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to do that fervice to him, for which I am refponfible only to myself. After I have said this, my fifter muft afk me no questions.

I gave a rough draught, at the captain's request, of the manner in which I would have releafes drawn. Colonel Martin was defired to walk in. And all the gentlemen promised to bury in filence all that had ever come to their knowledge, of what had paffed between Charlotte Grandifon and Captain Anderfon.

Let not the mentioning to you these measures hurt you, my fifter. Many young ladies of fense and family have been drawn into ftill greater inconveniencies than you have fuffered. Perfons of eminent abilities (I have a very high opinion of my Charlotte's) feldom err in fmall points. Moft young women, who begin a correfpondence with our defigning fex, think they can ftop when they will. But it is not fo. We and the dark spirit that fets us at work, which we fometimes mif-call Love, will not permit you to do fo. Men and women are devils to one another. They need no other tempter.

All will be compleated to-morrow; and your written promife of confequence given up. I congratulate my fifter on the happy conclufion of this affair. You are now your own miftrefs, and free to chufe for yourself. I fhould never forgive myfelf, were I, who have been the means of freeing you from one controul, to endeavour to lay you under another. Think not either of Sir Walter, or of Lord G. if your heart declare not in favour of either. You have fometimes thought me earnest in behalf of Lord G. But I have never spoken in his favour, but when you have put me upon anfwering objections to him, which I have thought infufficient: And indeed, Charlotte, fome of your objections have been fo flight, that I was ready to beTieve you put them for the pleasure of having them anfwered.

My

My Charlotte need not doubt of admirers, whereever the fets her foot. And I repeat, that whoever be the man fhe inclines to favour, fhe may depend upon the approbation and good offices of

Her ever-affectionate Brother,

CHARLES GRANDISON.

LETTER IV..

Mifs HARRIET BYRON, To Mifs SELRY.

Friday, March 17.

I SEND you inclosed (to be returned by the first

opportunity) Sir Charles's letter to his fifter, acquainting her with the happy conclufion of the affair between Captain Anderfon and her. Her brother, as you will fee, acquits her not of precipitation. If he did, it would have been an impeachment of his justice. O the dear Charlotte! how her pride is piqued at the meannefs of the man!-But no more of this subject, as the letter is before you.

And now, my dear and honoured friends, let me return you a thousand thanks for the great pacquet of my letters, just sent me, with a most indulgent one from my aunt, and another from my uncle.

I have already put into the two ladies hands, and my lord's, without referve, all the letters that reach to the masquerade affair, from the time of my tetting out for London; and when they have read thofe, I have promised them more. This confidence has greatly obliged them; and they are employed, with no small earnestness, in perufing them.

This gives me an opportunity of pursuing my own devices-And what, befides fcribbling, do you think one of them is?-A kind of perfecution of Dr Bartlett; by which, however, I suspect, that I myfelf am the greatest fufferer. He is an excellent VOL. III.

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man; and I make no difficulty of going to him in his clolet; encouraged by his affurances of wel

come.

Let me ftop to fay, my Lucy, that when I approach this good man in his retirement, furrounded by his books, his table generally covered with those on pious fubjects, I, in my heart, congratulate the faint, and inheritor of future glory; and, in that great view, am the more defirous to cultivate his friendship.

And what do you think is our fubject? Sir Charles, I fuppofe, you guefs-And fo it is, either in the middle or latter end of the few converfations we have yet had time to hold: But, I do affure you, we begin with the fublimeft; though I muft fay, to my fhame, that it has not fo much of my heart at prefent as it once had, and I hope again will one day have-The great and glorious truths of Christianity are this fubject; which yet, from this good Dr Bartlett, warms my heart as often as he enters into it. But this very fubject, fublime as it is, brings on the other, as of confequence: For Sir Charles Grandifon, without making an oftentatious pretenfion to religion, is the very Christian in practice that thefe doctrines teach a man to be. Muft not then the doctrines introduce the mention of a man who endeavours humbly to imitate the divine example? It was upon good grounds he once faid, that he must one day die, it was matter of no moment to him, whether it were to-morrow, or forty years hence.

The ladies had referred me to the doctor himself for a more fatisfactory account than they had given me, how Sir Charles and he first came acquainted. I told him fo, and afked his indulgence to me in this enquiry.

He took it kindly. He had, he said, the hiftory. of it written down. His nephew, whom he often employs as his amanuenfis, fhould make me out,

from

from that little hiftory, an account of it, which I might fhow, he was pleafed to fay, to fuch of my felect friends, as I entrusted with the knowledge of my own heart.

I fhall impatiently expect the abftract of this little, hiftory; and the more, as the Doctor tells me, there will be included fome particulars of Sir Charles's behaviour abroad in his younger life, and of Mr Beauchamp, whom the Doctor fpeaks of with love, as his patron's deareft friend, and whom he calls a fecond Sir Charles Grandifon.

SEE, my Lucy, the reward of franknefs of heart! My communicativenefs has been already encouraged with the perufal of two letters from the fame excellent man to Doctor Bartlett; to whom, from early. days (as I fhall be foon more particularly informed), he has given an account of all his conduct and

movements.

The Doctor drew himself in, however, by reading to Lord L. and the ladies, and me, a paragraph or two out of one of them: And he has even allowed me to give my grandmamma and aunt a fight of them. Return them, Lucy, with the other letter, by the very next poft. He fays, he can deny me nothing. I wish I may not be too bold with him-As for Mifs Grandifon, fhe vows, that the will not let the good man reft till fhe get him to communicate what he fhall not abfolutely declare to be a fecret, to us three fifters, and my Lord L If the first man, fhe fays, could not refift one woman, how will the Doctor deal with three, not one of them behind-hand with the firft in curiofity?" And all loving him, and whom he profeffes to efteem? You fee, Lucy, that Mifs Grandifon has pretty well got up her fpirits again.

Juft now Mifs Grandifon has related to me a converfation that paffed between my Lord and La

dy L. herself, and Doctor Bartlett; in which the fubject was their brother and I. The ladies and my Lord are entirely in my interests, and regardful of my punctilio. They roundly told the Doctor, That, being extremely earnest to have their brother marry, they knew not the perfon living whom they wifhed to call his wife preferably to Mifs Byron; could they be sure that I were abfolutely difengaged. Now, Doctor, faid Miss Grandifon, tell us frankly, What is your opinion of our choice for a more than nominal fifter?

I will make no apologies, Lucy, for repeating all that was repeated to me of this converfation.

Lord L. Ay, my good Doctor Bartlett, let us have your free opinion.

Dr B. Mifs Byron (I pronounce upon knowledge, for fhe has more than once, fince I have been down, done me the honour of entering into very free and serious conversations with me) is one of the most excellent of women.

And then he went on, praifing me for ingenuoufnefs, ferioufnefs, chearfulness, and for other good qualities, which his partiality found out in me: And added, Would to heaven that she were neither more nor lefs than Lady Grandifon!

God bless him! thought I-Don't you join, my Lucy, to fay, at this place, you who love me fo dearly, God bless you, Doctor Bartlett?

Lady L. Well, but, Doctor, you fay that Mifs Byron talks freely with you; cannot you gather from her, whether the is inclined to marriage? Whether fhe is abfolutely difengaged? Lady D. made a propofal to her for Lord D.; and infifted on an answer to this very question: That matter is gone off. As our guest, we would not have Mifs Byron think us impertinent. She is very delicate. And as she is fo amiably frank-hearted, thofe things fhe chufes not to mention of her own accord, one would not, you know, officiously put to her.

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