Love and Freindship [sic]
could only faint. At length collecting all the Resolution I was
Mistress of, I arose and after packing up some necessary apparel for
Sophia and myself, I dragged her to a Carriage I had ordered and we
instantly set out for London. As the Habitation of Augustus was within
twelve miles of Town, it was not long e’er we arrived there, and no
sooner had we entered Holboun than letting down one of the Front
Glasses I enquired of every decent-looking Person that we passed “If
they had seen my Edward?”
But as we drove too rapidly to allow them to answer my repeated
Enquiries, I gained little, or indeed, no information concerning him.
“Where am I to drive?” said the Postilion. “To Newgate Gentle Youth
(replied I), to see Augustus.” “Oh! no, no, (exclaimed Sophia) I cannot
go to Newgate; I shall not be able to support the sight of my Augustus
in so cruel a confinement—my feelings are sufficiently shocked by the
_recital_, of his Distress, but to behold it will overpower my
Sensibility.” As I perfectly agreed with her in the Justice of her
Sentiments the Postilion was instantly directed to return into the
Country. You may perhaps have been somewhat surprised my Dearest
Marianne, that in the Distress I then endured, destitute of any
support, and unprovided with any Habitation, I should never once have
remembered my Father and Mother or my paternal Cottage in the Vale of
Uske. To account for this seeming forgetfullness I must inform you of a
trifling circumstance concerning them which I have as yet never
mentioned. The death of my Parents a few weeks after my Departure, is
the circumstance I allude to. By their decease I became the lawfull
Inheritress of their House and Fortune. But alas! the House had never
been their own and their Fortune had only been an Annuity on their own
Lives. Such is the Depravity of the World! To your Mother I should have
returned with Pleasure, should have been happy to have introduced to
her, my charming Sophia and should with Chearfullness have passed the
remainder of my Life in their dear Society in the Vale of Uske, had not
one obstacle to the execution of so agreable a scheme, intervened;
which was the Marriage and Removal of your Mother to a distant part of
Ireland.
Adeiu.
Laura.
LETTER 11th
LAURA in continuation
“I have a Relation in Scotland (said Sophia to me as we left London)
who I am certain would not hesitate in receiving me.” “Shall I order
the Boy to drive there?” said I—but instantly recollecting myself,
exclaimed, “Alas I fear it will be too long a Journey for the Horses.”
Unwilling however to act only from my own inadequate Knowledge of the
Strength and Abilities of Horses, I consulted the Postilion, who was
entirely of my Opinion concerning the Affair. We therefore determined
to change Horses at the next Town and to travel Post the remainder of
the Journey—. When we arrived at the last Inn we were to stop at, which
was but a few miles from the House of Sophia’s Relation, unwilling to
intrude our Society on him unexpected and unthought of, we wrote a very
elegant and well penned Note to him containing an account of our
Destitute and melancholy Situation, and of our intention to spend some
months with him in Scotland. As soon as we had dispatched this Letter,
we immediately prepared to follow it in person and were stepping into
the Carriage for that Purpose when our attention was attracted by the
Entrance of a coroneted Coach and 4 into the Inn-yard. A Gentleman
considerably advanced in years descended from it. At his first
Appearance my Sensibility was wonderfully affected and e’er I had gazed
at him a 2d time, an instinctive sympathy whispered to my Heart, that
he was my Grandfather. Convinced that I could not be mistaken in my
conjecture I instantly sprang from the Carriage I had just entered, and
following the Venerable Stranger into the Room he had been shewn to, I
threw myself on my knees before him and besought him to acknowledge me
as his Grand Child. He started, and having attentively examined my
features, raised me from the Ground and throwing his Grandfatherly
arms around my Neck, exclaimed, “Acknowledge thee! Yes dear resemblance
of my Laurina and Laurina’s Daughter, sweet image of my Claudia and my
Claudia’s Mother, I do acknowledge thee as the Daughter of the one and
the Grandaughter of the other.” While he was thus tenderly embracing
me, Sophia astonished at my precipitate Departure, entered the Room in
search of me. No sooner had she caught the eye of the venerable Peer,
than he exclaimed with every mark of Astonishment—“Another
Grandaughter! Yes, yes, I see you are the Daughter of my Laurina’s
eldest Girl; your resemblance to the beauteous Matilda sufficiently
proclaims it. “Oh! replied Sophia, when I first beheld you the
instinct of Nature whispered me that we were in some degree related—But
whether Grandfathers, or Grandmothers, I could not pretend to
determine.” He folded her in his arms, and whilst they were tenderly
embracing, the Door of the Apartment opened and a most beautifull young
Man appeared. On perceiving him Lord St. Clair started and retreating
back a few paces, with uplifted Hands, said, “Another Grand-child! What
an unexpected Happiness is this! to discover in the space of 3 minutes,
as many of my Descendants! This I am certain is Philander the son of my
Laurina’s 3d girl the amiable Bertha; there wants now but the presence
of Gustavus to compleat the Union of my Laurina’s Grand-Children.”
“And here he is; (said a Gracefull Youth who that instant entered the
room) here is the Gustavus you desire to see. I am the son of Agatha
your Laurina’s 4th and youngest Daughter,” “I see you are indeed;
replied Lord St. Clair—But tell me (continued he looking fearfully
towards the Door) tell me, have I any other Grand-children in the
House.” “None my Lord.” “Then I will provide for you all without
farther delay—Here are 4 Banknotes of 50£ each—Take them and remember I
have done the Duty of a Grandfather.” He instantly left the Room and
immediately afterwards the House.
Adeiu.
Laura.
LETTER the 12th
LAURA in continuation
You may imagine how greatly we were surprised by the sudden departure
of Lord St Clair. “Ignoble Grand-sire!” exclaimed Sophia. “Unworthy
Grandfather!” said I, and instantly fainted in each other’s arms. How
long we remained in this situation I know not; but when we recovered we
found ourselves alone, without either Gustavus, Philander, or the
Banknotes. As we were deploring our unhappy fate, the Door of the
Apartment opened and “Macdonald” was announced. He was Sophia’s cousin.
The haste with which he came to our releif so soon after the receipt of
our Note, spoke so greatly in his favour that I hesitated not to
pronounce him at first sight, a tender and simpathetic Freind. Alas! he
little deserved the name—for though he told us that he was much
concerned at our Misfortunes, yet by his own account it appeared that
the perusal of them, had neither drawn from him a single sigh, nor
induced him to bestow one curse on our vindictive stars—. He told
Sophia that his Daughter depended on her returning with him to
Macdonald-Hall, and that as his Cousin’s freind he should be happy to
see me there also. To Macdonald-Hall, therefore we went, and were
received with great kindness by Janetta the Daughter of Macdonald, and
the Mistress of the Mansion. Janetta was then only fifteen; naturally
well disposed, endowed with a susceptible Heart, and a simpathetic
Disposition, she might, had these amiable qualities been properly
encouraged, have been an ornament to human Nature; but unfortunately
her Father possessed not a soul sufficiently exalted to admire so
promising a Disposition, and had endeavoured by every means on his
power to prevent it encreasing with her Years. He had actually so far
extinguished the natural noble Sensibility of her Heart, as to prevail
on her to accept an offer from a young Man of his Recommendation. They
were to be married in a few months, and Graham, was in the House when
we arrived. _We_ soon saw through his character. He was just such a Man
as one might have expected to be the choice of Macdonald. They said he
was Sensible, well-informed, and Agreable; we did not pretend to Judge
of such trifles, but as we were convinced he had no soul, that he had
never read the sorrows of Werter, and that his Hair bore not the least
resemblance to auburn, we were certain that Janetta could feel no
affection for him, or at least that she ought to feel none. The very
circumstance of his being her father’s choice too, was so much in his
disfavour, that had he been deserving her, in every other respect yet
_that_ of itself ought to have been a sufficient reason in the Eyes of
Janetta for rejecting him. These considerations we were determined to
represent to her in their proper light and doubted not of meeting with
the desired success from one naturally so well disposed; whose errors
in the affair had only arisen from a want of proper confidence in her
own opinion, and a suitable contempt of her father’s. We found her
indeed all that our warmest wishes could have hoped for; we had no
difficulty to convince her that it was impossible she could love
Graham, or that it was her Duty to disobey her Father; the only thing
at which she rather seemed to hesitate was our assertion that she must
be attached to some other Person. For some time, she persevered in
declaring that she knew no other young man for whom she had the the
smallest Affection; but upon explaining the impossibility of such a
thing she said that she beleived she _did like_ Captain M’Kenrie better
than any one she knew besides. This confession satisfied us and after
having enumerated the good Qualities of M’Kenrie and assured her that
she was violently in love with him, we desired to know whether he had
ever in any wise declared his affection to her.
“So far from having ever declared it, I have no reason to imagine that
he has ever felt any for me.” said Janetta. “That he certainly adores
you (replied Sophia) there can be no doubt—. The Attachment must be
reciprocal. Did he never gaze on you with admiration—tenderly press
your hand—drop an involantary tear—and leave the room abruptly?” “Never
(replied she) that I remember—he has always left the room indeed when
his visit has been ended, but has never gone away particularly abruptly
or without making a bow.” Indeed my Love (said I) you must be
mistaken—for it is absolutely impossible that he should ever have left
you but with Confusion, Despair, and Precipitation. Consider but for a
moment Janetta, and you must be convinced how absurd it is to suppose
that he could ever make a Bow, or behave like any other Person.” Having
settled this Point to our satisfaction, the next we took into
consideration was, to determine in what manner we should inform
M’Kenrie of the favourable Opinion Janetta entertained of him.... We at
length agreed to acquaint him with it by an anonymous Letter which
Sophia drew up in the following manner.
“Oh! happy Lover of the beautifull Janetta, oh! amiable Possessor of
_her_ Heart whose hand is destined to another, why do you thus delay a
confession of your attachment to the amiable Object of it? Oh! consider
that a few weeks will at once put an end to every flattering Hope that
you may now entertain, by uniting the unfortunate Victim of her
father’s Cruelty to the execrable and detested Graham.”
“Alas! why do you thus so cruelly connive at the projected Misery of
her and of yourself by delaying to communicate that scheme which had
doubtless long possessed your imagination? A secret Union will at once
secure the felicity of both.”
The amiable M’Kenrie, whose modesty as he afterwards assured us had