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less-What shall I call it?-Passion?—Well, if I must call it so, I must. A child in love-matters, if I did not, would find me out,' you know. Nor will I, however hopeless, be ashamed of owning it, if I can help it. Is not reason, is not purity, is not delicacy with me? Is it person that I am in love with, if I am in love? No: it is virtue, it is goodness, it is generosity, it is true politeness, that I am captivated by; all centered in this one good mun. What then have I to be ashamed of?-And yet I am a little ashamed now and then, for all that.

After all, that love, which is founded on fancy, or exterior advantages, is a love, I should think, that may, and oftentimes ought, to be overcome: but that which is founded on interior worth, that blazes out when charity, beneficence, piety, fortitude, are signally exerted by the object beloved; how can such a love as that be restrained, damped, suppressed? How can it, without damping every spark of generous goodness, in what my partial grandmamma calls a 'fellow heart,' admiring and longing to promote and share in such glorious philanthropy?

Philanthropy! Yes, my uncle: why should women, in compliance with the petulance of narrow-minded men, forbear to use words that some seem to think above them, when no other single word will equally express their sense? It will be said,They need not write.' Well, then, don't let them reud: and carry it a little further, and they may be forbidden to speak. And every lordly man will then be a Grand Signior, and have his mute attendant.

But won't you think my heart a little at ease, that I can thus trifle? I would fain have it be at ease, and that makes me give way to any cheerful idea that rises to my mind.

The ladies here have made me read to them several passages out of my letters to you before I send them. They are more generous than I think I wish them to be, in allowing me to skip and pass over sentences and paragraphs as I please: for is not this allowing that I have something to write, or have written something, that they think I ought to keep from their knowledge; and which they do not desire to know? With all my heart. I will not be mean, Lucy.

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Well, Lucy, Lady Anne has been here, and is gone. She is an agreeable woman. I can't say but she is very agreeable. And were she actually Lady Grandison, I think I could respect her. I think I could. But O, my dear friends, what a happy creature was I before I came to London!

There was a good deal of discourse about Sir Charles. She owned, that she thought him the handsomest man she ever saw in her life. She was in love with his great character, she said. She could go no-where but he was the subject. She had heard of the affair between him and Sir Hargrave; and made me a hundred compliments on the occasion: and said, That her having heard that I was } at Colnebrook, was one inducement to her to make this visit.

It seems, she told Miss Grandison, that she thought me the prettiest creature she ever beheld. -Creature,' was her word.-We are all creatures, 'tis true; but I think I never was more displeased with the sound of the word creature than I was from Lady Anne.

My aunt's letter relating to what passed between her and Lady D. is just brought me.

And so Lady D. was greatly chagrined!—I am

sorry for it. But, my dear aunt, you say that she is not displeased with me in the main, and commends my sincerity. That, I hope, is but doing me justice. I am very glad to find, that she knew not how to get over my prepossession in favour of another man. It was worthy of herself, and of my Lord D.'s character. I shall always respect her. I hope this affair is quite over.

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My grandmamma regrets the uncertainty I am in; but did she not say herself, that Sir Charles Grandison was too considerable in his fortune, in his merit? That we were but as the private, he the public, in this particular? What room is there then for regret? Why is the word uncertainty used? We may be certain-And there's an end of it. His sisters can rally me- Some happy man Northamptonshire!—As much as to say, 'You must not think of our brother.'-'Lady Anne S. has a vast fortune.' Is not that saying- What hope can you have, Harriet Byron?-Well, I don't care : this life is but a passage, a short and a dark passage, to a better: and let one jostle, and another elbow; another push me, because they know the weakest must give way, yet I will endeavour steadily to pursue my course, till I get through it, and into broad and open day.

One word only more on this subject.-There is but one man in the world whom I can honestly marry, my mind continuing what it is. His I cannot expect to be: I must then of necessity be a single woman as long as I live. Well! And where is the great evil of that? Shall I not have less cares, less anxieties? I shall. And let me beg of my dear friends, that none of you will ever again mention marriage to your

HARRIET BYRON.

LETTER XXVII.

MISS BYRON. IN CONTINUATION.

Tuesday, March 14. SIR CHARLES is come at last! He came time enough to breakfast, and with him the good Dr. Bartlett. My philosophy, I doubt, is gone again, quite gone; for one while at least. I must take sanctuary, and that very soon, at Selby House.

.

Every word that passes now seems to me worth repeating. There is no describing how the presence of this man animates every one in company. But take only part of what passed.

'We were in hopes, Sir Charles,' said Lord L. that we should have had the pleasure of seeing you before now.'

'My heart was with you, my lord; and,' (taking my hand; for he sat next me, and bowing) the more ardently, I must own, for the pleasure I should have shared with you all, in the company of this your lovely guest.'

[What business had he to take my hand? But indeed the character of brother might warrant the freedom.]

'I was engaged most part of last week in a very melancholy attendance, as Mr. Grandison could have informed you.'

'But not a word of the matter,' said Mr. Grandison,' did I tell the ladies;' looking at his two cousins: "I amused them, as they love to do all mankind, when they have power.'

The ladies, I hope, cousin, will punish you for this reflection.'

'I came not to town till Saturday,' proceeded Sir Charles; and found a billet from Sir Hargrave

Pollexfen, inviting himself, Mr. Merceda, Mr. Bagenhall, and Mr. Jordan, to pass the Sunday evening with me at St. James's Square. The company was not suitable to the day, nor the day to the purposed meeting. I made my excuses, and desired them to favour me at breakfast on Monday morning. They came; and when we were all in good humour with one another, I proposed, and was seconded by Mr Jordan, that we would make a visit-You will hardly guess to whom, Miss Byron-It was to the widow Awberry, at Padding

ton.'

I started and even trembled. What I suffered there was all in my mind.

He proceeded then to tell me, that he had, though not without some difficulty on Sir Hargrave's part, actually engaged him to draw upon his banker for the 100l. he had promised Wilson; Mr. Merceda, on his banker, for 50l. and he himself generously added 501. more; and, giving, as he said, the air of a frolic to the performance of a promise, they all of them went to Paddington. There satisfying themselves of the girl's love for Wilson, and of the widow's opinion of Wilson's good intentions by the girl; they let them know, that the sum of 2001. was deposited in Sir Charles's hands to be paid on the day of marriage, as a portion for the young woman; and bid them demand it as soon as they thought fit. Neither Wilson nor the widow's son was there. The widow and her daughters were overjoyed at this unexpected good

news.

They afterwards showed Sir Charles, it seems, every scene of my distress; and told him, and the gentlemen, all but Sir Hargrave, (who had not patience to hear it, and went into another room) my whole sad story. Sir Charles was pleased to say,

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