If this is likely to be the case, while the fire I spoke of is but smothering, and while but here and there a spark escapes your struggling efforts to keep it down, resolve, my dear, to throw cold water on it, and quench it quite. And how is this to be done, but by changing your personal friendship with the amiable family, into a correspondence by pen and ink, and returning to our longing arms, before the flame gets a-head?

When you are with us, you may either give hope to the worthy Orme, or encourage the proposal 1 inclose, as you please.

As you are not capable of the mean pride of seeing a number of men in your train, and have always been uneasy at the perseverance of Mr.Fenwick and Mr. Greville — As you have suffered so much from the natural goodness of your heart, on the urgency of that honest man Sir Rowland Meredith in his nephew’s favour; and still more from the baseness of that wicked Sir Hargrave — As your good cha-racter, and lovely person, engage you more and more admirers — And, lastly, as it would be the highest comfort that your grandmamma and your uncle, and I, and all your friends and well-wishers, could know, to see you happily married — We cannot but wish for this pleasure and satisfaction; the sooner you give it to us, the better.

But could there be any hope — You know what I mean — A royal diadem, my dear, would be a despicable thing in the comparison.

Adieu, my best love. You are called upon, in my opinion, to a greater trial than ever yet you knew, of that prudence for which you have hitherto been so much applauded by every one, and parti-cularly by

Your truly maternal

MARIANiNA SELBY.

Letter XLI,

From the Countess Dowager of D. to Mrs. Selby.

‘[Inclosed in the preceding’] .

January 23.

Give me leave, madam, to address myself to you, though personally unknown, on a very particular occasion; and, at the same time, to beg of you to keep secret, even from Mr. Selby, and the party to be named as still more immediately concerned in the subject, till I give my consent; as no one creature of my family, not even my son, does, or shall know f.-orn me till you approve of it.

My lord has just entered into his twenty-fifth year. There are not many better young men among the nobility. His minority gave an opportunity to me, and his other trustees, to put him in possession,

SIK CHARLES GRANDISON. 321 when he came of age, of a very noble and clear es-tate; which he has not impaired. His person is not to be found fault with. He has learning, and is allowed to have good sense, which every learned man has not. His conduct, his discretion, in his travels, procured him respect and reputation abroad. You may make enquiry privately of all these matters.