Well, but, don't you congratulate me, my dear, on my escape from my curiofity? I am fure my grandmamma, and my aunt, will be pleafed with their girl. Yet it was an hard ftruggle, I own; in the fufpenfe I am; in a very hard ftruggle. But tho' wishes will play about my heart, that I knew fuch of the contents as it might concern me to know; yet I am infinitely better pleafed that I yielded not to the temptation, than I fhould have been, if I had. And then, methinks, my pride is gratified in the fuperiority this lady afcribes to me over herself, whom fo lately I thought greatly my superior. Yet what merit have I in this? Since if I had confidered only rules of policy, I fhould have been utterly wrong, had I yielded to the temptation: For what ufe could I have made of any knowlege I might have obtained by this means? If any propofal is to be made me, of what nature foever, it must, in that cafe, have appeared to be quite new to me: And what an affectation must that have occafioned, what diffimulation, in your Harriet?-And how would a creature, educated as I have been, have behaved under fuch trials as might have arifen from a knowlege fo faultily obtained? And had I been difcovered; had I given cause of fufpicion, either to Dr. Bartlett, or Sir Charles; I fhould have appeared as the principal in the fact: It would have been mean to accufe Mifs Grandifon, as the tempter, in a temptation yielded to with my eyes open. And fhould I not have caft a flur upon that curiofity which Dr. Bartlett before had not refufed to gratify, as well as thut myfelf out from all future communications and confidence? It is very poffible, befides, that, unused as I have been to artifice and difguife, I fhould have betrayed myfelf; especially had I found any of the contents of the letter very affecting. Thus you fee, Lucy, that policy, as well as recti tude of manners, juftify me: And in this particular I am an happy girl. Mifs Grandifon has just now told her fifter what paffed between us. Lady L. fays, fhe would not have been Mifs Grandifon, in taking the letter, by what means foever come at ; for how, faid fhe, did I know what fecrets there might be in it, before I read it? But I think verily, when it had been got at, and offered me, I could not have been Miss Byron. And the threw her arms about me, and hugged me to her. Dear creature, faid fhe, you must be Lady Grandifon-Muft! faid Mifs Grandifon: She ball. Who, Lucy, whether that may ever come to pass, or not, would not, on reflexion (thus approved by both fifters) rejoice that the conquered her curiofity, and acted as I did? Mifs Grandifon talked to Lady L. of its being likely that her brother would go to Bologna: Of a vifit he is foon to make to Grandifon-hall; and fhe to go with him: Of his going to Paris, in order to settle fome matters relating to the Will of his late friend Mr. Danby Well, Lucy, my time in town is haftening to its period. Why am I not reminded, that my three allotted months are near expired? Will you receive the poor girl, who perhaps will not be able to carry down with her the heart fhe brought up? And yet, to go down to fuch dear friends without it, what an ungrateful found has that! Mifs Grandifon began to talk of other fubjects relating to her brother, and that greatly to his praife. I could have heard all fhe had to fay with infinite pleafure. I do love to hear him praifed. But, as I doubted not but thefe fubjects arofe from the letter fo furreptitiously obtained, I reftrained myfelf, and withdrew. Of what an happy temper is Mifs Grandifon! She was much affected with the fcene that paffed between us, us, but all is over with her already. One leffon upon her harpfichord fets every-thing right with her. She has been raillying Lord L. with as much life and fpirit, as if fhe had done nothing to be vexed at. Had I been induced by her to read the letter which she got at difhoneftly, as the owned, what a poor figure fhould I have made in my own eyes, for a month to come! But did she not as foon overcome the mortification given her by her brother, on the detection of captain Anderfon's affair? How unmercifully did the railly me, within a few hours after !-Yet, the has fine qualities. One cannot help loving her. I do love her. But is it not a weakness to look without abatement of affection on those faults in one perfon, which we should hold utterly inexcufable in another? In Mifs Grandifon's cafe, however, don't fay it is, Lucy. Owhat a partiality! Yet fhe has within these few minutes owned, that the thought the ftep fhe had taken a faulty one, before fhe came to me with the letter; and hoped to induce me to countenance her in what fhe had done. I called her a little Satan on this occafion. But, after all, what if the dear Charlotte's curiofity was more for my fake than her own? No motive of friendship, you will fay, can justify a wrong action-Why no, Lucy; that is very true; but if you knew Mifs Grandifon, you would love her dearly. Sir CHARLES GRANDISON, To Dr. BARTLETT, [The Letter which Mifs Byron refufed to read, or Friday Night, Mar. 17. to make Colnebrooke fo agreeable to Miss Byron, B 5 that that I may have the pleasure of finding her there in the beginning of the week. My Lord W. is in town. He has invited me to dine with him to-morrow; and muft not be denied, was a part of his meflage, brought me by Halden his fteward, who fays, That his lordfhip has fomething of confequence to confult me upon. When, my dear friend, fhall I find time for myfelf? Pray make my compliments to my Lord L. and to my three fifters; and tell them from me, that when I have the happinefs of being in their company, then it is that I think I give time to myself. I have a letter from Bologna: From the faithful Camilla. The contents of it give me great concern. She urges me to make one more vifit there. She tells me, that the Bishop faid in her hearing, it would be kind, if I would. Where fuch a vifit to be requested generally; and it were likely to be of fervice; you may believe that I would chearfully make it. I fhould go, for a fortnight at least, to Grandifonhall. Burgefs has let me know, that the workmen have gone almost as far as they can go without my farther orders. And the churchwardens have fignified to me, that the church is completely beautified, according to my directions; fo that it will be ready to be opened on the Sunday after next, at fartheft; and intreat my prefence, both as patron, and benefactor. I will now haften my defigned alterations at the Hall. I had rather not be prefent at the opening. Yet the propriety of my being there will probably prevail upon me to comply with the intreaties of the churchwardens; who in their letter fignify the expectations of Sir Samuel Clarke, Sir William Turner, and Mr. Barnham, of feeing me, and my fifter Charlotte. You will be pleafed to mention this to her. I wifh, without putting a flight upon good Mr. Dobfon, that you, my dear friend, could oblige us with the first fermon. All then would be decent, and worthy worthy of the occafion; and the praise would be given properly, and not to the agent. But as it would be a little mortifying to Mr. Dobfon (of whofe praise only I am apprehenfive) fo much as to hint fuch a wifh, I will write to him, that he will oblige me if he say not one word, that fhall carry the eyes of the audience to my feat. The execution of the orders I gave, that five other pews fhould be equally diftinguifhed and ornamented with mine, carries not with it the appearance of affectation; does it, my good Dr. Bartlett? efpecially as fo many confiderable families have feats there? I would not feem guilty of a falfe modefty, which, breaking out into fingularity, would give the fufpicion of a wrong direction, in cafes where it may be of ufe to fuppofe a right one. What can I do in relation to my Emily? She is of the ftature of woman. She ought, according to the prefent tafte, to be introduced into public life. I am not fond of that life. And what knowlege fhe will gain by the introduction, she had better be without. Yet I think we should conform fomething to the taste of the times in which we live. Women's minds have generally a lighter turn than thofe of men. They fhould be innocently indulged. And on this principle it was, that laft winter I attended her, and my fifters, very often to the places of public entertainment; that he, having feen every-thing that was the general fubject of polite converfation, might judge of fuch entertainments as they deferve; and not add expectation (which runs very high in young minds, and is feldom answered) to the ideal fcenes. This indulgence answered as I wifh. Emily can now hear talk of the emulation of actors and managers, and of the other public diverfions, with tranquillity; and be fatisfied, as fhe reads, with reprefenting over again to herfelf the parts in which the particular actors excelled. And thus a boundary is fet to her imagination; and B 6 that |