72
INNOCENCE
JUSTIFIED,
Mrs.
Mrs.
Childrens - Tales of the Hermitage
'?
.
.
--r.
t" -.
* '. 'From the moment Mrs. 'CavendiPa
o adopted
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? 62 INNOCEtfCE JUSTIFIED,
adopted the little Fekin, Mrs. Roper
became restless and dissatisfied, and with
much difficulty refrained from expres-
sing her disapprobation even before her
sister ; but this restraint was amply com-.
pensated for, in her absence, and Char-
lotte was taught {o consider Pekin as an
absolute obstacle to her happiness and
her interest. Mrs. Roper would be con-
tinually seizing all her acquaintance
with accounts of her own. misfortunes,
or ill-founded complaints of: her sister's
injustice, in giving away property which
ought to belong to her and Charlotte, to
a good-for-nothing, worthless, lUtle va-
gabond, who she knew would requite all
her kindness with scorn,artifice, and in-
gratitude t every body knows (she would
fay) what a horrid set of creatures the
Chinese are; that they live by cheating,
plundering, and theft \ and that little
wretch
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? AND ART DETECTED. 63
wretch has already given proofs pf its
national depravity.
Although this was the general tenour
of Mrs. Roper's conversation when ihf
was not in her sister's company, yet when
she was, Pekin was the sweetest of all
sweet creatures, and Mrs. Cavendish the
most amiable of women. --Charlotte was
not of age to be an adept in hypocrisy,
and the refore she testisied her real dis?
like by a thousand ill-natured, spiteful
tricks, which poor little Pekin submit-
ted to in silence, without murmur or
complaint; for, notwithstanding Mrs.
Roper's malignant assertions, it was im-
possible to find. . a child more completely
agreeable. . .
9 * FART
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? 64 INNOCENCE. JUSTIFIED,
PART THE SECOND. .
A S this beautiful, amiable, and inte-
resting girl, advanced. in years, Mrs*
Roper had the mortification of perceiv^
ing that Mrs. Cavendish's asfection in-
creased, and that her own child seemed
darrf to lose ground-in her good ops-'
riibnV The truth was, Mrs. Cavendish
had discovered iii her niece's temper ani
inclination both to" jealousy and envy, and
a littleness of mfnd that was capable of
stooping to any meanness, which les-
sened her regard, and decreased her
esteem.
It was Mrs. Cavendish's wish to give
her little pretegee such an education as
v would
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? ART. DETECTEq. #5
"i . ~.
\you}d enable her t. o undertake the in-
struction of young ladies, and in the
capacity of private goyerness render
herself both useful and respectable, arid*
therefore, ihe took lessons from the fame
masters, and received the fame atten-
tjons from them, as Matilda and Char-
lotte did, Th^s circumstance was aX,
once pleasing to Marijda, and painful to
Charlotte, whose inveteracy against Pe-
kjn was increased by the encomiums
which were bellowed upon her, and
who, finding herself unable to injure her
in Mrs. Cavendith's opinion by ill-na-
tured hints and jly suggestions, was at
length resolved upon her ruin by the
practice of manoeuvres which were as
deeply laid, as they were iniquitoufly
designed. .
At the back of Mrs. CaveiustsiVs
house was an excellent garden, which 03 was
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? 66 INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
was abundantly stocked with every kind
of wall? fruit--this fruit Mrs. Caven-
dish was particularly choice of, for the
- pleasure of presenting to such of her
friends as were not accommodated with
the convenience. of a wall.
Charlotte upon perceiving her aunt's
desire to preserve the fruit, was resolved
to defeat it, and watched her opportu-
nity of going . into the garden with such
admirable nicety, that she contrived to
twitch three or four peaches and necta-
rines from the trees every time she en-
tered it, the stone of which she always
placed at the bottom of a little box
which Fekin kept in her own bed-room.
For some days Mrs. Cavendish ima-
gined the trees were thinner without be-
ing positive as to the circumstance \ at
length she resolved to count the fruit
without mentioning her suspicion to a
single
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? AND ART DETECTED. ' 67
single soul. The next morning The
walked into the garden and'discovered.
that eleven of the finest peaches. were nA(. >'
sing--Matilda and Pekin, Mrs. Roper
and Charlotte were all at work JwHHS't
drawing-room when Mrs. Cavendish
entered, and expressed her vexation at
the circumstance, and her wish to dis-\
cover the person who had been guilty of .
such disgraceful conduct. - '. ""
" I thought Pekin," said Charlotte,
" you codd not eat all those peaches and'
neclarlnes, which I have seen you gather,
without being discovered; and had I
not known that my cousin would have';
called me tell-tale, I would have called'
my aunt to look at you the first time I
saw you take them. "
" Saw me take peaches ! Miss Roper/*
said the child, evidently embarrassed a*'
the boldness of the charge. ** I declare
upon
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? 6S INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
upon my honour 1 have never touched a
peach this year but what Mrs. Cavendish
was so kind to give me. " ; . , . .
" Yes," replied Charlotte, " I saw
you take peaches and netlarines too, if that's .
English ; and saw you carry them up<
flairs in your bed-room--? what say you
to that, Miss Honesty ? Can you deny
that? " , J
<< Tes, that I can," said Pekin, burst-
ing into tears, 'f* artd wonder how you
can be so wicked as to say such a thing. ''
" What do you mean j you little pre. .
sumptuous vagabond," exclaimed Mrs.
Roper, " by daring to accuse my daugh-
ter of uttering an untruth ? \ thought
how my sister would be requited for her
generosity, for the whole tribe of your
countrymen all are thieves and fwind-
<< My dear Mrs. Roper," said Mrs,
",'. . '. Caven-
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? . AND ART DETECTED.
Cavendish, " that little girl is under my
protection, and I can neither susfer her
to be insulted nor oppressed ; if (he be\
taken the peaches, she has been. guihy of
a very great fault, and I am* the person
to judge of the proper mode of punish-
ing it ; but I am inclined to think my
niece must be mistaken. "
" Oh, indeed. Aunt, I am not mis-
taken," replied Charlotte, " for I met
her eating one up stairs, and saw the
juice quite run down to her fingers'
ends. '*" l. '. . >>" - '.
. v Suppose," said Mrs; Roper, " you
were to go up frail's, sister ;rmost likely
the stones might yet be remaining eitHeV
in her drawers or boxes. 1 ch I \f ,m )? tt
Mrs. Cavendish followed the advice,
and returned in five rnihntes, with no*
less than f6rty stoaes. belonging to peaches
and nectarines. i\~*', * . '. * --'<i <"*
1 Pekin
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? JO INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
Pekin coloured like scarlet, and, in a
tremulous voice, said, <<< You did not
find those in my room, Ma'am. "
" Yes," replied Mrs. Cavendish, "tut
J did; and I must confes. , that I should
as loon have expected to have found a
dagger there: indeed, Pekin, this con-
duct of yours has wounded my peace,
' destroyed my hopes, and sapped the very
foundation of my frieodjbip. The tak-
ing the fruit I could very easily have
forgiven; but to assert an untruth with
all that calmness of asfected innocence,
is what I could not have expected, and
what I am resolved mt ta forgive;
therefore, go this instant to your apart-
jnent, and do not let me fee you until
my feelings are less exasperated, and my
anger more subdued. "
Fearful of offending, by presuming
to plead for mercy, the agitated Pekin
left
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? AND ART DETECTED. 71
test the room, and in an agony of Sr>ef
retired to her own apartment Matilda
was not suffered to go near her ftiend;
and hail not the servants who carried up
her fcod informed their mistress that
scarcely any part of it was eaten,, and
that the little prisoner was overwhelmed
. with grief, her confinement would have
been protracted much beyond three days;
but the apprehension of her making her-
self ill induced Mrs. Cavendish to for-
give the fault, and Charlotte had the
mortification of seeing her restored to
favour.
Mrs. Roper, who bad been accessary
to the scheme, was heartily vexed at its
ill success; yet botti Charlotte and her.
self were resolved to attempt another,
which, though more hazardous, was
Jikely to be attended with more certain
consequences. . . >>
Mrs.
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?
72 INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
Mrs. Cavendish was particularly par-
tial to a small miniature of her late hus-
band's, which was set as a bracelet, and
was kept in a small box that was opened
by a spring-lock, and stood upon her
dressing-table. This box she made a
. point of never opening in the presence
of the servants, but all the children
were acquainted with the secret spririg;
Charlotte, therefore, resolved to make
herself mistress of this valuable treasure,
and disclosing her intention to an igno-
rant girl, who had formerly lived ser-
vant with Mrs. Roper, and was then
^oing to London, persuaded her so sar to
Second the design as to undertake the
disposal of it; and if any questions
were asked, to say she was sent by the
little girl who lived at Mrs. Cavendish's,
and that it was a picture she had found
as she was walking by the river side.
>>". T As
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? AND ART DETECTED. . 73
As Mrs. Cavendish had never lived at
Kingston, and the girl was known to
have been servant to Mrs. Cavendish's
sister-in-law, the jeweller had no reason
to doubt the truth of the circumstance
she related; he therefore took the pic-
ture, paid a guinea down for it, and
promised another, if it was not claimed
in the course os a month, which he .
thought likely to happen, as he con-
cluded it belonged to some pqrson in the
neighbourhood, and would be adver-
tised.
As Mrs. Cavendish never wore the
-bracelet but when she was particularly
dressed, a fortnight elapsed after it was
fold before the lpfs was discovered, and
Charlotte's patience began to be almost
exhausted. . At length the wished-for.
day arrived which was ta hurl deilruc-.
tion upon the object of her hatred, and
u give
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? J4. INKOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
give her the delightful satissaction of be-
holding the ruin of one towards whom
she felt a most unconquerable aversion.
Mrs. Cavendish's astonishment, at
opening the box, and not perceiving
the valued treasure, was excessive; but
conceiving the bracelet could not be
lost, she imagined she must have put it
away with some other part of her dress.
Drawers, boxes, and cabinets, were
searched in vain; and then her vexation
amounted to absolute uneasiness. She
perfectly recollected having taken it osf
when she returned home from paying
her last visit; and the more she reflected
upon the singularity of the circum-
stance, the more she was bewildered in
doubt, suspicion, and atarm. Her ser-
vants had lived with her thirteen and
fourteen years, and their sidelity had
been frequently put to the test. Pekin
" " ' '. " i had
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? AND ART DETECTED. 75
had never but once deceived her; and
of what use could a bracelet be to a
child of her tender age ? Charlotte she
believed to be capable of a thousand jlj
tricks, but then some interested motive
actuated their practice.
Not knowing how to act, and com-
pletely mortified at the loss of what she
considered so very estimable, Mrs. Ca-
vendish at length resolved to have it
cried, conceiving she might be mistaken
in her opinion of having had it after
her return from Mr. Fowler's, and
that it might have been dropped in the
way home,
The jeweller was standing at the shop
door as the crier announced the loss, and
described the manner in which the pic-
ture was painted, and the form in which
it was set. Examining the one he had
purchased, and perceiving that it ex-
h a actly
'r .
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? INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
actly corresponded with the crier's de-
scription, he immediately informed him
of the manner in which he had obtained
it, and both expressed their suspicion of
Pekin's distionesty, as they justly observed,
she could not have lived ten years in
Mrs. Cavendisli's house, without know-
ing the picture was her property.
The jeweller and the crier agreed to
go together, and inform Mrs. Caven-
dish by what means the picture had come
into the possession of the former, and
request a reimbursement of the guinea
he hadx paid, in addition to the reward
proclaimed by the crier;
Mrs. Cavendish and Matilda were
just gone out to pay a morning visit,'
when the men arrived; but Mrs. ^loper
and her daughter were sitting in the par-
lour, and saw them pass the window.
" There's the crier and Mr. Martin
. have
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? AND ART DETECTED. 77
have both rung at the gate together," ex-
claimed Mrs. Roper, " and I'll lay my
life we shall hear some tidings of the
bracelet. "
>> / hope we /hall, I'm sure," said Pe-
kin; "for it will make my dear god-
mama very happy. " And so saying, she
was going to run out of the room, to in-
quire whether their expectations were
likely to be realized.
** Stop, you little forward chit," said
Mrs. Roper, catching her by the shoul-
der, and pushing her with violence to
the other end of the room, " I believe
I am as muph interested in your dear
GODMama's property as you are, arid
much more capable of evincing it. "--
So saying, she bounced out of the room,
leaving the child petrified with astonish-
ment and drowned in tears, whilst Char-
lotte fat maliciously smiling at the suc-
h 3 cess
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? 78
INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
cess of her invention, and the accom-
plishment of her scheme.
In less than five minutes Mrs. Roper
re-entered, followed by the jeweller and
the crier, and in a voice half choked
with rage, exclaimed -- <<< You vile,
wicked, ungrateful hujsey ! is this the way
you requite my poor sister's kindness ?
What! rob her of the most valuable
thing she possessed on earth, and then,
. with the art and hypocrisy of an old of-
fender, pretend to be going out to in-
quire after the very. thing you knew you
had first stolen, and then sold! but 1 see
through your tricks, yog baggage, I
do: you was fearful your countenance
. would betray your guilt, and you "wished
to get out of the room to hide it. But
. where is the guinea you received from
Mr. Martin ? Give. that to me , this
moment, you abandoned, wichd huffeyT'
Whilst
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? AND ART DETECTED. 79
Whilst Mrs. Roper was uttering this
volley of abuse, the unfortunate child '
had involuntarily dropped upon her
knees; and the moment that lady ceased
speaking, she protested her innocence of
the crime that was alledged against her
with all the eloquence that conscious recli-
tude could inspire.
" Come, come, child," said Mr.
Martin, " don't add the sin of lying
to those y^u have already committed;
but confess what you have done with the
money, and likewise what induced you
to commit such a wicked action. "
" Aye, aye, come, Pekin, (for I sup-
pose one need not be very nice, and Miss
you over"J said the crier; " be a good
girl, and tell the whole truth to Ma-
dam, and mayhap that may make her
plead for you to Madam Cavendish;
for you are but a young thing,. God
knows;
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? 8o 1 INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
knows; and that makes one feel some
sort of marcy for you: but if you once
comes to be obstinate, and parsiji in lying,
why then you'll have no friend to spake a
kind word for you. "
" Indeed--indeed," replied poor Pe-
kin, almost susfocated with the violence
of her grief, " I know no more about
the picture than you do; and as to a
guinea, I never had such a thing in my
life. Oh pray, dear gentlenjen," she
continued,"<<<< pray don't let my god-
mama think so hardly of me. Oh ! I
shall die, if she thinks I could do such
a wicked thing. "
" Thinks! " exclaimed Mrs. Roper,
" she shall more than think, I assure
you, for slie shall know it this moment,
I promise you;--yes, and your friend
Mrs. Fowler, and all the town Jhall
know /V. " So faying, she turned towards
the
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? AND ART DETECTED. 8l
the door, with an intent of putting her
threats into execution.
Frantic -with terror, and agonised
with dread, the wretched suppliant
caught her by the gown, and in the most
moving accents besought her pity. It
was with the greatest difficulty that her
hands were separated from Mrs. Ro-
per's drapery, (w\\o, the moment she felt
herself at liberty, ran out of the room,
desiring the crier to remain there, and
watch the little wretch. . . . . . . .
Mrs. Cavendish was just informing
Mrs. Fowler of an amiable trait in her
god-daughter's conduct, when Mrs.
Roper entered, and in a tone of mani-
fest pleasure and exultation exclaimed--
" Well, Jifter! I believe you allow I
am a true prophetess! --A fine kettle of
fish this is! but, however, 'tis only what
I have long expected--long expected, J af~
4 (un
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? 8a INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
sure you, Mrs. fowler," said she, turn-
ing, and addressing herself to that lady :
and she then related the whole circum-
stance with such exaggerations as she
thought most calculated to call forth her
sister's indignation.
Mrs. Cavendish listened to the recital
with a mixture of pain, regret, and
astonishment, whilst poor Matilda burst
into an agony of tears, and besought her
mama not to condemn poor Pekin,
without allowing her an opportunity of
endeavouring to exculpate herself.
" That she can never do, my beloved
girl," replied Mrs. Cavendish ; " the
circumstances are too strong against her :
and I would really spare myself the
mortification of beholding her contri-
tion and remorse, because an action of
tins kind proves to me they would not
be permanent. Poor lost child! " she
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? AND ART DETECTED. 83
continued, " I declare I am more dis-
tressed at the idea of what a dreadful
end she must come to, than I am at my
own disappointment. What to do with
her I know not; and it will require
sometime for me to reflect upon the best
method to adopt. In my house she must
not Jlay, even until I have resolved upon
her future destination"
" Let her come tome" said Mrs. Ro-
per ; " for though the idea of opening
my doors to a confirmed thief, is not the
pleasantest thing in the world, yet to^
oblige you, my dearest sister, I would
submit to any inconvenience"
" You are very good" replied Mrs.
Cavendilh ; " but I know Charlotte's
aversion to the poor child too well to al-
low her an opportunity of insulting her;
for though she is fallen, (he must not be N
trampled upon. '"
" I will
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* '. 'From the moment Mrs. 'CavendiPa
o adopted
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? 62 INNOCEtfCE JUSTIFIED,
adopted the little Fekin, Mrs. Roper
became restless and dissatisfied, and with
much difficulty refrained from expres-
sing her disapprobation even before her
sister ; but this restraint was amply com-.
pensated for, in her absence, and Char-
lotte was taught {o consider Pekin as an
absolute obstacle to her happiness and
her interest. Mrs. Roper would be con-
tinually seizing all her acquaintance
with accounts of her own. misfortunes,
or ill-founded complaints of: her sister's
injustice, in giving away property which
ought to belong to her and Charlotte, to
a good-for-nothing, worthless, lUtle va-
gabond, who she knew would requite all
her kindness with scorn,artifice, and in-
gratitude t every body knows (she would
fay) what a horrid set of creatures the
Chinese are; that they live by cheating,
plundering, and theft \ and that little
wretch
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? AND ART DETECTED. 63
wretch has already given proofs pf its
national depravity.
Although this was the general tenour
of Mrs. Roper's conversation when ihf
was not in her sister's company, yet when
she was, Pekin was the sweetest of all
sweet creatures, and Mrs. Cavendish the
most amiable of women. --Charlotte was
not of age to be an adept in hypocrisy,
and the refore she testisied her real dis?
like by a thousand ill-natured, spiteful
tricks, which poor little Pekin submit-
ted to in silence, without murmur or
complaint; for, notwithstanding Mrs.
Roper's malignant assertions, it was im-
possible to find. . a child more completely
agreeable. . .
9 * FART
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? 64 INNOCENCE. JUSTIFIED,
PART THE SECOND. .
A S this beautiful, amiable, and inte-
resting girl, advanced. in years, Mrs*
Roper had the mortification of perceiv^
ing that Mrs. Cavendish's asfection in-
creased, and that her own child seemed
darrf to lose ground-in her good ops-'
riibnV The truth was, Mrs. Cavendish
had discovered iii her niece's temper ani
inclination both to" jealousy and envy, and
a littleness of mfnd that was capable of
stooping to any meanness, which les-
sened her regard, and decreased her
esteem.
It was Mrs. Cavendish's wish to give
her little pretegee such an education as
v would
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? ART. DETECTEq. #5
"i . ~.
\you}d enable her t. o undertake the in-
struction of young ladies, and in the
capacity of private goyerness render
herself both useful and respectable, arid*
therefore, ihe took lessons from the fame
masters, and received the fame atten-
tjons from them, as Matilda and Char-
lotte did, Th^s circumstance was aX,
once pleasing to Marijda, and painful to
Charlotte, whose inveteracy against Pe-
kjn was increased by the encomiums
which were bellowed upon her, and
who, finding herself unable to injure her
in Mrs. Cavendith's opinion by ill-na-
tured hints and jly suggestions, was at
length resolved upon her ruin by the
practice of manoeuvres which were as
deeply laid, as they were iniquitoufly
designed. .
At the back of Mrs. CaveiustsiVs
house was an excellent garden, which 03 was
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? 66 INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
was abundantly stocked with every kind
of wall? fruit--this fruit Mrs. Caven-
dish was particularly choice of, for the
- pleasure of presenting to such of her
friends as were not accommodated with
the convenience. of a wall.
Charlotte upon perceiving her aunt's
desire to preserve the fruit, was resolved
to defeat it, and watched her opportu-
nity of going . into the garden with such
admirable nicety, that she contrived to
twitch three or four peaches and necta-
rines from the trees every time she en-
tered it, the stone of which she always
placed at the bottom of a little box
which Fekin kept in her own bed-room.
For some days Mrs. Cavendish ima-
gined the trees were thinner without be-
ing positive as to the circumstance \ at
length she resolved to count the fruit
without mentioning her suspicion to a
single
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? AND ART DETECTED. ' 67
single soul. The next morning The
walked into the garden and'discovered.
that eleven of the finest peaches. were nA(. >'
sing--Matilda and Pekin, Mrs. Roper
and Charlotte were all at work JwHHS't
drawing-room when Mrs. Cavendish
entered, and expressed her vexation at
the circumstance, and her wish to dis-\
cover the person who had been guilty of .
such disgraceful conduct. - '. ""
" I thought Pekin," said Charlotte,
" you codd not eat all those peaches and'
neclarlnes, which I have seen you gather,
without being discovered; and had I
not known that my cousin would have';
called me tell-tale, I would have called'
my aunt to look at you the first time I
saw you take them. "
" Saw me take peaches ! Miss Roper/*
said the child, evidently embarrassed a*'
the boldness of the charge. ** I declare
upon
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? 6S INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
upon my honour 1 have never touched a
peach this year but what Mrs. Cavendish
was so kind to give me. " ; . , . .
" Yes," replied Charlotte, " I saw
you take peaches and netlarines too, if that's .
English ; and saw you carry them up<
flairs in your bed-room--? what say you
to that, Miss Honesty ? Can you deny
that? " , J
<< Tes, that I can," said Pekin, burst-
ing into tears, 'f* artd wonder how you
can be so wicked as to say such a thing. ''
" What do you mean j you little pre. .
sumptuous vagabond," exclaimed Mrs.
Roper, " by daring to accuse my daugh-
ter of uttering an untruth ? \ thought
how my sister would be requited for her
generosity, for the whole tribe of your
countrymen all are thieves and fwind-
<< My dear Mrs. Roper," said Mrs,
",'. . '. Caven-
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? . AND ART DETECTED.
Cavendish, " that little girl is under my
protection, and I can neither susfer her
to be insulted nor oppressed ; if (he be\
taken the peaches, she has been. guihy of
a very great fault, and I am* the person
to judge of the proper mode of punish-
ing it ; but I am inclined to think my
niece must be mistaken. "
" Oh, indeed. Aunt, I am not mis-
taken," replied Charlotte, " for I met
her eating one up stairs, and saw the
juice quite run down to her fingers'
ends. '*" l. '. . >>" - '.
. v Suppose," said Mrs; Roper, " you
were to go up frail's, sister ;rmost likely
the stones might yet be remaining eitHeV
in her drawers or boxes. 1 ch I \f ,m )? tt
Mrs. Cavendish followed the advice,
and returned in five rnihntes, with no*
less than f6rty stoaes. belonging to peaches
and nectarines. i\~*', * . '. * --'<i <"*
1 Pekin
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? JO INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
Pekin coloured like scarlet, and, in a
tremulous voice, said, <<< You did not
find those in my room, Ma'am. "
" Yes," replied Mrs. Cavendish, "tut
J did; and I must confes. , that I should
as loon have expected to have found a
dagger there: indeed, Pekin, this con-
duct of yours has wounded my peace,
' destroyed my hopes, and sapped the very
foundation of my frieodjbip. The tak-
ing the fruit I could very easily have
forgiven; but to assert an untruth with
all that calmness of asfected innocence,
is what I could not have expected, and
what I am resolved mt ta forgive;
therefore, go this instant to your apart-
jnent, and do not let me fee you until
my feelings are less exasperated, and my
anger more subdued. "
Fearful of offending, by presuming
to plead for mercy, the agitated Pekin
left
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? AND ART DETECTED. 71
test the room, and in an agony of Sr>ef
retired to her own apartment Matilda
was not suffered to go near her ftiend;
and hail not the servants who carried up
her fcod informed their mistress that
scarcely any part of it was eaten,, and
that the little prisoner was overwhelmed
. with grief, her confinement would have
been protracted much beyond three days;
but the apprehension of her making her-
self ill induced Mrs. Cavendish to for-
give the fault, and Charlotte had the
mortification of seeing her restored to
favour.
Mrs. Roper, who bad been accessary
to the scheme, was heartily vexed at its
ill success; yet botti Charlotte and her.
self were resolved to attempt another,
which, though more hazardous, was
Jikely to be attended with more certain
consequences. . . >>
Mrs.
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?
72 INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
Mrs. Cavendish was particularly par-
tial to a small miniature of her late hus-
band's, which was set as a bracelet, and
was kept in a small box that was opened
by a spring-lock, and stood upon her
dressing-table. This box she made a
. point of never opening in the presence
of the servants, but all the children
were acquainted with the secret spririg;
Charlotte, therefore, resolved to make
herself mistress of this valuable treasure,
and disclosing her intention to an igno-
rant girl, who had formerly lived ser-
vant with Mrs. Roper, and was then
^oing to London, persuaded her so sar to
Second the design as to undertake the
disposal of it; and if any questions
were asked, to say she was sent by the
little girl who lived at Mrs. Cavendish's,
and that it was a picture she had found
as she was walking by the river side.
>>". T As
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? AND ART DETECTED. . 73
As Mrs. Cavendish had never lived at
Kingston, and the girl was known to
have been servant to Mrs. Cavendish's
sister-in-law, the jeweller had no reason
to doubt the truth of the circumstance
she related; he therefore took the pic-
ture, paid a guinea down for it, and
promised another, if it was not claimed
in the course os a month, which he .
thought likely to happen, as he con-
cluded it belonged to some pqrson in the
neighbourhood, and would be adver-
tised.
As Mrs. Cavendish never wore the
-bracelet but when she was particularly
dressed, a fortnight elapsed after it was
fold before the lpfs was discovered, and
Charlotte's patience began to be almost
exhausted. . At length the wished-for.
day arrived which was ta hurl deilruc-.
tion upon the object of her hatred, and
u give
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? J4. INKOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
give her the delightful satissaction of be-
holding the ruin of one towards whom
she felt a most unconquerable aversion.
Mrs. Cavendish's astonishment, at
opening the box, and not perceiving
the valued treasure, was excessive; but
conceiving the bracelet could not be
lost, she imagined she must have put it
away with some other part of her dress.
Drawers, boxes, and cabinets, were
searched in vain; and then her vexation
amounted to absolute uneasiness. She
perfectly recollected having taken it osf
when she returned home from paying
her last visit; and the more she reflected
upon the singularity of the circum-
stance, the more she was bewildered in
doubt, suspicion, and atarm. Her ser-
vants had lived with her thirteen and
fourteen years, and their sidelity had
been frequently put to the test. Pekin
" " ' '. " i had
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? AND ART DETECTED. 75
had never but once deceived her; and
of what use could a bracelet be to a
child of her tender age ? Charlotte she
believed to be capable of a thousand jlj
tricks, but then some interested motive
actuated their practice.
Not knowing how to act, and com-
pletely mortified at the loss of what she
considered so very estimable, Mrs. Ca-
vendish at length resolved to have it
cried, conceiving she might be mistaken
in her opinion of having had it after
her return from Mr. Fowler's, and
that it might have been dropped in the
way home,
The jeweller was standing at the shop
door as the crier announced the loss, and
described the manner in which the pic-
ture was painted, and the form in which
it was set. Examining the one he had
purchased, and perceiving that it ex-
h a actly
'r .
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? INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
actly corresponded with the crier's de-
scription, he immediately informed him
of the manner in which he had obtained
it, and both expressed their suspicion of
Pekin's distionesty, as they justly observed,
she could not have lived ten years in
Mrs. Cavendisli's house, without know-
ing the picture was her property.
The jeweller and the crier agreed to
go together, and inform Mrs. Caven-
dish by what means the picture had come
into the possession of the former, and
request a reimbursement of the guinea
he hadx paid, in addition to the reward
proclaimed by the crier;
Mrs. Cavendish and Matilda were
just gone out to pay a morning visit,'
when the men arrived; but Mrs. ^loper
and her daughter were sitting in the par-
lour, and saw them pass the window.
" There's the crier and Mr. Martin
. have
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? AND ART DETECTED. 77
have both rung at the gate together," ex-
claimed Mrs. Roper, " and I'll lay my
life we shall hear some tidings of the
bracelet. "
>> / hope we /hall, I'm sure," said Pe-
kin; "for it will make my dear god-
mama very happy. " And so saying, she
was going to run out of the room, to in-
quire whether their expectations were
likely to be realized.
** Stop, you little forward chit," said
Mrs. Roper, catching her by the shoul-
der, and pushing her with violence to
the other end of the room, " I believe
I am as muph interested in your dear
GODMama's property as you are, arid
much more capable of evincing it. "--
So saying, she bounced out of the room,
leaving the child petrified with astonish-
ment and drowned in tears, whilst Char-
lotte fat maliciously smiling at the suc-
h 3 cess
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? 78
INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
cess of her invention, and the accom-
plishment of her scheme.
In less than five minutes Mrs. Roper
re-entered, followed by the jeweller and
the crier, and in a voice half choked
with rage, exclaimed -- <<< You vile,
wicked, ungrateful hujsey ! is this the way
you requite my poor sister's kindness ?
What! rob her of the most valuable
thing she possessed on earth, and then,
. with the art and hypocrisy of an old of-
fender, pretend to be going out to in-
quire after the very. thing you knew you
had first stolen, and then sold! but 1 see
through your tricks, yog baggage, I
do: you was fearful your countenance
. would betray your guilt, and you "wished
to get out of the room to hide it. But
. where is the guinea you received from
Mr. Martin ? Give. that to me , this
moment, you abandoned, wichd huffeyT'
Whilst
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? AND ART DETECTED. 79
Whilst Mrs. Roper was uttering this
volley of abuse, the unfortunate child '
had involuntarily dropped upon her
knees; and the moment that lady ceased
speaking, she protested her innocence of
the crime that was alledged against her
with all the eloquence that conscious recli-
tude could inspire.
" Come, come, child," said Mr.
Martin, " don't add the sin of lying
to those y^u have already committed;
but confess what you have done with the
money, and likewise what induced you
to commit such a wicked action. "
" Aye, aye, come, Pekin, (for I sup-
pose one need not be very nice, and Miss
you over"J said the crier; " be a good
girl, and tell the whole truth to Ma-
dam, and mayhap that may make her
plead for you to Madam Cavendish;
for you are but a young thing,. God
knows;
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? 8o 1 INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
knows; and that makes one feel some
sort of marcy for you: but if you once
comes to be obstinate, and parsiji in lying,
why then you'll have no friend to spake a
kind word for you. "
" Indeed--indeed," replied poor Pe-
kin, almost susfocated with the violence
of her grief, " I know no more about
the picture than you do; and as to a
guinea, I never had such a thing in my
life. Oh pray, dear gentlenjen," she
continued,"<<<< pray don't let my god-
mama think so hardly of me. Oh ! I
shall die, if she thinks I could do such
a wicked thing. "
" Thinks! " exclaimed Mrs. Roper,
" she shall more than think, I assure
you, for slie shall know it this moment,
I promise you;--yes, and your friend
Mrs. Fowler, and all the town Jhall
know /V. " So faying, she turned towards
the
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? AND ART DETECTED. 8l
the door, with an intent of putting her
threats into execution.
Frantic -with terror, and agonised
with dread, the wretched suppliant
caught her by the gown, and in the most
moving accents besought her pity. It
was with the greatest difficulty that her
hands were separated from Mrs. Ro-
per's drapery, (w\\o, the moment she felt
herself at liberty, ran out of the room,
desiring the crier to remain there, and
watch the little wretch. . . . . . . .
Mrs. Cavendish was just informing
Mrs. Fowler of an amiable trait in her
god-daughter's conduct, when Mrs.
Roper entered, and in a tone of mani-
fest pleasure and exultation exclaimed--
" Well, Jifter! I believe you allow I
am a true prophetess! --A fine kettle of
fish this is! but, however, 'tis only what
I have long expected--long expected, J af~
4 (un
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? 8a INNOCENCE JUSTIFIED,
sure you, Mrs. fowler," said she, turn-
ing, and addressing herself to that lady :
and she then related the whole circum-
stance with such exaggerations as she
thought most calculated to call forth her
sister's indignation.
Mrs. Cavendish listened to the recital
with a mixture of pain, regret, and
astonishment, whilst poor Matilda burst
into an agony of tears, and besought her
mama not to condemn poor Pekin,
without allowing her an opportunity of
endeavouring to exculpate herself.
" That she can never do, my beloved
girl," replied Mrs. Cavendish ; " the
circumstances are too strong against her :
and I would really spare myself the
mortification of beholding her contri-
tion and remorse, because an action of
tins kind proves to me they would not
be permanent. Poor lost child! " she
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? AND ART DETECTED. 83
continued, " I declare I am more dis-
tressed at the idea of what a dreadful
end she must come to, than I am at my
own disappointment. What to do with
her I know not; and it will require
sometime for me to reflect upon the best
method to adopt. In my house she must
not Jlay, even until I have resolved upon
her future destination"
" Let her come tome" said Mrs. Ro-
per ; " for though the idea of opening
my doors to a confirmed thief, is not the
pleasantest thing in the world, yet to^
oblige you, my dearest sister, I would
submit to any inconvenience"
" You are very good" replied Mrs.
Cavendilh ; " but I know Charlotte's
aversion to the poor child too well to al-
low her an opportunity of insulting her;
for though she is fallen, (he must not be N
trampled upon. '"
" I will
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