Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 452 | Page 3

lately returned
from the colonies, and had come, as in duty bound, to waste ten days or
a fortnight of his three months' leave in the dull home of his ancestors.
As he was an extremely handsome, fashionable-looking youth, Frances,
when she went down to dinner, felt quite revived by the sight of him.
Here was something to dress for, and something to sing to; and
although the young lieutenant's conversation was not a whit above the
usual standard of his class, it appeared lively and witty when compared
with that of his parents. His small colonial experiences were more
interesting than Mrs Dunbar's domestic ones; and his account of a tiger
hunt more exciting than his father's history of the run he had had after a
fox. Frances was an equally welcome resource to him. Here was an
opportunity, quite unexpected, of displaying his most fashionable ties
and most splendid waistcoats; here was a listener for his best stories,
and one who did not repay him in kind, as his father did; and here were
a pair of bright eyes, that always looked brighter at his approach; and a
pair of pretty lips, that pouted when he talked of going away to fulfil an
engagement he had made to meet some friends at Brighton.
As was to be expected, under circumstances so propitious, the young
man fell in love--as much in love as he could be with anybody but
himself; whilst his parents did not neglect to hint, that he could not do
better than prosecute a suit which the young lady's evident partiality
justified. Pleased with the prospect of their son's making so good a

match, they even ventured one day a dull jest on the subject in the
presence of Frances--a jest which, heavy as it was, aroused her to
reflection. Flirting with a man, and angling for his admiration, is one
thing; loving and marrying him, is another. For the first, Vincent
Dunbar answered exceedingly well; but for the second, he was wholly
unfit. In spite of her little weaknesses, Frances had too much sense not
to see that the young lieutenant was an empty-headed coxcomb, and not
at all the man with whom she hoped to spend her years of
discretion--when she arrived at them--after an ample enjoyment of the
delights that youth, beauty, and wealth are calculated to procure their
possessor. Her eyes were opened, in short; and the ordinary effect of
this sort of awakening from an unworthy penchant--for attachment it
could not be called--ensued: the temporary liking changed into aversion,
and the attentions that had flattered her before became hateful. In
accordance with this new state of her feelings, she resolved to alter her
behaviour, in order to dissipate as quickly as possible the erroneous
impression of the family; whilst, at the same time, she privately made
arrangements for cutting short her visit, and anticipating the period of
her removal to the house of Mrs Gaskoin, betwixt whom and the
Dunbars the interval of her friends' absence in Russia was to be divided.
In spite of her stratagem, however, she did not escape what she
apprehended. Vincent's leave had nearly expired too; and when the
moment approached that was to separate them, he seized an opportunity
of making his proposals.
There is scarcely a woman to be met with in society, who does not
know, from experience, what a painful thing it is to crush the hopes of a
man who is paying her the high compliment of wishing to place the
happiness of his life in her keeping; and when to this source of
embarrassment is added the consciousness of having culpably raised
expectations that she shrinks from realising, the situation becomes
doubly distressing. On the present occasion, agitated, ashamed, and
confused, Frances, instead of honestly avowing her fault, which would
have been the safest thing to do, had recourse to a subterfuge; she
answered, that she had been betrothed by her father to the son of his
dearest friend, and that she was not free to form any other engagement.
Of course, Vincent pleaded that such a contract could not be binding on

her; but as, whilst she declared her determination to adhere to it, she
forbore to add, that were she at liberty his position would not be
improved, the young man and his family remained under the persuasion,
that this premature engagement was the only bar to his happiness; and
with this impression, which she allowed him to retain, because it spared
him and herself pain, he returned to his regiment, whilst she, as
speedily as she could, decamped to her next quarters, armed with a
thousand good resolutions never again to bring herself into such an
unpleasant dilemma.
Mrs Gaskoin's was a different sort of house to the Dunbars'.