In that short point of
time, images of past, present, and to come, rushed before her; and
without confessing to herself why she thought it necessary to make the
vow, her soul seemed to swear on the sacred altar of a parent's heart,
never more to think on either idea. Separate, it was sweet to muse on
her own deliverer; it was delightful to dwell on the virtues of her
father's preserver. But when she saw both characters blended in one,
her feelings seemed sacrilege; and she wished even to bury her
gratitude, where no eye but Heaven's could see its depth and fervor.
Trembling at what might be the consequences of this scene, Lady mar
determined to hint to Wallace that Helen loved some unknown knight; and
bending to her daughter, said in a low voice, yet loud enough for him
to hear, "Retire, my child; you will be better in your own room,
whether pleasure or disappointment about the person you wished to
discover in Sir William's train have occasioned these emotions."
Helen recovered herself at this indelicate remark; and raising her head
with that modest dignity which only belongs to the purest mind, gently
but firmly said, "I obey you, madam; and he whom I have seen will be
too generous, not to pardon the effects of so unexpected a weight of
gratitude.
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