Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 382: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Fy JOSRPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT., 369 a A ne es - a ORS Se Ss i Es 1 N ANN i NWN | iif i | | Matty | i : Hein a), Liffint a EEMNITTTTUL Tei EREEE TONERS Ty | | ee —— -—- i +, Uf pe pattse | (ll WT Wc Wj) I} ff } I Wy (/ = —— = nected with my own father, let every reader take warning and avoid the first downwaad step from the straight pathway of rectitude. He may fancy it is but one step he is about to take—he may reason within himself that he will descend no lower—and, on the contrary, that he will do his best to regain the higher ground from which he has departed: but, Oh! when too late he will dis- cover the miserable sophistry with which he has cheated himself—he will see that when once the line of demarcation is passed, incalculably difficult is it to step back again within the boundary of virtue’s sphere! Notwithstanding all that was strange and pecu- liar in this interview of mine with Lord and Lady Eccleston at Florence, I began not at that time to entertain the slightest suspicion that they were my father and mother. Indeed I was too much be- wildered to form any conjecture at all—unless it were that they had a positiae knowledge of the 99 (WN ‘\ AK ’ \\\\\ \\\\ ANY \ NA eS Se -Deeeee—ee E Wii i i | ASe ee ee ——4 SS oo Hi LE NM EM MLM [rexel MM aL LU Wh iss a ALT ith WT if MM = MI) i) h An Wp ys Mn AMY Lid); Mi Wilf (ALA / WI Ty i 1 - 7 ™= 4 - MOQ tine i " ~ Se ———< He lf Ih linn « / MH aE : . HT \ 5 = == J YY) Wy VOD) = ' <a ——— ae * — 2 = 4: f——— S . “ff-\ — Ara —— z — mysteries attending my birth, but also had some reasons (to me unaccountable) for keeping the secret to themselves. That interview was speedily followed by my meeting with Lady Eccleston, at her own request, at the bridge of Santa Trinitata. The circumstances of this meeting—the secresy with which it was conducted on her part—the tenour of her Janguage—the interest she evidently took in me—and the pecuniary proposition she made, excited for the first time in my soul a cer- tain suspicion,—but so dim, so vague, and uncer- tain, that I scarcely comprehended it. And yet it was & suspicion, mistily and hazily foreshadowing all that was to eventually transpire! Subsequently, when I related everything to the Count of Livorno, we suggested vague and uncertajn conjectures to- gether: but we found it impossible to define any specific conclusions which we might regard as cer- tain, or even probable. The next occasion when I met my father and (C eS (CO) oOo