firft acquaintance eafy to each other. Emily wants no prepoffeffion in Mifs Byron's favour. She will be very ready herself to tell her whole ftory to Mifs Byron. Mean time, let us not fay all that is juft to say of the mother, when we are fpeaking of the daughter.

I ftand corrected, Sir Charles.

Emily, madam (turning to me), is not conftantly refident with us in town. She is fond of

being every where with my Charlotte.

And where you are, Sir Charles, faid Miss Grandifon.

Mr Reeves whispered a question to Sir Charles, which was feconded by my eyes; for I gueffed what it was: Whether he had heard any thing further of Sir Hargrave?

Don't be anxious, faid Sir Charles. All must be well. People, long used to error, don't, without reluctance, fubinit to new methods of proceeding. All must be well.

Sir Charles, ftepping out, brought in with him Mifs Jervois. The gentlemen feemed engaged in converfation, faid he. But I know the impatience of this young lady to pay her refpects to Mifs Byron.

He prefented her to us: This dear girl is my Emily. Allow me, madam, whenever Mifs Grandison shall be abfent, to claim for her the benefit of your inftruction, and your general countenance, as the fhall appear worthy of it.

There are not many men, my Lucy, who can make a compliment to one lady, without robbing, or, at least, depreciating another. How often have you and I observed, that a polite brother is a black fwan?

I faluted the young lady, and told her, I fhould be fond of embracing every opportunity that fhould offer to commend myself to her favour.

Mifs Emily Jervois is a lovely girl. She is tall,

genteel,

genteel, and has a fine complexion; and, though pitted with the fmall-pox, is pretty. The sweetnefs of her manners, as expreffed in her afpect, gives her great advantage. I was fure, the moment I faw her, that her greatest delight is to please.

She made me two or three pretty compliments, and, had not Sir Charles commended her to me, I should have been highly taken with her.

Mr Grandifon entered: Upon my honour, Sir Charles, I can ftay no longer, faid he: To know that the finest woman in England is under the fame roof with me; yet to be fo long detained from paying my respects to her-I can't bear it— And in a very gallant manner, as he feemed to intend, he paid his compliments, first to me, and then to my two coufins :-And whispering, yet loud enough to be heard, to Mifs Grandifon, fwore by his foul, that report fell short of my perfections and I can't tell what.

Did I not tell you that you would fay fo, Sir? faid Mifs Grandifon.

I did not like the gentleman the better for what I had heard of him: But, perhaps, fhould have been lefs indifferent to his compliment, had I not before been acquainted with Mr Greville, Mr Fenwick, and Sir Hargrave Pollexfen. The men of this caft, I think, feem all alike. Poor creature! how from my heart-But, indeed, now that I have the honour to know these two filters, I defpife myself.

Sir Charles addreffing himself to my coufins and me, Now, faid he, that my coufin Grandifon has found an opportunity to introduce himself, and that I have prefented my ward to you, we will, if you please, fee how Lord L. Lord G. and Dr Bartlett, are engaged.

He led my coufin Reeves into the dining

Lord L. addreffed us with great politeness. After Sir Charles had prefented the doctor to my coufins, he respectfully took my hand: Were there fifty ladies here, my good Dr Bartlett, whom you had never seen hefore, you would, I am fure, from the character you have had of Mifs Byron, be under no difficulty of reading that character in this young lady's face.-Mifs Byron, behold, in Dr Bartlett, another grandfather!

I reverence, faid 1, good Dr Bartlett. I borrow Sir Charles's thought: The character he has given you, Sir, is ftamped in your countenance. I fhould have venerated you where-ever I had seen you.

The gentleman has fuch a truly venerable aspect, my Lucy, I could not help faying this.

Sir Charles's goodness, madam, faid he, as it ever did, prevents my withes. I rejoice to fee, and to congratulate a new filter restored, as I will call it in the language of Miss Grandifon, to the best of fa

milies.

Just then came in a fervant and whispered to Sir Charles: Shew the gentleman, faid Sir Charles, into the drawing-room next the ftudy.

Mr Grandifon came up to me, and faid many filly things. I thought them fo at that time.

Mr Reeves foon after was fent for out by Sir Charles. I did not like his looks on his return.

Dinner being ready to be served, and Sir Charles, who was still with the gentleman, fummoned to it, he defired we would walk down, and he would wait upon us by the time we were feated.

Some new trouble, thought I, of which I am the caufe, I doubt.

Presently came in Sir Charles, unaffectedly smiling and ferene.-God bless you, Sir! thought I-His looks pleafed me better than my coufin's.

But, my dear, there is fomething going forward that I cannot get out of my coufin. I hoped I fhould, when I got home. The gentleman to whom

Sir Charles was called out, was certainly that Ba. genhall. Mr Reeves cannot deny that. I gueffed it was, by Sir Charles's fending in for Mr Reeves. It must be about me.

We had feveral charming converfations. Sir Charles was extremely entertaining. So unaffuming, fo lively, fo modeft! It was alfo delightful to sce the attention paid to him by the fervants as they waited at table. They watched every look of his. I never faw love and reverence fo agreeably mingled in fervants' faces in my life. And his commands were delivered to them with so much gentlenefs of voice and afpect, that one could not but conclude in favour of both, that they were the best of fervants to the best of masters.

Mr Grandifon was very gallant in his fpeeches to me; but very uncivil with his eyes.

Lord L. faid but little; but what he did fay defervedly gained attention.

Every body reverenced Dr Bartlett, and was attentive when he spoke; and would, I dare fay, on his own account, had not the mafter of the house, by the regard he paid him, engaged every one's veneration for him. Many of the questions which Sir Charles put to him, as if to inform himself, it was evident he could himself have answered: Yet he put them with an air of teachableness, if I may fo exprefs myfelf; and received the doctor's answers to them with as much fatisfaction as if he were then newly enlightened by them.-Ah, my Lucy! you imagine, I dare say, that this admirable man loft nothing in my eyes by this his polite condefcenfion. Referve, and a politeness that had dignity in it, fhewed that the fine gentleman and the clergyman were not separated in Dr Bartlet.-Pity they should be in any of the function!

Sir Charles gave Lord G. an opportunity to fhine, by leading the difcourfe into circumftances and details, which Lord G. could beft recount.

He

He is a connoiffeur in antiquities, and in those parts of nice knowledge, as I, a woman, call it, with which the Royal Society here, and the learned and polite of other nations, entertain themselves.

Lord G. appeared to advantage, as Sir Charles managed it, under the awful eye of Mifs Grandifon. Upon my word, Lucy, the makes very free with him. I whispered her, that she did-A very Mifs Howe, faid I.

To a very Mr Hickman, re-whispered fhe.-But here's the difference: I am not determined to have Lord G. Mifs Howe yielded to her mother's recommendation, and intended to marry Mr Hickman, even when she used him worst. One time or other (archly continued the the whifper, holding up her spread hand, and with a countenance of admiration) my Lord G. is to fhew us his collection of butterflies, and other gaudy infects: Will you make one ?

Of the gaudy infects? whispered I.—

Fie, Harriet!-One of the party, you know, I muft mean. Let me tell you, I never faw a collection of these various infects, that I did not the more admire the maker of them, and of all us infects, whatever I thought of the collectors of the minute ones. Another word with you, Harriet-These little playful studies may do well enough with perfons who do not want to be more than indifferent to us: But do you think a lover ought to take high delight in the painted wings of a butterfly, when a fine lady has made herself all over butterfly to attract him?-Eyes off, Sir Charles !-for he looked, though fmilingly, yet earnestly, at us, as we whifpered behind the Countefs's chair; who heard what was faid, and was pleafed with it.

LETTER