report dishonourable to my son, and which could have no other foundation than his having condescended to flirt a little with the girl. ⠀⠀

Your ladyship may depend upon it,' said she, that he carried his flirtation the length of making her a very serious proposal of marriage; yet that need give you no uneasiness, since the young lady has refused him in the most decided terms.'

I asked, if she was mad?

She said she hoped not; but she understood that his lordship was in danger of running mad with grief at his rejection; that she had received the intelligence from Mr. Clifford, who was the more provoked at his sister, be, cause she had refused a far more advantageous match before; that the truth of the fact had been confirmed to her by Mrs, Darnley, who was convinced that all fresh solici tation, on the part of Lord Deanport, would be vain, for she knew her niece to be rather nice in her choice of a husband, and extremely proud.'

However pleased I might have been with this informa tion, I could not help feeling indignation at the arrogance of the creature.

• Proud!' cried I. Pray, Mrs. Demure, can you guess for whom this paragon reserves herself? She can have no hopes of being the wife of a prince of the blood ―a malicious act of parliament stands in the way.'

Perhaps, when she can do no better,' replied Mrs, Demure, she may condescend to marry a duke. But it is clear that she looks higher than an earl: or, if she can stoop so low as to one of that rank, she has already shown that the earl of Deanport is not the person she intends to honour.'

Though she affected to be turning Miss Clifford into ridicule, yet I could perceive that she indulged in those and other impertinent expressions, from malice to me; and, in spite of the pleasure I felt, from the assurance that Miss Clifford was not to be my son's wife, I could have spit in Mrs. Demure's face for the style in which she conveyed it.

I have been long convinced of this woman's hatred a gainst me, though I am not certain that she knows the full extent of the reason she has for it. That she has also à spite against Miss Clifford is evident enough. The girl's beauty, indisputably superior to her own, accounts for that: but her hatred against the sister does not pre, vent Mrs. Demure from spreading her nets for the bro ther. Peggy Almond, who has been with me for some time, first made the remark. I knew that she had been sighing for a husband, of late, with more fervour than usual; and I am not ill pleased that she has fixed her fancy on young Clifford. I heartily wish her success, from the love I bear the young lady, and her starched friend, the chaste Diana, I hope she will not be caught in her own snare, as, I strongly suspect she was, when she made the same attempt on Mr. Mordaunt. Of this, however, I would give a considerable sum to be fully as certained. After their connection, of whatever nature it had been, seemed to be entirely broken, I endeavoured, by all the means I could devise, to draw a confirmation of my suspicions from him: I took particular care to inform him of a striking instance of Mrs. Demure's malice against himself, hoping that, in return, he would give me the satisfaction I wished for; not that I expected a downright avowal, but I did expect that, in the usual way with fine gentlemen, he would deny and reject the imputation in such a manner as would leave no doubt of its truth, I must acknowledge that I was completely disappointed; and, if I had nothing to form a judgment from, but what was to be gathered from the words and behaviour of Mor, daunt, I should be obliged to conclude that my suspicions were unfounded.

Mrs, Demure's own conduct, however, has, in particular circumstances, added strength to my suspicions:-as often as the galled part is touched, she winces. At my instigation, Lady Blunt rubbed it lately a little too roughly. She could hardly refrain from screaming, But all this forms no clearer proof than exists against numbers who are still classed among the upright.-I am more so

licitous than ever to obtain proof positive. I wait with impatience for Mordaunt's return to town. I am resolv ed to put him once more to the question, and with such address as may, perhaps, squeeze the truth from him be fore he is aware of my intention.

In the course of my researches after this volage, I have been informed that he was caught on the continent by a French woman, with whom he came to England,—a madame la marquise de-something or other :-for every Frenchman to be met with now-a-days is a nobleman, generally one who has forfeited a great estate; and every Frenchwoman is a duchess, a marchioness, or a countess at least. Notwithstanding the havoc made by the revolution among the nobility of France, I am assured that more French people, with titles, are to be found in the different countries of Europe, at present, than were in France before the emigration began. The lady whom Mordaunt has imported, I hear, is very handsome, and wonderfully elegant in her manners. That she has something piquant in her appearance I readily believe, since Mordaunt has showed her so much attention; but as for what they call elegance, I dare swear it is nothing but that pert address and friskiness of manner which French women almost universally have. Be that as it may, fancy Mordaunt begins to be tired of her; for, after roving about town a little with his friend Travers, they set out suddenly for Rose-Mount, on the pretext that my lord was ill and impatient to see his brother. The true reason, I am convinced, was to get quit of the French woman. You know he is the most volatile bird of passage that ever fluttered among females. During his absence, the marchioness, as they call her, went in search of consolation from her countrymen, the emigrants, at Richmond, which swarms with them. There is nothing but French croaked there: the town is a complete rook ery.

I

I have hardly seen Deanport since he received the last rebuff from the lady. During the short time I was with him, I took no notice of it. He seemed horridly out of

humour. As his silly grief for the disappointment weakens, indignation will kindle. This may be turned to good account; but nothing must be attempted as yet. You had best not write to him, while he is in his present humour. I will inform you of more soon. Meanwhile, I am, &c.

E. DEANPORT.

LETTER LXXXVIII.

The Same to the Same.

London.

I

WAS entertained with your countryman's penetration, who perceived the reciprocal friendship and cordiality that exists between Mrs. Demure and me. There was a time, however, when I had a sincere friendship for that woman, and she then was at infinite pains to make me believe that she had the same for me. I never uttered a sentiment, in her hearing, which I was not immediately told corresponded with hers. You would have imagined we thought with the same soul. I took more pleasure in her company than in that of any other woman. Nothing could be more obliging, more accommodating, more agreeable, in all respects, than the whole of her behaviour. It was then-Your ladyship's superior understanding-your ladyship's accomplishments-your ladyship's-Oh! I never observed more candid courtesy among the lickspittles of a court.--And what I considered as disinterested attachment, what inspired me with real good-will turned out to be nothing but a perfidious selfish design upon my son. You may easily imagine my indignation at this discovery; and, from that moment, I held her in abhor

rence.

ཚེ། སྒྱུ

I do not know that Lord Deanport's passion for Mrs. Demure was equal to what he felt for Miss Clifford; but I well know that she used every means, and exhausted every artifice, to render it so; and that it cost me much trouble to free him from her fascinations. Were he bound to me by no other tie, he owes me eternal grati

tude for having prevented his union with a woman whose chief study would have been to govern and make him the tool of her avarice and ambition..

She had not the impudence to expect that I would not oppose her views on my son, and, therefore, endeavoured to keep them carefully concealed from me but she is ignorant of the device I fell on to cure him of his passion. The abrupt manner in which he left her, would proba bly have roused that spirit of revenge which she is known to possess, had not her attention been diverted from my son's conduct by the homage paid her at that precise time by a person of very high rank, which flattered her vanity, and engrossed her mind so entirely, that she forgot all her other adorers.

He has lately set out on other pursuits, and she now thinks it high time to provide herself in a second husband. I am obliged to Peggy Almond's acuteness for the knowledge of Mr. Clifford's being the man she destines for that honour. Peggy, at my desire, by dint of flattery, and the most artful obseqiousness, has acquired the good-will, and, in a certain degree, the confidence of Mrs. Demure. She assures me, that Mrs. Darnley is so much the dupe of my dear friend, that she wishes to promote the plan of marriage between her and Mr. Clifford, so that there are considerable hopes of its succeeding. You cannot imagine how delightfully Peggy takes off the amorous widow, and turns her into ridicule. I shall never part with this girl. Some of my acquaintance accuse her of being deceitful and of being an habitual liar. Both accusations, I believe, are pretty well founded: she is capable of deceiving most people, and she is given to lying to all the world, except to myself; but she never tells a lie to me.

Though I now dislike Mrs. Demure in a far greater degree than I ever loved her, and there is a considerable diminution of our intimacy, yet I have endeavoured to preserve the appearance of my former attachment, and was willing to have continued to live with her in a state of polite mutual hatred to the end of the chapter, without attempting to disturb or do her any mischief, farther than