O that the next eight or ten years of my life, if I find not in the interim a man on whom my whole undivided heart can fix, were happily over! As happily as the last alike important four years! To be able to look down from the elevation of thirty years, my principles fixed, and to have no capital folly to reproach myfelf with; what a happiness would that be!

My cousins Reeves's time of fetting out holds; the indulgence of my dearest friends continues; and my refolution holds. But I will fee my Nancy before I fet out. What! fhall I enter upon a party of pleasure, and leave in my heart room to reflect, in the midst of it, that there is a dear fuffering friend who had reason to think I was afraid of giving myself pain, when I might, by the balm of true love and friendly foothings, adminifter comfort to her wounded heart?—No, my Lucy, believe me, if I have not generofity enough, I have felfishness enough to make me avoid a fting fo fevere as this would be to

Your HARRIET BYRON.

W

LETTER IV.

Mifs BYRON, to Mifs SELBY.

Grofvenor-Street, Tuesday, Jan. 24.

E are just arrived. We had a very agreeable journey.

I need not tell you that Mr Greville and Mr Fenwick attended us to our firft baiting; and had a genteel dinner ready provided for us: The gentlemen will tell you this, and all particulars.

They both renewed their menaces of following me to London, if I ftaid above one month. They were fo good as to ftretch their fortnight to a month.

Mr

Mr Fenwick, in very pathetic terms, as he found an opportunity to engage me alone for a few minutes, befought me to love him. Mr Greville was as earneft with me to declare that I hated him. Such a declaration, he said, was all he at present wifhed for. It was ftrange, he told me, that he neither could prevail on me to encourage his love, nor to declare my hatred. He is a whimsical creature.

I rallied him with my ufual freedom; and told him, that if there were one perfon in the world that I was capable of hating, I could make the lefs fcruple to oblige him. He thanked me for that.

I

The two gentlemen would fain have proceeded farther: But as they are never out of their way, dare fay, they would have gone to London; and there have dangled on till we should not have got rid of them, for my whole time of being in town.

I was very gravely earneft with them to leave us, when we ftept into the coach in order to proceed. Fenwick, you dog, faid Mr Greville, we muft return; Mifs Byron looks grave. Gravity and a rifing colour in the finest face in the world, indicate as much as the frowns of other beauties. And in the most respectful manner they both took leave of me; infifting, however, on my hand, and that I would with them well.

I gave each my hand; I wish you very well, gentlemen, faid I: and I am obliged to your civility in feeing me fo far on my journey: efpecially as you are fo kind as to leave me here.

Why, dear Madam, did you not fpare your efpecially, faid Mr Greville?-Come Fenwick, let us retire, and lay our two loggerheads together, and live over again the past hour, and then hang ourselves.

Poor Mr Orme! The coach, at our first fetting out, paffed by his park-gate, you know. There was he―on the very ridge of the highway. I saw him not till it was near him. He bowed to the very ground, with fuch an air of difconfolatenefs!-Poor

Mr Orme! I wifhed to have faid one word to him, when we had paffed him: but the coach flewWhy did the coach fly!-But I waved my hand, and leaned out of the coach as far as I could, and bowed to him.

O Mifs Byron, faid Mrs Reeves (fo faid Mr Reeves), Mr Orme is the happy man. Did I think as you do, faid I, I fhould not be fo defirous to have fpoken to him: but methinks, I fhould have been glad to have once faid, Adieu, Mr Orme; for Mr Orme is a good man.

But, Lucy, my heart was foftened at parting with my dear relations and friends; and when the heart is foftened, light impreffions will go deep.

My cousins' houfe is fuitable to their fortune; very handfome, and furnished in tafte. Mrs Reeves, knowing well what a fcribbler I am, and am expected to be, has provided me with pen, ink, and paper, in abundance. She readily allowed me to take early poffeffion of my apartment, that I might pay punctual obedience to the commands of all my friends on fetting out. Thefe, you know, were to write in the first hour of my arrival: And it was allowed to be to you, my dear. But, writing thus early, what can have occurred?

My apartment is extremely elegant. A well-fur. nished book-cafe, is, however, to me the most attracting ornament in it-Pardon me, dear pen and ink! I must not prefer any thing to you, by whose means I hope to spend some part of every day at Selby-houfe; and even at this distance amufe with my prattle those friends that are always fo partial to it.

And now, my dear, my revered grandmamma, I afk your bleffing-Yours, my ever indulgent aunt Selby-And yours my honoured and equally beloved uncle Selby. Who knows but you will now in abfence take lefs delight in teazing your ever dutiful Harriet? But yet I unbefpeak not my monitor. Continue

Continue to love me, my Lucy, as I fhall endeavour to deferve your love: and let me know how our dear Nancy does.

My heart bleeds for her. I fhould have held myfelf utterly inexcufable, had I accepted of your kindly intended difpenfation, and come to town for three whole months, without repeating to her, by word of mouth, my love and my fympathizing concern for her. What merit does her patience add to her other merits! How has her calamity endeared her to me! If ever I shall be heavily afflicted, God give me her amiable, her almoft meritorious patience in fufferings !

To my coufins Holles's, and all my other relatitions, friends, companions, make the affectionate compliments of

Your HARRIET BYRON,

You

LETTER V.

Mifs BYRON, To Mifs SELBY.

Jan. 25.

OU rejoice me, my dear, in the hopes which you tell me, Dr Mitchell from London gives you in relation to our Nancy. May our inceffant prayers for the restoration of her health be anfwered.

Three things my aunt Selby, and you, in the name of every one of my friends, injoined me at parting. The first to write often; very often were your words. This injunction was not needful: My heart is with you; and the good news you give me of my grandmamma's health, and of our Nancy, enlarge that heart. The fecond, To give you a defcription of the perfons and characters of the people I am likely to be converfant with in this great C 3

town.

town. And, thirdly, Befides the general account which you all expected from me of the vifits I made and received, you injoined me to acquaint you with the very beginnings of every addrefs (and even of every filent and respectful diftinction, were your words) that the girl whom you all fo greatly favour, might receive on this excurfion to town.

Don't you remember what my uncle Selby anfwered to this?—I do: And will repeat it, to fhew that his correcting cautions fhall not be forgotten.

The vanity of the fex, faid he, will not suffer anything of this fort to efcape our Harriet. Women, continued he, make themselves fo cheap at the public places in and about the town, that new faces are more enquired after than even fine faces constantly feen. Harriet has an honeft artlefs bloom in her cheeks; fhe may attract notice as a novice: But wherefore do you fill her head with an expectation of conqueft? Women, added he, offer themselves at every public place, in rows, as at a market. Becaufe three or four filly fellows here in the country (like people at an auction, who raise the price upon each other above its value) have bid for her, you think fhe will not be able to fet her foot out of doors, without increafing the number of her followers.

And then my uncle would have it, that my head would be unable to bear the confequence which the partiality of my other friends gave me.

It is true, my Lucy, that we young women are too apt to be pleafed with the admiration pretended for us by the other fex. But I have always endeavoured to keep down any foolish pride of this fort, by fuch confiderations as these : That flattery is the vice of men: That they seek to raise us in order to lower us, and in the end to exalt themselves on the ruins of the pride they either hope to find, or infpire: That humility, as it fhines brightest in a high condition, best becomes a flattered woman of all women: That fhe who is puffed up by the praises