MISS GR. It would be strange, cousin, if a man should make a secret of an innocent piece of intelligence, who has told stories of himself, and gloried in them, that he ought, if true, to have been hanged for.-You would have it.'

MR. GR. I knew I must have the plain English, whether I asked for it or not. But give me leave to say, cousin Charlotte, that you made not so superior a figure just now.'

MISS GR. True, Mr. Grandison. There is but one man in the world of whom I stand in awe.' MR. GR. I believe it; and hope you never design to marry, for that reason.'

MISS GR. What a wretch is my cousin! Must a woman stand in awe of her husband?-Whether, sir, is marriage a state of servitude or of freedom to a woman?'

MR. GR. Of freedom, as women generally make it-Of servitude, if they know their duty.-Pardon me, ladies.'

6

MISS GR. Don't pardon him.-I suppose, sir, it is owing to your consciousness that you have only the will, and not the spirit, to awe a woman of sense, that you are a single man at this day.' LADY L. Pray, my lord, what have I done, that you treat me with so much contempt?' LORD L. Contempt! my best life!-How is

that?'

LADY L. You seem not to think it worth your while to over-uwe me.'

MISS GR. Lord, my dear! how you are mistaken in applying thus to Lord L.! Lord L. is a good man, a virtuous man: None but rakes hold those over-awing doctrines. They know what they deserve; and live in continual fear of meeting with their deserts: and so, if they marry, having

the hearts of slaves, they become tyrants.'-Miss Byron-'

MR. GR. The devil's in it if you two ladies want help. I fly the pit.'

LORD L.

And I think, Mr. Grandison, you

have fought a hard battle.'

6

MR. GR. By my soul, I think so too! I have held it out better than I used to do.'

MISS GR. I protest I think you have. We shall brighten you up among us. I am mistaken if there were not two or three smart things said by my cousin.-Pray, did any body mind them? I should be glad to hear them again.-Do you recollect them yourself, cousin?'

MR. GR. You want to draw me on again, cousin Charlotte. But the d-1 fetch me, if you do. I'll leave off while I am well.'

MISS GR. Would you have thought it, Lady L.! My cousin has discretion as well as smartness. -I congratulate you, sir?-a new discovery!But hush!-'Tis time for both to have done.'

- Sir Charles entered-' Mr. Grandison a sufferer again?' said he.

MR. GR. No, no! Pretty well off this bout! -Miss Byron, I have had the better end of the staff, I believe.'

HARRIET. I can't say that, sir. But you got off, I think, in very good time.'

MR. GR. And that's a victory, to what it used to be, I can assure you. Nobody ever could awe Miss Grandison.'

MISS GR. Coward!-You would now begin again, would you?-Sir Charles loves to take me down!'

MR. GR. Never, madam, but when you are up.' [And laughed heartily.]

Miss GR.

A verbal wit! at any time.'

Witty too!-A man of repartee.
And that's half as good as a punster

SIR CH. Fight it out, cousin Grandison. You can laugh on, though the laugh of every other person should be against you.'

MR. GR. And thou, Brutus?-It is time to have done.'

As I think these conversations characteristic, I hope the recital of them will be excused. Yet I am sensible, those things that go well off in conversation, do not always read to equal advantage.

They would fain have engaged us to stay supper: but we excused ourselves. I promised to breakfast with them.

I choose not to take my maid with me. Jenny is to be made over to me occasionally, for the time of my stay. Dr. Bartlett had desired to be excused. So our party is only the two sisters, Lord. L. Miss Jervois, and I.

Sir Charles and Mr. Grandison are to set out for their journey early in the morning.

Adieu, my Lucy. It is late; and sleepiness promises to befriend your

LETTER VIII.

HARRIET.

MRS. SELBY TO MISS BYRON *.

MY DEAREST CHILD,

Selby-house, Sunday, Mar. 5.

WE are all extremely affected with your present situation. Such apparent struggles betwixt your natural openness of heart, and the confessions of a

This Letter, and the two that follow it, are inserted in this place, though not received, and answered, till Miss Byron was at Colnebrook, for the sake of keeping entire the subject she writes upon from thence.

young, of a new passion, and that so laudably founded, and so visibly increasing-O my love, you must not affect reserves; they will sit very awk. wardly upon a young woman who never knew what affectation and concealment were.

You have laid me under a difficulty with respect to Lady D. She is to be with me on Saturday next. I have not written to her, though you desired I would; since, in truth, we all think, that her proposals deserve consideration; and because we are afraid, that a greater happiness will never be yours and ours. It is impossible, my dear, to imagine, that such a man as Sir Charles Grandison should not have seen the woman whom he could love, before he saw you; or whom he had not been engaged to love by his gratitude, as I may call it, for her love. Has not his sister talked of half a score ladies, who would break their hearts for him, were he to marry?—And may not this be the reason why he does not?

You see what an amiable openness of heart there is in the Countess of D. You see, that your own frankness is a particular recommendation of you to her. I had told her, that you were disengaged in your affections: by your own disclaiming to her the proposed relation, you have given reason to so wise a lady to think it otherwise; or that you are not so much above affectation, as she had hoped you were. And though we were grieved to read how much you were pushed by Miss Grandisont, yet Lady D. will undoubtedly make the same observations and inferences that Miss Grandison did. And what would you have me to do? since you cannot give a stronger instance of your affections being engaged, than by declining such a proposal as Lady D. made; before you have con

* Letter V.

versed with, or even seen Lord D. And it becomes not your character or mine, either to equivocate, or to say the thing that is not.

Lady L. you think, (and indeed it appears) hinted to Lady D. that Sir Charles stands not in the way of Lord D.'s application. I see not, therefore, that there can be any room to hope from that quarter. Nor will your fortune, I doubt, be thought considerable enough. And as Sir Charles is not engaged by affection, and is generous and munificent, there is hardly room to imagine, but that, in prudence, fortune will have some weight with him. At least, on our side, that ought to be supposed, and to make a part of our first proposals, were a treaty to be begun.

Your grandmamma will write to you with her own hand. I refer myself wholly to her. Her wisdom, and her tenderness for you, we all know. She and I have talked of every thing. Your uncle will not rally you, as he has done. We still continue resolved not to prescribe to your inclinations. We are afraid therefore of advising you as to this new proposal. But your grandmamma is very much pleased that I have not written, as you would have had me, a letter of absolute refusal to the countess.

Your uncle has been inquiring into the state of Sir Charles Grandison's affairs. We have heard so many good things of him, that I have desired Mr. Selby to make no further inquiries, unless we could have some hopes of calling him ours. But do you, my dear, nevertheless, omit nothing that comes to your knowledge, that may let us know in him what a good man is, and should be.

His magnanimity in refusing to engage in a duel, yet acquitting himself so honourably, as to leave no doubt about his courage, is an example, of itself,