Ready! Yes, you dear creatures! So you ought to have been a leaf and half of my writing ago! Adieu, Lady G. till our return from Miss Orme’s.

Thursday noon.

Just come back from Miss Orme’s. Sir Charles and my grandmamma are now got together, in serious talk. I know I was the subject, by the dear parent’s looking often smiling upon me, as I sat at distance, and by his eye (taking the reference, as I may call it, of hers) turned as often towards me; so I stole up to my pen.

We were very politely treated by Miss Orme. Miss Clarkson is a charming young lady. The three Yorkshire sisters are lovely women. Sir Charles has told us, that mere beauty attracts only his eye, as fine flowers do in a gaj^ parterre. I don’t know that, my dear: that’s the philosophical description of him. The same men and women are not always the same persons. The ladies, one and all when his back was turned, declared, that he was the gallantest man they ever were in company with. He said the easiest, politest things they ever lieard spoken. They never were in his company before: they might else have heard as fine. Such dignity they observed (so does every-body), yet so much ease, in all he said, as well as in his own behaviour Born to be a public man, would his pride permit him to aim at being so! Not a syllable, however, but what might be said to each with the strictest truth. Sir Charles Grandison [it is Lucy’s observation, as well as mine] addresses himself” to women, as women, not as goddesses; yet does ho-nour to the persons, and to the sex. Other men, not knowing what better to say, make angels of them^ all at once. The highest things are ever said by men of the lowest understandings; and, there bolts once shot, the poor souls can go no further. So silly! Has not your ladyship some of these in you eye, who make out the rest, by grinning in our faces, in order to convince us of their sinceritj/? Complimental men don’t consider, thatif the women they egregiously flatter were what they would have them believe they think them, they would not be seen in such company.

But what do you think the elder sister of the three said of your brother? She was sure, those eyes, and that vivacity and politeness were not given him for nothing. Given }ihi\fornoUiivp-? What a phrase is that! In short she said, that p?riciicc had improved his natural advantages. 17/?s I have a good mind to say o^ her Either she has not charity, or her heart has paid for enabling its mistress to make such an ob-servation. Practice! What meant she by the word? Indeed your brother was not quite so abstrnctcdlij inattentive, /thought, to the beauty of Miss Clark-son, but he might give some Utile shadoiv of ground for observation to a censorious person.