which only increased her silence. Light,
however, broke in, when the mother and sister,
having, as they thought, discharged their duty to
Dorothy, began to speak plainly to Joanna—she was
not doing her duty either to her sister or herself, thus
humouring her like a child ; a degree of firmness, and
even severity, was requisite. Dorothy must learn to
submit ; and when it pleases God to afflict us, said
they, we must not stand in the way of other people's
happiness with our whims and fancies. Leonard was
willing to have Dorothy, and to him she ought to go ;
a quiet country place would furnish her with the best
home: Leonard had said that he would have a girl
to wait upon her; what did she want more? and
then Joanna must remember that she was not using
Allen well; he had had his house ready these two
months, and how long did she mean to keep him
waiting? If Allen had not told her himself, they
would do so, that he was tired of all this waiting and
waiting, and he had no notion of anything but
Dorothy's going at once to her brother's, and submit-
ting to her afflictions as any good Christian ought to
do; and as Leonard, who was so good a man and
preacher, would soon teach her, &c., &c., &c. !

Joanna said but little in reply, but sent over to
Lichfield, to request an interview with her lover.
He came ; and, as plain speaking had begun, it was
soon evident that he held the same opinions as his —
family—perhaps, indeed, that they had been employed