He had not been long back at his new residence when his wife died,
and letters of condolence were sent to him from all quarters. His
wife, who had never been received into society, was suddenly
discovered to have been one of its brightest ornaments, and her loss
was deeply felt and proportionately deplored. Mrs. Hazelton now
thought her opportunity had come, and accordingly wrote to Grandison
that she was ready to go to the end of the world with him. He,
however, was not particularly anxious to go to such a remote locality;
in fact he had made up his mind to remain in Chicago, and (now that
his wife was no longer a burden upon him) to turn over a new leaf
and become a respectable member of society. Whatever charms Mary
Sedley may have had had long since disappeared, and Mr. Grandison's
affection was not so deep-seated that he was prepared to tie himself
to a comparatively plain old woman for whom he had long since lost
every particle of respect. He accordingly took no notice of her
letter, and received a second and a third couched in the strongest
language of affection. But the more importunate she became, the more
did Grandison lose his respect for her; he therefore took no notice
of her letters, and determined to keep aloof from her in the future.
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