L

of all companions, and most obsequious of all tod-eaters, began to behave with insolence to her ladyship. This, it seems, was not resented by my lord in the manner she expected. Miss Almond still remains in the family: and my lady and her son are not on the best terms.

I

LETTER CI.

DANIEL PROCTOR, Esq. to MISS ALMOND.

DEAR MISS ALMOND,

Newcastle.

DID not intend to address you until I should arrive at my own house, where I might have leisure to compose a letter with all the deliberation which the delicacy of the subject requires; for, I must confess, my dear young lady, that, instead of praising, which would have been more agreeable to me, I am under the necessity of censuring your conduct. But, having been detained by necessary business, (for nothing but necessary business could have detained me so long in this town), I began to fear, that if I delayed any longer, the admonition which I propose to give you might arrive too late; and, in that case, what I intend as admonition might appear in the light of reproach. People in general cannot bear to have their conduct censured, even although the censure should be designed for their good; but, as there is no general rule without exceptions, I hope you will prove yourself to be one.

Having thus endeavoured to render what might be thought bitter in this letter a little palatable, just as physicians add syrups to the medicines they prescribe to children, I shall proceed to the main object I have in view in writing to you.-I must begin by informing you, in the first place, that I was sorry that my good friend, your aunt, consented to your going to London to live with a lady of quality; because it is an old observation, and a true one, that young women are prone to imitate the manners of those they live with; and the manners of women of quality and high birth are not suitable to mo

dest young women of respectable parentage. This only applied to the risk you ran from the contagion of Lady Deanport's example and that of her acquaintance: I confess I did not think of her son, because I understood that he was at that time courting Miss Moyston, the rich heiress, and therefore imagined he would be too much occupied with her to think of you. But I have since learnt, from a correspondent of strict veracity, who does not give credit to reports lightly, that Miss Moyston refused Lord Deanport, and married another, which has driven Lord Deanport to desperation. Since which he frequents your company to such a degree, that his mother is offended, and has written to your aunt to desire you to return to York, which you have refused. My correspondent adds, that you sometimes drive about in my lord's carriage; that he himself saw you in his company at the play-house, richly dressed, and with a miniature picture, set in diamonds, hanging from your neck; that your whole manner, and even the style of your language, is quite changed; that, instead of being obsequious and obliging, as you were formerly, you now assume a proud look and disdainful air. Those, and other circumstances that I omit, create suspicion that he wishes to rob you of the precious jewel of your virgin innocence; after which, all the jewels he can decorate you with will be badges of dishonour. O, my dear Miss Almond! let this never be said with truth of you. Give him back all his jewels, and whatever present beside he may have made to you; and I hereby engage to advance to you a sum of money equal to their full value, whatever it may be. If I had time, and did not wish that this should remain unknown to every one but ourselves, I would send you my bond to that purpose; but I hope you will think my word, which, I thank God, I never forfeited hitherto, and I am now sixty years of age, is every bit as good.

I beg, therefore, that you will do as I have requested; and, also, that you will return immediately to your aunt, at York; which, I hope, will put an end to the unfavourable rumours that are in circulation concerning you. Or,

in case it should not entirely have that effect, (for it must be acknowledged that a good name once lost is not easily regained), still it would shew that, although you have been imprudent, that you are resolved to be so no more.

You may, perhaps, imagine that I give you this advice with a view to repeat my proposal for a matrimonial union between you and me; but I think it fair to assure you that I have no such intention. On mature and serious deliberation, I am now convinced that marriage at my age, particularly with a woman at yours, would not be productive of all the happiness to either party that is to be wished. I therefore very sincerely pray, that you may obtain a younger, and, every thing considered, I may add— a better husband than I should prove.

I have been lately informed, that Mr. Walker, the haberdasher, is now in far better circumstances than when he courted you, he having succeeded to his uncle the ironmonger's fortune, which enables him to retire entirely from trade, and live like a gentleman in the country; for which purpose he has purchased four acres of land, advantageously situated on the great London-road, where he intends to build a commodious house, as soon as the ground is completely drained.

The person who gave me this information is the intimate friend of Mr. Walker; and he told me, over and above, that that gentleman, viz. Mr. Walker, who is undoubtedly a gentleman now, is as fond of you as ever, though considerably altered in some other respects, particularly since he was an officer of light infantry in a volunteer company; which, however, he was obliged to quit, because the largeness of the hinder and lower part of his person, though pretty well concealed by long clothes, appeared so vast in his short military jacket, that it excited the laughter of indiscreet spectators, and disgusted him with the service. However, instead of a white periwig, with two regular rows of large curls, he now wears a little smart dark scratch; and blue pantaloons instead of breeches, and half-boots instead of shoes, when he is in full dress. My friend also assures me, that,

1

though this may in part proceed from some remains of his military spirit, yet, he is persuaded, it is chiefly with a view to gratify you, as he is informed it is the present London mode of dress, which he knows was always ap proved of by you: for, notwithstanding the harsh manner in which you rejected him formerly, he is determined to renew his suit as soon as you return to York, in the hopes that this great addition to his fortune will render you more favourably disposed than formerly. I judged it proper to acquaint you with this, that you might be prepared to act as your understanding may dictate; and, as Mr. Walker is on the whole a well-disposed man, not above five or six and forty years of age, and will now be able to live in a genteel manner, according to your taste, I hope that you will find his proposals agreeable ;-which hope, I do assure you, my dear young lady, is more owing to the interest I take in your happiness than his. At all events, I earnestly entreat that you will send Lord Deanport back every present he has ever made you, and set out directly after to your afflicted aunt. As soon as you shall have arrived there, let me know, and I will endea, your to wait on you at York; or, if I am prevented, send you a draught for the money. I am, dear Miss Al mond, your constant well-wisher and humble servant,

DANIEL PROCTOR,

LETTER CII,

From MISS ALMOND to DANIEL PROCTOR, Esq.

SIR,

London.

ALTHOUGH I have received a great many epistolary letters from gentlemen during the short time I have hither, to been in this world, yet I cannot but observe, that I have the honour to acknowledge, that that which my footman has just delivered to me from you is the most extraordinary, or, I may presume to add, the most unprecedented, I ever saw in the whole course of my exist

ence.

You really seem to be what Mr. Townly calls rusticated; which, perhaps, may be imputed to your living continually in the country: but that is no reason for your not writing with common politeness, which, as I heard Lady Varnish observe, is one of those things which render the intercourse between the sexes in society so agreeable; and the want of which may make all your great loyalty to his majesty very much to be doubted; for, in a book upon polite conversation, by Mr. Simon Wagstaff, Esq. which I was reading when the French friseur was dressing my hair, I find these lines,

Who in his talk can't speak a polite thing,

Will never loyal be to George our king.'

I recommend the perusal of that book to you, Mr. Proctor, on purpose to purify a little your style of language, particularly when you write to the fair sex; that you may never again mention a certain article of men's dress by a name which obliges a woman of true politeness and fashion to blush; especially as you cannot but know that the very article I mean goes by the name of smallclothes as well as breeches. But, whether you take my counsel in this or not, allow me to tell you, sir, that you have no right to employ a spy on my conduct, in a sphere of life of which neither you, nor your vulgar narrowminded correspondents, are proper judges of. It is very true, sir, that I have a friendship for my Lord Deanport, because of his noble birth, as well as his other accomplishments; and if he has the same delicate sincere friendship for me, which he swears he has, and that it will be eternal, what right have you, or any one else, to find the least fault with it?

You seem to have no notion of pure refined friendship between man and woman, Mr. Proctor, which makes you write as you do, of his robbing me of my precious jewel and virgin innocence, and such like vulgar stuff as never once entered my head and it is quite monstrous that it should enter yours, at an age when, by your own confession, in your indecent letter so me, you are unfit for mar

riage.