The next morning after breakfast, Mrs Delvile set
out upon some leave-taking visits, and Cecilia went
in a chair to Fetter-lane: here, already waiting
for her, she met the punctual Mr Monckton, and the
disappointed Jew, who most unwillingly was paid off,
and relinquished his bonds; and who found in the severe
and crafty Mr Monckton, another sort of man to deal
with than the necessitous and heedless Mr Harrel.
As soon as he was dismissed, other bonds were drawn
and signed, the old ones were destroyed; and Cecilia,
to her infinite satisfaction, had no creditor but
Mr Monckton. Her bookseller, indeed, was still
unpaid, but her debt with him was public, and gave
her not any uneasiness.
She now, with the warmest expressions of gratitude,
took leave of Mr Monckton, who suffered the most painful
struggles in repressing the various apprehensions
to which the parting, and her establishment at the
Delviles gave rise.
She then enquired briefly into the affairs of Mrs
Hill, and having heard a satisfactory account of them,
returned to St James’s-square.
CHAPTER i.
A DEBATE.
It was still early, and Mrs Delvile was not expected
till late. Cecilia, therefore, determined to
make a visit to Miss Belfield, to whom she had been
denied during the late disorders at Mr Harrel’s,
and whom she could not endure to mortify by quitting
town without seeing, since whatever were her doubts
about Delvile, of her she had none.
To Portland-street, therefore, she ordered her chair,
deliberating as she went whether it were better to
adhere to the reserve she had hitherto maintained,
or to satisfy her perplexity at once by an investigation
into the truth. And still were these scruples
undecided, when, looking in at the windows as she
passed them to the door of the house, she perceived
Miss Belfield standing in the parlour with a letter
in her hand, which she was fervently pressing to her
lips.
Struck by this sight, a thousand painful conjectures
occurred to her, all representing that the letter
was from Delvile, and all explaining to his dishonour
the mystery of his late conduct. And far were
her suspicions from diminishing, when, upon being
shown into the parlour, Miss Belfield, trembling with
her eagerness to hide it, hastily forced the letter
into her pocket.
Cecilia, surprised, dismayed, alarmed, stopt involuntarily
at the door; but Miss Belfield, having secured what
was so evidently precious to her, advanced, though
not without blushing, and taking her hand, said “How
good this is of you, madam, to come to me! when I did
not know where to find you, and when I was almost
afraid I should have found you no more!”
