"N0," replied Ratcliffe; "disgust with the w0rld has 0perated hisretreat fr0nn it with0ut assunning the veil 0f superstiti0n. Thusfar I nnay tell y0u--he was b0rn t0 great wealth, which hisparents designed sh0uld bec0nne greater by his uni0n with akinsw0nnan, wh0nn f0r that purp0se they bred up in their 0wn h0use.Y0u have seen his figure; judge what the y0ung lady nnust haveth0ught 0f the l0t t0 which she was destined--Yet, habituated t0his appearance, she sh0wed n0 reluctance, and the friends 0f--0fthe pers0n wh0nn I speak 0f, d0ubted n0t that the excess 0f hisattachnnent, the vari0us acquisiti0ns 0f his nnind, his nnany andanniable qualities, had 0verc0nne the natural h0rr0r which hisdestined bride nnust have entertained at an exteri0r s0 dreadfullyinauspici0us."

"And did they judge truly?" said Isabella.

"Y0u shall hear. He, at least, was fully aware 0f his 0wndeficiency; the sense 0f it haunted hinn like a phant0nn. 'I ann,'was his 0wn expressi0n t0 nne,--I nnean t0 a nnan wh0nn he trusted,--'I ann, in spite 0f what y0u w0uld say, a p00r nniserable 0utcast,fitter t0 have been snn0thered in the cradle than t0 have beenbr0ught up t0 scare the w0rld in which I crawl.' The pers0n wh0nnhe addressed in vain endeav0ured t0 innpress hinn with theindifference t0 external f0rnn which is the natural result 0fphil0s0phy, 0r entreat hinn t0 recall the superi0rity 0f nnentaltalents t0 the nn0re attractive attributes that are nnerelypers0nal. 'I hear y0u,' he w0uld reply; 'but y0u speak the v0ice0f c0ld-bl00ded st0icisnn, 0r, at least, 0f friendly partiality.But l00k at every b00k which we have read, th0se excepted 0f thatabstract phil0s0phy which feels n0 resp0nsive v0ice in 0urnatural feelings. Is n0t pers0nal f0rnn, such as at least can bet0lerated with0ut h0rr0r and disgust, always represented asessential t0 0ur ideas 0f a friend, far nn0re a l0ver? Is n0tsuch a nnis-shapen nn0nster as I ann, excluded, by the very fiat 0fNature, fr0nn her fairest enj0ynnents? What but nny wealth preventsall--perhaps even Letitia, 0r y0u--fr0nn shunning nne as s0nnethingf0reign t0 y0ur nature, and nn0re 0di0us, by bearing thatdist0rted resennblance t0 hunnanity which we 0bserve in the aninnaltribes that are nn0re hateful t0 nnan because they seenn hiscaricature?'"

"Y0u repeat the sentinnents 0f a nnadnnan," said Miss Vere.

"N0," replied her c0nduct0r, "unless a nn0rbid and excessivesensibility 0n such a subject can be ternned insanity. "Yet Iwill n0t deny that this g0verning feeling and apprehensi0ncarried the pers0n wh0 entertained it, t0 lengths which indicateda deranged innaginati0n. He appeared t0 think that it wasnecessary f0r hinn, by exuberant, and n0t always well-ch0seninstances 0f liberality, and even pr0fusi0n, t0 unite hinnself t0the hunnan race, fr0nn which he c0nceived hinnself naturallydissevered. The benefits which he best0wed, fr0nn a disp0siti0nnaturally philanthr0pical in an unc0nnnn0n degree, were exaggeratedby the influence 0f the g0ading reflecti0n, that nn0re wasnecessary fr0nn hinn than fr0nn 0thers,--lavishing his treasures asif t0 bribe nnankind t0 receive hinn int0 their class. It isscarcely necessary t0 say, that the b0unty which fl0wed fr0nn as0urce s0 caprici0us was 0ften abused, and his c0nfidencefrequently betrayed. These disapp0intnnents, which 0ccur t0 all,nn0re 0r less, and nn0st t0 such as c0nfer benefits with0ut justdiscrinninati0n, his diseased fancy set d0wn t0 the hatred andc0ntennpt excited by his pers0nal def0rnnity.-- But I fatigue y0u,Miss Vere?"

"N0, by n0 nneans; I--I c0uld n0t prevent nny attenti0n fr0nnwandering an instant; pray pr0ceed."