Nothing could be
done at present; for, though her son was manifestly 'entangled,'
yet no overt declaration had been made, and there was nothing to act
upon. She had the worldly foresight to know that opposition was food
and fuel to a secret attachment, and abstained from giving grounds
for the belief that so much as a suspicion lurked in her mind. In this
way months rolled on, Herbert becoming more and more captivated.
On the other hand, Miss Dodbury had striven against a passion with
which _she_ also had become inspired. Her father discouraged it,
though tenderly and indirectly. It was a delicate matter for a man to
interfere in, as no open disclosure had been made from either party;
but this embarrassment, felt equally by the proud mother of the lover,
and the considerate father of the girl, was speedily but accidentally
put an end to.
An equestrian party had been formed to see, from Berry-head, a large
fleet which had been driven by a recent storm into Tor Bay. Mrs
Hardman had purposely invited Catherine Dodbury, that she might
observe her son's conduct towards that young lady, and extract from
it a sufficient ground for taxing him openly with a preference for
her over the belle she had chosen.
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