A NOVEL. "Come then, fair Truth! and let me clearly see CRABBE. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. HONOUR AND SHAME. CHAPTER I. ISABELLA LORRAINE was the only surviving child of Captain William Lorraine, the cadet of a respectable family in one of the midland counties of Scotland. Her mother was the only child and heiress of a Liverpool merchant. Mr. Osthwaite died. in prosperous circumstances, but too young to have amassed the princely fortune which rewards the toils of the most successful in his line of life. He left his daughter, however, thirty thousand pounds, far more than sufficient to satisfy her moderate desires. After her father's death, Eliza Osthwaite, who had lost her mother many years before, went to reside with an early friend, who had married a solicitor in York, a VOL. I. B young man of the most promising abilities and a rising reputation. Here, in society so congenial, she spent two short and happy years. In the autumn of the second, she went to Brighton to spend a few weeks with a distant relation. Miss Osthwaite possessed many qualities which could not fail to attract a considerable share of notice in a place like Brighton. Uncommon beauty, and a large share of fashionable accomplishments added lustre to the more solid charms of wealth, which, in spite of the moralizing of poets and the wisdom of philosophers, yet retains its supremacy over the minds of the multitude. A sweet temper, and a heart free from selfishness secured to her the affection of her intimates, while they escaped the notice of superficial observers. Few of the rich and beautiful Miss Osthwaite's admirers thought of looking beyond her extrinsic advantages. She had the fate of many a beauty and many an heiress; she was followed and courted for the least valuable part of herself. This she had, in most instances, the good sense to perceive; and numerous were the suitors, who, during that eventful autumn, withdrew disappointed from her train. Fate, however, had decreed that she should not leave the scene of her triumphs and cruelties with a heart untouched. The fine person, fascinating manners, and varied accomplishments of a young officer, at last, made an impression on her obdurate affections. She was flattered, and who especially in her situation would not have been, by the belief that her character was now duly appreciated, that she was loved for herself alone. Captain Lorraine possessed the appearance of every virtue, and Eliza gave him credit for being more than all he appeared; suspicion was not in her nature, and suspicion of him she would have deemed little less than sacrilege. They were married. After their marriage, Captain Lorraine retired from active service, and took his wife to live at Burn Cottage, a pretty little residence in the immediate neighbourhood of Linnwood, his brother's seat. In this sweet retreat, the three first years of their wedded life passed swiftly by. Their hap |