fortune? He would be loth to forfeit it. His fortune is my fecurity. And am I not a man of fome confequence myfelf? Is not the affair between us known? Will not therefore the cause justify me, and condemn him? The man is turbulent; he is uneafy with himself; he knows himself to be in the wrong. And fhall a man, who refolves to pay a facred regard to laws divine and human, fear this Goth? It is time enough to fear, when I can be. unjuft. If you value my friendship, as I do yours, my good Mr Reeves, proceeded he, I fhall be fure of your abfolute filence. I will attend Sir Hargrave by ten to-morrow morning. You will hear from me, or fee me at your own house, by twelve..

And then it was, as Mr Reeves tells me, that Sir Charles turned from him, to encourage me to give the company a leffon from Dryden's Alexander's Feaft.

Mr Reeves went out in the morning. My coufin fays, he had been exceffively uneafy all night.. He now owns he called in St James's-fquare, and there breakfasted with Lord and Lady L. Mifs Grandifon, Mifs Emily, and Dr Bartlett. Sir Charles went out at nine in a chair, one servant only attending him: The family knew not whither. And his two fifters were fomenting a rebellion against him, as they humorously called it, for his keeping from them (who kept nothing from him) his motions, when they and my Lord were together, and at his house: But my lord and Mifs Emily pleafantly refufed to join in it. Mr Reeves. told us, on his return, that his heart was fo sunk, that they took great notice of his dejection.

About three o'clock, juft as Mr Reeves was determined to go to St James's-fquare again, and, if Sir Charles had not been heard of, to Cavendishfquare (though irrefolute what to do when there), the following billet was brought him from Sir Charles..

Charles. After what I have written, does not your heart leap for joy, my Lucy?

I

Dear Sir,

Half an hour after two. WILL do myfelf the honour of vifiting Mrs Reeves, Mifs Byron, and you, at your usual tea-time, if you are not engaged. I tell the ladies here, that those who have leait to do are generally the most busy people in the world. I can therefore be only answerable, on this vifit, for, Sir, Your most humble fervant,

CHARLES GRANDISON.

Then it was, that, vehemently urged both by my cousin and me, Mr Reeves gave us briefly the cause of his uneafinefs.

About fix o'clock Sir Charles came in a chair. He was charmingly drefled. I thought him, the moment he entered, the handfomest man I ever faw in my life. What a tranfporting thing must it be, my Lucy, to an affectionate wife, without reftraint, without check, and performing nothing but her duty, to run with open arms to receive a worthy husband, returning to her after a long abfence, or from an escaped danger! How cold, how joyless! But no! I was neither cold nor joyless; for my face, as I felt it, was in a glow; and my heart was ready to burst with congratulatory meaning, at the vifible fafety, and unhurt perfon, of the man who had laid me before under fuch obligations to him, as were too much for my gratitude. O do not, do not tell me, my dear friends, that you love him, that you with me to be his. I fhall be ready, if you do, to wish-I don't know what I would fay: But your wishes were always the leaders of mine.

Mrs Reeves, having the fame caufe for appre henfion, could hardly restrain herself when he en

tered

tered the room. She met him at the door, her hand held out, and with fo much emotion, that Sir Charles faid, How well, Mr Reeves, you have kept my fecret!-Mr Reeves told him what an uneafinefs he had laboured under from the preceding evening; and how filent he had been, till his welcome billet came.

Then it was that both my coufins, with equal freedom, congratulated him.

And I'll tell you how the fool, the maiden fool, looked, and acted. Her feet infenfibly moved to meet him, while he was receiving the freer compliments of my coufins. I curtfied bafhfully; it was hardly noticeable; and, becaufe unnoticed, I paid my compliments in a deeper curtfey. And then, finding my hand in his, when I knew not whether I had a hand or not-I am grieved, Sir, faid I, to be the occafion, to be the caufe-And I fighed for one reafon (perhaps you can guess what that was), and blushed for two; because I knew not what to say, nor how to look; and because I was under obligations which I could not return.

He kindly faved my further confufion, by making light of what had paffed: And, leading me to a feat, took his place by me.

May I afk, Sir Charles ?-faid my coufin Reeves, and stopt.

The converfation was too tedious, and too various, to be minutely related, Mr Reeves. But Sir Hargrave had, by Mr Bagenhall's defire, got his fhort-hand writer in a clofet; and that unknown to me, till all was over. I am to have a copy of what paffed. You fhall fee it, if you please, when it is fent me. Mean time, what think of a compromife at your expence, Mifs Byron?

you

I dare abide by every thing that Sir Charles Grandifon has ftipulated for me.

It would be cruelty to keep a lady in fufpence, where doubt will give her pain, and cannot end in.

pleafure:

pleasure. Sir Hargrave is refolved to wait upon you: Are you willing to fee him?

If, Sir, you will advise me to fee him.

I advife nothing, madam. Purfue your inclinations. Mr Reeves is at liberty to admit whom he pleafes into his houfe; Mifs Byron to fee in it, or wherefoever fhe is, whom he pleafes. I told him my mind very freely: But I left him determined to wait on you. I have reafon to believe he will behave very well. I fhall be furprised, if he does not in the humbleft manner ask your pardon; and yours, Mr Reeves, and your lady's. But if you have any apprehenfions, madam (to me), I will be ready to attend you at five minutes notice, before he fhall be admitted to your prefence.

It is very good, Sir, faid Mr Reeves, to be ready to favour Mifs Byron with your countenance, on fuch an occafion. But I hope we need not give you that trouble in this house.

Sir Charles went away foon after; and Mr Reeves has been accufing himself ever fince with anfwering him too abruptly, though he meant nothing but the trueft refpect. And yet as I have written it, on re-perufal, I don't above half like Mr Reeves's answer. But where high refpect is entertained, grateful hearts will always, I believe, be aceufing themselves of imperfections, which none other fee, or can charge them with.

As Sir Charles is fafe, and I have now nothing to apprehend but Sir Hargrave's vifit, I will difpatch this letter, with affurances that I am, my dear Lucy,

Your ever-affectionate

HARRIET BYRON.

LETTER

LETTER

IV.

Mifs HARRIET BYRON, To Mifs LUCY SELBY.

Friday, One o' Clock, Mar. 3

IR Charles has just sent the impatiently expected paper, tranfcribed by the fhort-hand writer from his minutes of the converfation that paffed on Sir Charles's intrepid vifit at Sir Hargrave's. Intrepid, I call it: But had I known of it, as Mr Reeves did, before the event, in fome measure, juftified the rafhness, I could have called it rafh, and been for propofing to fend peaceofficers to Cavendish fquare, or taking fome method to know whether he were fafe in his perfon; especially when three o'clock approached; and his dinner-time is earlier than that of most other people of fashion.

Mr Reeves has been fo good as to undertake to transcribe this long paper for me, that I may have time to give you an account of three particular vifits which I have received. I asked Mr Reeves, if it were not a strange way of proceeding in this Bagenhall to have his fhort-hand writer, and now turned listener, always with him? He answered, it was not an ufual way; but, in cafes of this nature where murder, and a trial, were expected to follow the rafhness, in a court of juftice, he thought it carried with it, though a face of premeditation, yet a look of fairness; and there was no doubt but the man had been in bad fcrapes before now, and was willing to ufe every precaution for the future.

THE PAPER.

On Thursday morning, March the 2d, 17. I Henry Cotes, according to notice given me the preceding