James's feelings with regard to his noble relatives.
He was quite disembarrassed of that Panglossian philosophy which had
hitherto induced him to believe that the Earl of Fitz-pompey was the
best of all possible uncles. On the contrary, his Grace rather doubted
whether the course which his relations had pursued towards him was
quite the most proper and the most prudent; and he took great credit
to himself for having, with such unbounded indulgence, on the whole
deported himself with so remarkable a temperance. His Grace, too, could
no longer innocently delude himself with the idea that all the attention
which had been lavished upon him was solely occasioned by the impulse
of consanguinity. Finally, the young Duke's conscience often misgave him
when he thought of Mr. Dacre. He determined, therefore, on returning to
England, not to commit himself too decidedly with the Fitz-pompeys, and
he had cautiously guarded himself from being entrapped into becoming
their guest. At the same time, the recollection of old intimacy, the
general regard which he really felt for them all, and the sincere
affection which he entertained for his cousin Caroline, would have
deterred him from giving any outward signs of his altered feelings, even
if other considerations had not intervened.
Pages:
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29