thing, miftruft my head, if you please, but not my heart. But in every-thing I will be directed by you; and then my head will be as right as my heart.

I told her, that good often refulted from evil. It was an happy thing perhaps for both, that her mother's vifit had been made. Look upon me, my dear Emily, as your entire friend: We will have but one heart between us.

Let me add, Lucy, that if you find me capable of drawing this fweet girl into confeffions of her infant love, and of making ungenerous advantage of them, tho' the event were to be fatal to my peace if I did not; I now call upon all you, my dear friends, to defpife and renounce the treacherous friend in Harriet Byron.

She befought me to let her write to me; to let her come to me for advice, as often as fhe wanted it, whether here, in my dreffing-room or chamber, or at Mr. Reeves's, when I went from Colnebrooke.

I confented very chearfully, and at her requeft (for indeed, faid fhe, I would not be an intruder for the world) promifed by a nod at her entrance, to let her know, if the came when I was busy, that she must retire, and come another time.

You are too young a Lady, added fhe, to be called my mamma-Alas! I have never a mamma, you know: But I will love you, and obey you, on the holding up of your finger, as I would my mother, were the as good as you.

Does not the beautiful fimplicity of this charming girl affect you, Lucy? But her eyes fwimming in tears, her earnest looks, her throbbing bofom, her hands now clafped about me, now in one another, added fuch graces to what the faid, that it is impoffible to do juftice to it: And yet I am affected as I write ; but not fo much, you may believe, as at the time fhe told her tender tale.

Indeed her calamity has given her an abfolute pof

Teffion

Vol.3. feffion of my heart. I, who had fuch good parents, and have had my lofs of them fo happily alleviated, and even fupplied, by a grandmamma and an aunt fo truly maternal, as well as by the love of every one to whom I have the happiness to be related; how unworthy of fuch bleffings fhould I be, if I did not know how to pity a poor girl who must reckon a living mother as her heaviest misfortune!

Sir Charles, from the time of the disturbance which this unhappy woman made in Mrs. Lane's neighbourhood, and of her violence to his Emily, not only threatened to take from her that moiety of the annuity which he is at liberty to withdraw; but gave orders that she should never again be allowed to fee his ward but in his prefence: And fhe has been quiet till of late, only threatening and demanding. But now the feems, on this her marriage with Major O-Hara, to have meditated new fchemes, or is aiming, perhaps, at new methods to bring to hear an old one; of which Sir Charles had private intimation given him by one of the perfons to whom, in her cups, the once boafted of it: Which was, that as foon as Mifs Emily was marriageable, fhe would endeavour, either by fair means, or foul, to get her into her hands: And if she did, but for one week, fhe fhould the next come out the wife of a man fhe had in view, who would think half the fortune more than fufficient for himself, and make over the other half to her; and then she should come into her right, which the deems to be half of the fortune of which her husband died poffeffed.

This that follows is a copy of the letter left for Emily by this mother; which, tho' not well fpelled, might have been written by a better woman, who had hardships to complain of which might have intitled her to pity:

My

My dear Emily,

IF you have any love, any duty, left, for an unhappy mother whofe faults have been barbarously aggravated, to juftify the ill ufage of a husband who was not faultlefs; I conjure you to infift upon making me a vifit, either at my new lodgings in Dean-ftreet, Soho; or that you will fend me word where I can fee you, fuppofing I am not permitted to fee you as this dav, or that you fhould not be at Colnebrooke, where, it feems, you have been fome days. I cannot believe that your guardian, for his own reputation-fake, as well as for juftice-fake, as he is fuppofed to be a good man, will deny you, if you infift upon it; as you ought to do, if you have half the love for me, that I have for you.

Can I doubt that you will infift upon it? I cannot. I long to fee you: I long to lay you in my befom. And I have given hopes to Major O-Hara, a man of one of the best families in Ireland, and a very worthy man, and a brave man too, who knows how to right an injured wife, if he is put to it, but who wishes to proceed amicably, that you will not fcruple, as my hufband, to call him father.

I hear a very good account of your improvements, Emily; and I am told, that you are grown very tall, and pretty. O my Emily!-What a grievous thing is it to fay, that I am told these things; and not to have been allowed to fee you; and to behold your growth, and those improvemen's, which must rejoice my heart, and do, tho' I am fo bafely belied as I have been! Do not you, Emily, defpife her that bore you. It is a dreadful thing, with fuch fortunes as your father left, that I must be made poor and dependent; and then be defpifed for being fo.

But if you, my child, are taught to be, and will be, one of those; what, tho' I have fuch happy profpects in my present marriage, will be my fate, but a

Vol.3: bitter death, which your want of duty will haften? For what mother can bear the contempts of her child? And in that cafe your great fortune will not fet you above God's judgments. But better things are hoped of my Emily, by her

Saturday, March 18.

Indulgent, tho' heretofore unhappy Mother, HELEN O-HARA.

My Lord thought fit to open this letter: He is forry that he did; because the poor girl is fo low-fpirited, that he does not choose to let her fee it; but will leave it to her guardian to give it to her, or not, as he pleases.

Mifs Grandifon lifted up her hands and eyes as fhe read it. Such a wretch as this, faid fhe, to remind Emily of God's judgments; and that line written as even as the reft! How was it poffible, if her wicked heart could fuggeft fuch words, that her fingers could fteadily write them? But indeed the verifies the words. of the wife man; There is no wickedness like the wickedness of a woman.

We all long to fee Sir Charles. Poor Emily, in particular, will be unhappy till he comes.

While we expect a favoured perfon, tho' rich in the company of the friends we are with, what a diminution does it give to enjoyments that would be complete were it not for that expectation? The mind is uneafy, not content with itself, and always looking out for the perfon wanted.

Emily was told, that her mother left a letter for her; but is advised not to be folicitous to fee it till her guardian comes. My Lord owned to her, that he had opened it; and pleaded tendernefs, as he juftly might, in excufe of having taken that liberty. She thanked his Lordship, and faid, It was for fuch girls as fhe to be directed by fuch good and kind friends. She has juft now left me. I was writing, and

wanted

wanted to clofe. I gave her a nod, with a fmile, as agreed upon a little before. Thank you, thank you, dear madam, faid fhe, for this freedom. She flopped at the door, and, with it in her hand, in a whispering accent, bending forwards, Only tell me, that you love me as well as you did in the chariot.

Indeed, my dear, I do; and better, I think, if poffible: Because I have been putting part of our converfation upon paper, and fo have faftened your merits

on my memory.

God bless you, madam, I am gone. And away fhe tript.

But I will make her amends, before I go to reft; and confirm all that I faid to her in the chariot; for moft cordially I can.

I am, my dear Lucy, and will be,

Ever yours,

LETTER

HARRIET BYRON.

VI.

You

Mr. DEANE, To Mrs. SELBY.

London, Fri? Night, Mar. 17.

OU wished me, my cai Mrs. Selby, as I was obliged to go to London on my own affairs, to call at Colnebrooke, and to give you my obfervations on the state of matters there; and whether there were any likelihood of the event we are all fo defirous, fhould be brought about; and particularly, if an opportunity offered, that I would at diftance found Sir Charles himself on the fubject. I told you, that you need not be afraid of my regard to our dear child's. delicacy; and that fhe herself should not have reason to mistrust me on this nice fubject.

It seems his great engagements in town, and fome he has had in Kent, have hindered him from giving Lord L. and his fifters much of his company, tho'

our