The novels of Charles Brockden Brown, consisting of Wieland;or, The transformation. Arthur Mervyn; or, Memoirs of the year 1793. Edgar Huntly; or, Memoirs of a sleep-walker. Jane Talbot. Ormond; or, The secret witness. Clara Howard; or, The enthusiasm of love. With a memoir of the author.

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CLARA HOWARD; OR,

life, and since. My brother's profession had apparently
been useful to my subsistence, and since his death, though
indeed the period had been short, I had lived in a neat
seclusion and at leisure.
These hints induced me to be more frank in my disclosures. I related what is already known to you; the
fate of the money which I inherited from my brother,
the doubtful circumstances that attended my brother's
possession, and the irresistible claims of Morton.
Every word of my narrative added anew to my friend's
surprise and disappointment. She continued for a long
time silent; but much disquiet was betrayed by her looks.
I mistook these for signs of disapprobation of my conduct, and began to justify myself.
"Dear madarn, would you not, in my place, have acted
in this manner?"
"Just so, Mary: your conclusion was highly plausible."
"I believe my conclusion," replied I, "to be certain. I did not require any stronger proof of Morton's
title."
"And yet his claim was fallacious. This money was
yours, and only yours."
This assertion was made with a confidence that convinced me of its truth, and caused my mind instantly to
adopt a new method of accounting for the acquisition of
this money. My eyes, fixed upon my companion, betrayed my suspicion that my benefactress was before me.
'Humiliation and, gratitude were mingled in my heart;
tears gushed from my eyes while I pressed her hand to
my lips.
"Ah!" said I, "if Morton were not the giver, who
should know the defects of his title but the real giver?"
"Your gratitude, Mary, is misplaced. You might
easily imagine that my funds would never allow me to
be liberal to that amount."
"Is it not you? Whose, then, was the bounteous
spirit? You are at least acquainted with the real benefactor."
"I confess that I am, but may not be authorized to
disclose the name."
I besought her to disclose the name.