Love and Freindship [sic]
probably by this time as tired of me, as I am of her; but as she is too
Polite and I am too civil to say so, our letters are still as frequent
and affectionate as ever, and our Attachment as firm and sincere as
when it first commenced. As she had a great taste for the pleasures of
London, and of Brighthelmstone, she will I dare say find some
difficulty in prevailing on herself even to satisfy the curiosity I
dare say she feels of beholding you, at the expence of quitting those
favourite haunts of Dissipation, for the melancholy tho’ venerable
gloom of the castle you inhabit. Perhaps however if she finds her
health impaired by too much amusement, she may acquire fortitude
sufficient to undertake a Journey to Scotland in the hope of its
Proving at least beneficial to her health, if not conducive to her
happiness. Your fears I am sorry to say, concerning your father’s
extravagance, your own fortunes, your Mothers Jewels and your Sister’s
consequence, I should suppose are but too well founded. My freind
herself has four thousand pounds, and will probably spend nearly as
much every year in Dress and Public places, if she can get it—she will
certainly not endeavour to reclaim Sir George from the manner of living
to which he has been so long accustomed, and there is therefore some
reason to fear that you will be very well off, if you get any fortune
at all. The Jewels I should imagine too will undoubtedly be hers, and
there is too much reason to think that she will preside at her Husbands
table in preference to his Daughter. But as so melancholy a subject
must necessarily extremely distress you, I will no longer dwell on it—.
Eloisa’s indisposition has brought us to Bristol at so unfashionable a
season of the year, that we have actually seen but one genteel family
since we came. Mr and Mrs Marlowe are very agreable people; the ill
health of their little boy occasioned their arrival here; you may
imagine that being the only family with whom we can converse, we are of
course on a footing of intimacy with them; we see them indeed almost
every day, and dined with them yesterday. We spent a very pleasant Day,
and had a very good Dinner, tho’ to be sure the Veal was terribly
underdone, and the Curry had no seasoning. I could not help wishing all
dinner-time that I had been at the dressing it—. A brother of Mrs
Marlowe, Mr Cleveland is with them at present; he is a good-looking
young Man, and seems to have a good deal to say for himself. I tell
Eloisa that she should set her cap at him, but she does not at all seem
to relish the proposal. I should like to see the girl married and
Cleveland has a very good estate. Perhaps you may wonder that I do not
consider _myself_ as well as my Sister in my matrimonial Projects; but
to tell you the truth I never wish to act a more principal part at a
Wedding than the superintending and directing the Dinner, and therefore
while I can get any of my acquaintance to marry for me, I shall never
think of doing it myself, as I very much suspect that I should not have
so much time for dressing my own Wedding-dinner, as for dressing that
of my freinds.
Yours sincerely
C. L.
LETTER the FIFTH
Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL
Lesley-Castle March 18th
On the same day that I received your last kind letter, Matilda received
one from Sir George which was dated from Edinburgh, and informed us
that he should do himself the pleasure of introducing Lady Lesley to us
on the following evening. This as you may suppose considerably
surprised us, particularly as your account of her Ladyship had given us
reason to imagine there was little chance of her visiting Scotland at a
time that London must be so gay. As it was our business however to be
delighted at such a mark of condescension as a visit from Sir George
and Lady Lesley, we prepared to return them an answer expressive of the
happiness we enjoyed in expectation of such a Blessing, when luckily
recollecting that as they were to reach the Castle the next Evening, it
would be impossible for my father to receive it before he left
Edinburgh, we contented ourselves with leaving them to suppose that we
were as happy as we ought to be. At nine in the Evening on the
following day, they came, accompanied by one of Lady Lesleys brothers.
Her Ladyship perfectly answers the description you sent me of her,
except that I do not think her so pretty as you seem to consider her.
She has not a bad face, but there is something so extremely unmajestic
in her little diminutive figure, as to render her in comparison with
the elegant height of Matilda and Myself, an insignificant Dwarf. Her
curiosity to see us (which must have been great to bring her more than
four hundred miles) being now perfectly gratified, she already begins
to mention their return to town, and has desired us to accompany her.
We cannot refuse her request since it is seconded by the commands of
our Father, and thirded by the entreaties of Mr. Fitzgerald who is
certainly one of the most pleasing young Men, I ever beheld. It is not
yet determined when we are to go, but when ever we do we shall
certainly take our little Louisa with us. Adeiu my dear Charlotte;
Matilda unites in best wishes to you, and Eloisa, with yours ever
M. L.
LETTER the SIXTH
LADY LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL
Lesley-Castle March 20th
We arrived here my sweet Freind about a fortnight ago, and I already
heartily repent that I ever left our charming House in Portman-square
for such a dismal old weather-beaten Castle as this. You can form no
idea sufficiently hideous, of its dungeon-like form. It is actually
perched upon a Rock to appearance so totally inaccessible, that I
expected to have been pulled up by a rope; and sincerely repented
having gratified my curiosity to behold my Daughters at the expence of
being obliged to enter their prison in so dangerous and ridiculous a
manner. But as soon as I once found myself safely arrived in the inside
of this tremendous building, I comforted myself with the hope of having
my spirits revived, by the sight of two beautifull girls, such as the
Miss Lesleys had been represented to me, at Edinburgh. But here again,
I met with nothing but Disappointment and Surprise. Matilda and
Margaret Lesley are two great, tall, out of the way, over-grown, girls,
just of a proper size to inhabit a Castle almost as large in comparison
as themselves. I wish my dear Charlotte that you could but behold these
Scotch giants; I am sure they would frighten you out of your wits. They
will do very well as foils to myself, so I have invited them to
accompany me to London where I hope to be in the course of a fortnight.
Besides these two fair Damsels, I found a little humoured Brat here who
I beleive is some relation to them, they told me who she was, and gave
me a long rigmerole story of her father and a Miss _Somebody_ which I
have entirely forgot. I hate scandal and detest Children. I have been
plagued ever since I came here with tiresome visits from a parcel of
Scotch wretches, with terrible hard-names; they were so civil, gave me
so many invitations, and talked of coming again so soon, that I could
not help affronting them. I suppose I shall not see them any more, and
yet as a family party we are so stupid, that I do not know what to do
with myself. These girls have no Music, but Scotch airs, no Drawings
but Scotch Mountains, and no Books but Scotch Poems—and I hate
everything Scotch. In general I can spend half the Day at my toilett
with a great deal of pleasure, but why should I dress here, since there
is not a creature in the House whom I have any wish to please. I have
just had a conversation with my Brother in which he has greatly
offended me, and which as I have nothing more entertaining to send you
I will gave you the particulars of. You must know that I have for these
4 or 5 Days past strongly suspected William of entertaining a
partiality to my eldest Daughter. I own indeed that had _I_ been
inclined to fall in love with any woman, I should not have made choice
of Matilda Lesley for the object of my passion; for there is nothing I
hate so much as a tall Woman: but however there is no accounting for
some men’s taste and as William is himself nearly six feet high, it is
not wonderful that he should be partial to that height. Now as I have a
very great affection for my Brother and should be extremely sorry to
see him unhappy, which I suppose he means to be if he cannot marry
Matilda, as moreover I know that his circumstances will not allow him
to marry any one without a fortune, and that Matilda’s is entirely
dependant on her Father, who will neither have his own inclination nor
my permission to give her anything at present, I thought it would be
doing a good-natured action by my Brother to let him know as much, in
order that he might choose for himself, whether to conquer his passion,
or Love and Despair. Accordingly finding myself this Morning alone with
him in one of the horrid old rooms of this Castle, I opened the cause
to him in the following Manner.
“Well my dear William what do you think of these girls? for my part, I
do not find them so plain as I expected: but perhaps you may think me
partial to the Daughters of my Husband and perhaps you are right—They
are indeed so very like Sir George that it is natural to think”—
“My Dear Susan (cried he in a tone of the greatest amazement) You do
not really think they bear the least resemblance to their Father! He is
so very plain!—but I beg your pardon—I had entirely forgotten to whom I
was speaking—”
“Oh! pray dont mind me; (replied I) every one knows Sir George is
horribly ugly, and I assure you I always thought him a fright.”
“You surprise me extremely (answered William) by what you say both with
respect to Sir George and his Daughters. You cannot think your Husband
so deficient in personal Charms as you speak of, nor can you surely see
any resemblance between him and the Miss Lesleys who are in my opinion
perfectly unlike him and perfectly Handsome.”
“If that is your opinion with regard to the girls it certainly is no
proof of their Fathers beauty, for if they are perfectly unlike him and
very handsome at the same time, it is natural to suppose that he is
very plain.”
“By no means, (said he) for what may be pretty in a Woman, may be very
unpleasing in a Man.”
“But you yourself (replied I) but a few minutes ago allowed him to be
very plain.”
“Men are no Judges of Beauty in their own Sex.” (said he).
“Neither Men nor Women can think Sir George tolerable.”
“Well, well, (said he) we will not dispute about _his_ Beauty, but your
opinion of his _Daughters_ is surely very singular, for if I understood
you right, you said you did not find them so plain as you expected to
do!”
“Why, do _you_ find them plainer then?” (said I).
“I can scarcely beleive you to be serious (returned he) when you speak
of their persons in so extroidinary a Manner. Do not you think the Miss
Lesleys are two very handsome young Women?”
“Lord! No! (cried I) I think them terribly plain!”
“Plain! (replied He) My dear Susan, you cannot really think so! Why
what single Feature in the face of either of them, can you possibly
find fault with?”
“Oh! trust me for that; (replied I). Come I will begin with the
eldest—with Matilda. Shall I, William?” (I looked as cunning as I could
when I said it, in order to shame him).
“They are so much alike (said he) that I should suppose the faults of
one, would be the faults of both.”
“Well, then, in the first place; they are both so horribly tall!”
“They are _taller_ than you are indeed.” (said he with a saucy smile.)
“Nay, (said I), I know nothing of that.”
“Well, but (he continued) tho’ they may be above the common size, their