thofe lovely lips, than be tortured by this killing cold indifference.

"Why should I prefume to reproach you, or treat you harfhly, Sir Harry? replied the, with the fame mortifying air of contempt; "you act according to your principles, I according to mine: I reject the offer you have made me, 'tis true; and I think, I have done it in a manner that cannot justly difplease you, you would perfuade me my happiness is dear to you; I will not doubt your veracity, but furely I must be allowed to be the best judge of what is most likely to promote it; why then take it amifs, if I freely tell you, the means you propose are, in my opinion, abfolutely incompatible with it ?",

Was ever poor fellow fo thrown out of his leffon, James?-this kind of behaviour was fo entirely out of the common run, that I was confounded; nay! fhall I own, I felt myself hum bled? yes humbled !---infinitely more to, I am perfuaded, than my haughty fair one; fhe triumph'd in all the pride of virtue, and no doubt pitied the depravity of my fentiments :-I could almoft find in my heart to curfe my fifter for her kindness; had he been left to imbibe only those notions which far kinder Nature would have taught her, my life for it, fhe would not thus have play'd the heroine !-But, by Heaven, I fwear I will not be thus repulfed; my pride is piqued, my paffion, if poffible, more violent than ever. Oh, James !---even her haughty, her infolent behaviour had in my eyes ten thoufand charms; the appeared more lovely, more attractive at the moment the affected to hold me

and my principles fo very cheap, than ever I before thought her :---fo much good fenfe, fo perfect a command of herfelf, at a time when the must have been in the utmost agitation; feeling as fhe did the indignity ---James, I adore that very fpirit which is the greateft bar to my felicity; but it muft, it fhall be fubdued---yes, fhe fhall yet be mine: whatever fhare of pride and philofophy she may fancy herfelf poffeffed of, they will be but poor comforters, when deprived of every other confolation. 'Tis eafy to view poverty with a philofophic eye, while at a distance; but to feel the horrors of it, James, will, I flatter myself, make her fee my noble offer, as the infultingly termed it, in a different light.---A girl, without either birth or fortune, to give Herself thefe airs! 'tis ridiculous---absolutely ridiculous! but as I faid before, I have my wife fifter to thank for it; I have no doubt, fhe ftill continues to fill her head with a thousand idle notions, which ought never to have found entrance there: they correspond; this tête a tête fcene will make a capital figure, when properly embellished by the pen of my dear charmer; I need hardly tell you, I prefume, I mean to deprive my fifter of that pleasure fhe would no doubt enjoy from that delectable epiftle: their correfpondence must be put an end to; that is to fay, their letters muft for the future, go into no other hands but mine: all ftratagems are fair in love and war, James; is it not fo?

I expect a packet by the first fair wind; Lu cinda no doubt expects one alfo.---I fhall beg leave to take a peep at the contents; should they

be fuch as I think they ought to be, she shall have the fatisfaction of perufing it; if not, it refts with me.- She calls herself friendless; she is an ungrateful little gypsey.---Does she then fet down my mother and fifter as nothing; not to mention my mother's fon? I believe, if she did not know them to be very fincere ones, the would not be quite fo refractory. She knows their attachment--the expects every thing from it; nor would fhe, I am certain, be disappointed, were they left to act as their affection for her

would dictate. But it must not be; I will fuffer her to have no friend except myself; and a generous one the fhall find me, when difpofed to profit by my generofity.--I look forward to that happy moment with inconceivable pleasure; and that it will arrive I cannot doubt. When every other refource fails, to whom can fhe fo properly apply, as to the man who loves, who adores her?---fhe knows I do---that, James, is one point gained. The ice is fairly broke--fhe is acquainted with my views--of course the has no more furprises to meet with. She will naturally expect my perfeverance, nay, I trust, would be mortified were I to desist :---for, after all, however angelic her form, fhe is neither more nor less than a woman, James; and what woman in her fituation is invincible ?---Not one, I am pretty fure you will readily reply; and I truft you are right. Farewell.

HENRY SELWYN.

LETTER XVII.

THE SAME TO THE SAME.

No wonder my faucy fair one was fo calni,

fo compofed, James; I find the declaration I made of my paffion was a thing the expected. She had no doubt ftudied the part fhe was to act, or fhe could not have played it to fuch perfection. I have got poffeffion of her letter intended for my fifter-no matter how-No; you never faw a poor devil fo treated:- why, James, by her account of the matter, I am the verrieft monfter that lives.-This to a fifter too!-free; very free and eafy, it must be owned. But I find this is not the firft in which I have been the hero of the tale.-No, no; my little divinity has for fome time, I now find, fufpected my generonty, my condefcending vifts, and offers of fervice were not for nothing.-They

wrote the matter over to each other in flaming colours, no doubt; and Sophia encoufages the phyl in thefe airs of virtue.

By what i can underftand from what my fau cy Lucinda fays, her friend has however had the grace to comfort her with hopes that I fhould not turn out quite fo naughty as her alarmed fears made her apprehend. It appears too, fhe has advised her to be cautious how fhe accepts my offered favours; to keep me at a proper diftance-to apply to Wilson, my steward, for

any thing the may want during my mother's absence, who it feems has been wrote to on the fubject. No wonder, I fay, I found her with all her wits about her; or that the fhould fo cordially defpife my offers, when affured fhe fhould be fupplied without my affiftance!

Her narrative, as flre calls it, is too long to transcribe, James; and I cannot part with the impertinent original; fo you must be content with the imperfect idea I here give: I will only just add, that she could not have fpoken of inc in more abominable terms.---If, instead of of fering, as I did, to fettle her in what thoufnd. of her fex and condition would have deemed a very eligible fituation, I had followed your advice- whipp'd her into a poft-chaife without ceremony---popp'd her into a neat little lodging, and thus have made her mine at once !---had X done this, I fay, I do not think she could have made a much blacker ftory of it; and I 21 more than half tempted to repent I had not: all would by this time have been over; the little foolish fluttering thing would have been tamed, and, I doubt not, thought herfelf very happy in the cage I had kindly provided for her. Thes it is to be troubled with fentiment; I truly ne gain her heart; must inspire her with a murd flame! Upon my foul, I believe the has nobe or if the has, it is hard and unfeeling as a rok Were it not, could she treat the man who adere her, as fhe has done in this confounded letter ---A pretty figure I fhould have made in my mother's eyes, had it reached her; for fhe would no doubt have been favoured with a fight