At our return from our little walk, it was lovely to see Harriet take her Emily aside, to comfort her, and to plead with her in favour of my brother’s obligations; as afterwards she did against her uncle. How the generous creature shone in my eyes, and in those of every — one present!

When she and I were alone, she took grateful notice of the concluding part of the third letter; where she is mentioned with so much tenderness, and in a manner so truly worthy of the character of the politest of men, as well respecting herself as her sex, charging himself with vanity and presumption, but to suppose to himself, that Miss Byron wanted his compassion, or had the tender regard for him, that he avows for her. bhe pleased herself, that he had not seen the very great esteem she had for him, as you and I had done: And how could he, you know? said she; for he and I were not often toge-ther; and I was under obligation enough to him to make him attribute my regard to gratitude: but it is plain, proceeded she, that he loves the poor Harriet Don’t you think so? and perhaps would have given her a preference to all other women, had he not been circumstanced as he was. Well, God bless him, added she; he was my fist love; and I never will have any other — Don’t blame me for this declaration, my dear Lady G My grandmamma, as well as you, once chid me for saying so, and called me romancer But is not the man hir Charles Grandison?

But, alas! with all these appearances, it is easy to see, that this amiable creature’s solitary hours are heavy ones Shehas got a habit of sighing. She rises with swelled eyes: sleep forsakes her: her ap-petite fails: and she is very sensible of all this; as she shews, by the pains she takes to conceal the alteration.

And must Harriet Byron, blessed with beauty so unequalled; health so blooming; a temper so even; passions so governable; generous and grateful, even to heroism! Superior to every woman in frankness of heart, in true delicacy; and in an understanding and judgment beyond her years MustsAe be offered up, as a victim on the altar of hopeless love! I deprecate such a fate; I cannot allow the other sex such a triumph, though the man be my brother. It is, however, none; on the contrary, it is ap-parently a grief to his noble and truly manly heart, that so excellent a creature cannot be the sole mis-tress of it.