fome of them. But I tell her, that I would not have a fingle drachm of thofe over-lively ones which I fee fhe will play off upon Lord G. Yet he will be pleafed, at prefent, with any treatment from her; tho' he wants not feeling, as I can fee already-Don't, Charlotte, faid I to her, within this half-hour, let him find his own weight in your levity. He admires your wit; but don't let it wound him.. But perhaps the is the fprightlier, in order to give me, and Lord and Lady L. fpirits. They are very good to me, and greatly apprehensive of the story,. which takes up, in a manner, my whole attention So is Mifs Grandifon: And my fweet Emily, as often as fhe may, comes up to me when I am alone, and hangs upon my arm, my shoulder, and watches, with looks of Love, every turn of my eyes, I have opened my whole heart to her, for the better guarding of hers; and this hiftory of Clementina affords an excellent leflon for the good girl. She bleffes me for the lectures I read her on this fubject, and fays, that the fees Love is a very fubtile thing, and, like water, will work its way into the banks that are. fet up to confine it, if it be not watched, and dammed out in time. She pitics Clementina; and prettily afked my leave to do fo.. I think, faid fhe, my heart loves her; but not fo well as it does you. I long to know what my guardian will do about her. How good is it in her father and mother to love her fo dearly! Her two elder brothers one cannot diflike; but Jeronymo is my favorite. He is a man worth faving; i'n't he, madam? Bu I pity her father and mother, as well as Clementina. Charming young creature! What an excellent heart fhe has! Sir Charles is to dine with Sir. Hargrave and his friends to-morrow, on the foreft, in his way to Grandifon-hall. The doctor fays, he expects to hear from 1 magnanimity, and other great and equally-amiable qualities of Mr. Grandifon, appeared every day more and more confpicuous to them all. I will foon, madam, present you with farther extracts from the Letters in my poffeffion, in purfuance of the articles you have given me in writing. I am not a little proud of my task. Continuation of Miss Byron's Letter. CAN you not, Lucy, gather from the fetting-out of this flory, and the fhort account of it given by Sir Charles in the Library-conference, that I shall foon pay my duty to you all in Northamptonshire? I fhall, indeed. Is it not flrange, my dear, that a father and mother, and brothers, fo jealous as Italians, in general, are faid to be, of their women; and so proud as this Bologna family is reprefented to be of their rank; fhould all agree to give fo fine a man, as this is, in mind, perfon, and addrefs, fuch free access to their daughter, a young Lady of Eighteen? Teach her English!-Very difcreet in the father and mother, furely! And to commiffion him to talk with the poor girl in favour of a man whom they wifhed her to marry !-Indeed you will fay, perhaps, that by the honourable expedient they fell upon, unknown to either tutor or pupil, of liftening to all that was to pass in the conference, they found a method to prove his integrity; and that, finding it proof, they were juftified to prudence in their future confidence. With all my heart, Lucy: If you will excuse these parents, you may. But I fay, that any body, tho' not of Italy, might have thought fuch a tutor as this was dangerous to a young Lady; and the more, for being a man of honour and family. In every cafe, the teacher is the obliger. He is called mafter, you know: And where there is a mafter, a fervant is im plied. Who is it that feeks not out for a married min, among the common tribe of tutors, whether profeffing mufic, dancing, languages, fcience of any kind? But a tutor fuch a one as this— Well, but I will leave them to pay the price of their indifcretion. I infi I AM this moment come from the doctor. nuated to him, as artfully as I could, fome of the above obfervations. He reminded me, that the Marchionefs herself had her education at Paris; and fays, that the manners of the Italians are very much altered of late years; and that the French freedom begins to take place among the people of condition, in a very vifible manner, of the Italian referve. The women of the family of Porretta, particularly, he fays, because of their learning, freedom, and converfableness, have been called, by their enemies, Frenchwomen. But you will fee, that honour, and the laws of hofpitality, were Mr, Grandifon's guard: And I believe a young flame may be eafily kept under. But it is a grateful thing, Lucy, to all women, to have a man in Love, whether with our felves, or not; and the more grateful, perhaps, the lefs prudent. Yet, ought it to be fo? Sir Charles Grandifon is used to do only what he ought. Dr. Bartlett once faid, that the life of a good man was a continual warfare with his paffions. You will fee, in the fecond conference between Mr. Grandifon and the Lady, upon the melancholy way fhe was in, how artfully, yet, I must own, honourably, he reminds her of the brotherly character which he paffes under to her! How, officioufly he fifters her! Ah, Lucy! your Harriet is his fifter too, you know! He has been used to this dialect, and to check the paffions of us forward girls; and yet I have gone on confeffing mine to the whole venerable circle, and have almoft gloried in it to them. Have not alfo his fifters fifters detected me? While the noble Clementina, as in that admirable paffage cited by her, -Never told her love, But let concealment, like a worm i' th' bud, had How do I admire her for her filence! But yet, fhe been circumftanced as your Harriet was, would Clementina have been fo very referved? Shall I run a parallel between our two cases? Harriet's relations were all folicitous, from the first, for an alliance with their child's deliverer. They never had encouraged any man's addrefs; nor had fhe: And all his nearest and deareft friends were partial to her, and foon grew ardent in her fa vour. Harriet, not knowing of any engagement he had, could have no difficulties to contend with; except inferiority of for tune were one. She had therefore no reafon to endeavour to conquer a paffion not ignobly founded; and of which duty, judgment, and confcience, approved. Sufpenfe therefore, only, and not concealment (fince every one called upon like a worm in the bud, to feed on her damusk cheek. upon Harriet to acknowlege her Lovey could feed on her cheek. And is not fufpenfe enough to make it pale, tho' it has not yet given it a green and yellow caft? O what tortures has fufpenfe given me ! But certainty is now taking place... What a right method, Lucy, did Clementina, fo much in earnest in her own perfuafion, take, in this fecond conference, could he have fucceeded, in her folicitude for his change of religion !-Could that have been effected, I dare fay fhe would have been lefs referved, as to the caufe of her melancholy; especially as her friends were all as indulgent to her as mine are to me. But my pity for the noble Clementina begins to take great hold of my heart. I long to have the whole before me. Adieu, Lucy: If I write more, it will be all a recapitulation of the doctor's Letter. I can think of nothing elfe. LET LETTER XXIII. Mifs BYRON. In Continuation. Tuesday, Mar. 28. ET me now give you a brief account of what we are doing here. Sir Charles fo much rejoiced the heart of Lord G. who waited on him the moment he knew he was in town, that he could not defer his attendance on Mifs Grandifon, till the left Colnebrooke; and got hither by our breakfast-time, this morning. He met with a very kind reception from Lord and Lady L. and a civil one from Mifs Grandifon; buti he is already beginning to play her tricks with him. O Lucy, |