Grandifon's promife extends not fo far as to oblige her to marry Captain Anderson. the chino pengh

The Captain did not, he told me, like fome part of what I had said ; and still lefs fome of the words I had used:-And feemed to be difpofing his features to take a fiercer turn than became the occafion. I interrupted him therefore: I met you not, Captain, faid I, either to hear, or to obviate, ca. vils upon words. When I have told you that I came with an amicable intention, I expect to be believed. I intend not offence. But let us be men I am perhaps a younger man by ten years than any one prefent: But I have feen the world as much as any man of my age; and know what is due to the character of a gentleman, whether it be Captain Anderfon's or my own; and expect not wilful mifconftructions.

All I mean is, Sir, faid the Captain, that I will not be treated contemptuoufly; no, not even by the brother of Mifs Grandifon.

The brother of Mifs Grandifon, Sir, is not accustomed to treat any man contemptuoufly. Don't treat yourself so, and you are fafe from unworthy treatment from me. Let me add, Sir, that I permit every man to fix his character with me as he pleafes. I will venture to say, I have a large charity; but I extend it not to credulity: But yet will always allow a third perfon to decide upon the juftice of my intentions and actions.

The Captain faid, that he ascribed a great deal of my fifter's pofitiveness in her denial of him (thofe were his words) to the time of my arrival in England; and he doubted not, that I had encouraged the propofals, either of Sir Walter Watkyns, or of Lord G. because of their quality and fortunes: And hence his difficulties were increased.

And then up he rofe, flapt one hand upon the table, put the other on his fword, and was going to fay fome very fierce things, prefacing them with

d-ning his blood; when I ftood up: Hold, Captain; be calm, if .poffible-Hear from me the naked truth: I will make you a fair representation; and when I have done, do you refume, if you think it neceffary, that angry air you got up with, and fee what you'll make of it.

His friends.interpofed. He fat down, half out of breath with anger. His fwelled features went down by degrees.

The truth of the matter is ftrictly and briefly

this.

All my fifter's difficulties (which, perhaps, were greater in apprehenfion than in fact) ended with my father's life. I made it my bufinefs, on my arrival, as foon as poffible, to ascertain my fifters' fortunes. Lord L. married the elder. The two gentlemen you have mentioned made their addreffes to the younger. I knew nothing of you, Captain Anderfon. My fifter had wholly kept the affair between you and her in her own breast. She had not revealed it even to her fifter. The reafon fhe gives, and to which you, Sir, could be no ftranger, was, that he was determined never to be yours. The fubject requires explicitnefs, Captain Anderson: And I am not accustomed to palliate, whenever it does. She hoped to prevail upon you to leave her as generously free as the had left you. I do affure you, upon my honour, that fhe favours not either of the gentlemen. I know not the man fhe does favour. It is I, her brother, not herself, that am folicitous for her marrying. And, upon the indifference the expreffed to change her condition, on terms to which no objection could be made, I fuppofed fhe must have a fecret preference to fome other man. I was afterwards informed, that letters had paffed between her and you, by a lady, who had it from a gentleman of your acquaintance. You have fhewn me, Sir, by the prefence of thefe gentlemen, that you were not

fo

fo careful of the fecret as my fifter had been.They looked one upon another.

I charged my fifter, upon this discovery, with referve to me: But offered her my fervice in her own way; affuring her, that if her heart were engaged, the want of quality, title, and fortune, fhould not be of weight with me, and that whomfoever fhe accepted for her husband, him would I receive for my brother.

The colonel and the major extravagantly applauded a behaviour on this occafion, wirich deferved no more than a common approbation.

She folemnly affured me, proceeded I, that although the held herself bound by the promise which youth, inexperience, and folicitation, had drawn her in to make, fhe refolved to perform it by a perpetual fingle life, if it were infifted upon. And thus, Sir, you fee, that it depends upon you to keep Charlotte Grandifon a fingle woman, till you marry fome other lady (a power, let me tell you, that no man ought to feek to obtain over a young woman), or generously acquit her of it, and leave her as free as fhe has left you. And now, gentlemen (to the major and colonel), if you came hither not fo much parties as judges, I leave this matter upon your confideration; and will withdraw for a few moments.

I left every mouth ready to burst into words'; and walked into the public room. There I met with Colonel Martin, whom I had feen abroad ; and who had just asked after Major Dillon. He, to my great furprize, took notice to me of the bufinefs that brought me hither.

You fee, my fifter, the confequence you were of to Captain Anderfon. He had not been able to forbear boafting of the honour which a daughter of Sir Thomas Grandison had done him, and of his enlarged profpects, by her intereft. Dear Charlotte! How unhappy was the man, that your pride

fhould

fhould make you think yourself concerned to keep fecret an affair that he thought a glory to him to make known to many! For we fee (fhall I not fay, to the advantage of this gentleman's character?) that he has many dear and infeparable friends, from whom he concealed not any fecret of his heart.

Colonel Mackenzie came out foon after, and we withdrew to the corner of the room. He talked a great deal of the ftrength of the captain's paffion; of the hopes he had conceived of making his fortune, through the intereft of a family to which he imputed confideration: He made me many compliments: He talked of the great detriment this long-fufpended affair had been to his friends ; and told me, with a grave countenance, that the Captain was grown as many years older as it had been in hand; and was ready to rate very highly fo much time loft in the prime of life. In fhort, he afcribed to the Captain the views and the disappointments of a military fortune-hunter too plainly for his honour, in my eye, had I been disposed to take proper notice of the meaning of what heẹ faid.

After having heard him out, I defired the Colonel to let me know what all this meant, and what were the Captain's expectations.

He paraded on again a long time, and asked me at laft, if there were no hopes that the lady

None at all, interrupted I. She has fteadily declared as much. Charlotte Grandifon is a woman of fine fenfe. She has great qualities. She has infuperable objections to the Captain, which are founded on a more perfect knowledge of the man, and of her own heart, than the could have at first. It is not my intention to depreciate him with his friend; I fhall not, therefore, enter into particulars. Let me know, Colonel, what the gentleman pretends to. He is paffionate, I fee: I am not a tame man: But God forbid, that Captain Ander

fon,

fon, who hoped to be benefited by an alliance with the daughter of Sir Thomas Grandifon, fhould receive hurt, or hard treatment from her brother!

Here Colonel Martin, who had heard fomething of what was faid, defired to speak with Colonel Mackenzie. They were not so distant but my ear unavoidably caught part of their fubject. Colonel Martin expatiated, in a very high manner, on my character, when I was abroad. He imputed bra very to me (a great article among military men, and with you ladies), and I know not how many good qualities And Colonel Mackenzie took him in with him to the other two gentlemen: Where, I fuppofe, every thing that had paffed was repeated.

After a while, I was defired by Colonel Martin, in the name of the gentlemen, to walk in; he himfelf fitting down in the public room.

They received me with refpect. I was obliged to hear and fay a great many things that I had faid and heard before: But at laft two propofals were made me; either of which, they said, if complied with, would be taken as laying the Captain under a very high obligation.

Poor man! I had compaffion on him, and clofed with one of them; declining the other for a reafon which I did not give to them To fay truth, Charlotte, I did not chufe to promife my intereft in behalf of a man, of whofe merit I was not affured, had I been able to challenge any, as perhaps I might by Lord W.'s means; who ftands well with proper perfons. A man ought to think himfelf, in fome measure, accountable for warm recommendations; efpecially where the public is concerned: And could I give my promife, and be cool as to the performance? And I should think myself alfo anfwerable to a worthy man, and to every one connected with him, if I were a means of lifting one lefs worthy over his head. I chofe therefore

to