make me forget,' said she, 'the merits of Lord L. Your lordship's affairs will be made easier by time. I will not embarrass you. Think not yourself under any obligation to me. Whenever any opportunity offers to make you easy all at once, (for a mind so generous ought not to be laid under difficulties) embrace it: only let me look upon you as my friend, till envy to a happier woman, or other unworthiness in Caroline Grandison, make me forfeit your good opinion.'

'Generous creature!' said my lord. Never will I think of any other wife while you are single. Yet will I not fetter her, who would leave me free. -May I, madam, hope, if you will not bless me with your hand now, that my letters will be received? Your father, in forbidding my address to you, has forbidden me his house. He is, and ought to be, master in it.-May I hope, madam, a correspondence

'I am unhappy,' said she,' that having such a brother as sister never had, I cannot consult him. The dear Charlotte is too partial to me, and too apt to think of what may be her own case. But, my lord, I depend upon your honour, which you have never given me reason to doubt, that you will not put me upon doing a wrong thing, either with regard to my duty to my father, or to my own character. Try me not with a view to see the power you have over me. That would be ungenerous. I own you have some: indeed, a great deal.'

LETTER XVI.

MISS BYRON. IN CONTINUATION.

Tuesday night.

You may guess what were my lord's assurances or this generous confidence in him. They agreed upon a private correspondence by letters Ali, Lady L. was this quite right, though it came out happily in the event? Does not concealment always imply somewhat wrong? Ought you not to have done your duty, whether your father did his or not? Were you not called upon, as I may say, to a trial of yours? and is not virtue to be proved by trial? Remember you not who says " For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."-But you, Lady L. lost your excellent mother very early.'

The worthy young lady would not, however, be prevailed upon to consent to a private marriage; and my lord took leave of her. Their parting was extremely tender; and the amiable Caroline, in the softness of heart, overcome by my lord's protestations of everlasting love to her in preference to all the women on earth, voluntarily assured him, that she never would receive any other proposal, while he was living and single.

Sir Thomas showed himself so much displeased with Lord L. for the freedom of his last speech, that my lord chose not to desire another audience of him; and yet, being unwilling to widen the difference, he took polite leave of the angry baronet in a letter, which was put into his hands just before he had commanded Miss Caroline to attend

him at dinner, which she had begged to be excused doing.

Don't you pity the young lady, Lucy, in this situation; Lord L. having but a little before taken leave of her, and set out for London?

Miss Charlotte told her sister, that, were it she, she should hardly have suffered Lord L. to go away by himself-were it but to avoid an interview with a father who seemed to have been too much used to women's tears to be moved by them; and who had such a satirical vein, and such odd notions of love.

I was very earnest to know what passed at this d:nner-time.

Miss Grandison said-It is best for me to answer Miss Byron's curiosity, I believe; as I was a stander-by, and only my father and sister were the players.

6

Players! repeated Lady L.- It was a cruel scene. And I believe, Miss Byron, it will make you not wonder, that I liked Lord L. much the better for being rather a man of understanding than a man of wit.'

Miss Grandison began as follows.

'I went up with my father's peremptory, as I may call it, to my sister.

66 O, my dear mamma!" said Caroline, when she found she must go down, " on what a new occasion do I want your sweet mediation!-But, Charlotte, I can neither walk nor stand-"

"You must then lean upon me, my dear, and creep love will creep, they say, where it cannot go.

'Wicked girl!' interrupted Lady L. 'I remember that was what she said.'

'I said it to make you smile, if I could, and

take courage: but you know I was in tears for you notwithstanding.'

You thought of what might befal yourself, Charlotte.'

'So I did. We never, I believe, properly feel for others, what does not touch ourselves.'

'A compassionate heart,' said I, is a blessing, though a painful one: and yet there would be no supporting life, if we felt quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves. How happy was it for my Charlotte, that she could smile, when the father's apprehended lecture was intended for the use of both!'

I thank you for this, Harriet. You will not be long my creditor-But I will proceed.

Caroline took my advice. She leaned upon me; and creep, creep, creep, down she crept. A fresh stream of tears fell from her eyes, when she came to the dining-room door: her tremblings were increased; and down she dropped upon a window-seat in the passage. "I can go no further," said she.

Instantly a voice, that we knew must be observed, alarmed our ears. "Where are you, Caroline?-Charlotte!-Girls!-where are you?" The housekeeper was in hearing, and ran to us. "Ladies! ladies! your papa calls!" And we, in spite of the weakness of the one, and the unwillingness of the other, recovered our feet; and after half a dozen creeping motions more, found ourselves within the door, and in our father's sight, my sister leaning upon my arm.

"What devil's in the wind now! What tragedy-movements are here!-What measured steps! -In some cases all women are natural actresses. But come, Caroline, the play is over, and you mistake your cue."

"Good sir!"-Her hands held up-I wept for her-and for my own remoter case, if you will, Miss Byron.

"The prologue is yours, Caroline. Charlotte, I doubt not, is ready with her epilogue. But come, come, it is time to close this farce-Take your places, girls! and don't be fools."-"A pretty caution," thought I, said Miss Charlotte, "when you make us both such!"

However, the servants entering with the dinner, we hemmed, handkerchiefed, twinkled, took up our knives and forks, laid them down, and took them up again, when our father's eye was upon us; piddled, sipped; but were more busy with our elbows than with our teeth. As for poor sister Caroline, love stuck in her throat. She tried to swallow, as one in a quinsy; a wry face, and a strained neck, denoting her difficulty to get down but a lark's morsel-And what made her more awkward (I am sure it did me) was a pair of the sharpest eyes that ever were seen in a man's head, and the man a father, (the poor things having no mother, no aunt, to support their spirits) cast first on the one, then on the other; and now and then an over-clouded brow, adding to our awkwardness: yet still more apprehensive of dinner-time being over, and the withdrawing of the servants.

"The servants loved their young ladies. They attended with very serious faces; and seemed glad when they were dismissed.

'Then it was that Caroline arose from her seat, made her curtsey awkwardly enough; with the air of a boarding-school miss, her hands before her. 'My father let her make her honours, and go to the door, I rising to attend her: but then called her back; I dare say, on purpose to enjoy her awkwardness, and to punish her.