LETTER III
MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE, TO MISS HOWE JAN. 13, 14.
And thus, as Mr. Lovelace thought fit to take it, had he his answer frommy sister. It was with very great regret, as he pretended, [I doubtthe man is an hypocrite, my dear] that he acquiesced in it. 'So muchdeterminedness; such a noble firmness in my sister, that there was nohope of prevailing upon her to alter sentiments she had adopted on fullconsideration.' He sighed, as Bella told us, when he took his leave ofher: 'Profoundly sighed; grasped her hand, and kissed it with such anardour--Withdrew with such an air of solemn respect--She could almostfind it in her heart, although he had vexed her, to pity him.' A goodintentional preparative to love, this pity; since, at the time, shelittle thought that he would not renew his offer.
He waited on my mother after he had taken leave of Bella, and reportedhis ill success in so respectful a manner, as well with regard to mysister, as to the whole family, and with so much concern that he wasnot accepted as a relation to it, that it left upon them all (my brotherbeing then, as I have said, in Scotland) impressions in his favour, anda belief that this matter would certainly be brought on again. But Mr.Lovelace going up directly to town, where he staid a whole fortnight,and meeting there with my uncle Antony, to whom he regretted his niece'scruel resolution not to change her state; it was seen that there was atotal end of the affair.
My sister was not wanting to herself on this occasion. She made avirtue of necessity; and the man was quite another man with her. 'A vaincreature! Too well knowing his advantages: yet those not what she hadconceived them to be!--Cool and warm by fits and starts; an ague-likelover. A steady man, a man of virtue, a man of morals, was worth athousand of such gay flutterers. Her sister Clary might think it worthher while perhaps to try to engage such a man: she had patience: shewas mistress of persuasion: and indeed, to do the girl justice, hadsomething of a person: But as for her, she would not have a man of whoseheart she could not be sure for one moment; no, not for the world: andmost sincerely glad was she that she had rejected him.'
But when Mr. Lovelace returned into the country, he thought fit to visitmy father and mother; hoping, as he told them, that, however unhappyhe had been in the rejection of the wished-for alliance, he might beallowed to keep up an acquaintance and friendship with a family which heshould always respect. And then unhappily, as I may say, was I at homeand present.
It was immediately observed, that his attention was fixed on me. Mysister, as soon as he was gone, in a spirit of bravery, seemed desirousto promote his address, should it be tendered.
My aunt Hervey was there; and was pleased to say, we should make thefinest couple in England--if my sister had no objection.--No, indeed!with a haughty toss, was my sister's reply--it would be strange if shehad, after the denial she had given him upon full deliberation.
My mother declared, that her only dislike of his alliance with eitherdaughter, was on account of his reputed faulty morals.
My uncle Harlowe, that his daughter Clary, as he delighted to call mefrom childhood, would reform him if any woman in the world could.
My uncle Antony gave his approbation in high terms: but referred, as myaunt had done, to my sister.
She repeated her contempt of him; and declared, that, were there notanother man in England, she would not have him. She was ready, on thecontrary, she could assure them, to resign her pretensions under handand seal, if Miss Clary were taken with his tinsel, and if every oneelse approved of his address to the girl.
My father indeed, after a long silence, being urged by my uncle Antonyto speak his mind, said, that he had a letter from his son, on hishearing of Mr. Lovelace's visits to his daughter Arabella; which he hadnot shewn to any body but my mother; that treaty being at an end whenhe received it: that in this letter he expressed great dislike to analliance with Mr. Lovelace on the score of his immoralities: that heknew, indeed, there was an old grudge between them; but that, beingdesirous to prevent all occasions of disunion and animosity in hisfamily, he would suspend the declaration of his own mind till his sonarrived, and till he had heard his further objections: that he was themore inclined to make his son this compliment, as Mr. Lovelace's generalcharacter gave but too much ground for his son's dislike of him; adding,that he had hear (so, he supposed, had every one,) that he was a veryextravagant man; that he had contracted debts in his travels: andindeed, he was pleased to say, he had the air of a spendthrift.
These particulars I had partly from my aunt Hervey, and partly from mysister; for I was called out as soon as the subject was entered upon.When I returned, my uncle Antony asked me, how I should like Mr.Lovelace? Every body saw, he was pleased to say, that I had made aconquest.
I immediately answered, that I did not like him at all: he seemed tohave too good an opinion both on his person and parts, to have anyregard to his wife, let him marry whom he would.
My sister particularly was pleased with this answer, and confirmed it tobe just; with a compliment to my judgment.--For it was hers.
But the very next day Lord M. came to Harlowe-Place [I was then absent];and in his nephew's name made a proposal in form; declaring, that it wasthe ambition of all his family to be related to ours: and he hoped hiskinsman would not have such an answer on the part of the younger sister,as he had on that of the elder.
In short, Mr. Lovelace's visits were admitted as those of a man who hadnot deserved disrespect from our family; but as to his address tome, with a reservation, as above, on my father's part, that he woulddetermine nothing without his son. My discretion as to the rest wasconfided in: for still I had the same objections as to the man: norwould I, when we were better acquainted, hear any thing but general talkfrom him; giving him no opportunity of conversing with me in private.
He bore this with a resignation little expected from his natural temper,which is generally reported to be quick and hasty; unused it seemsfrom childhood to check or controul. A case too common in considerablefamilies where there is an only son: and his mother never had anyother child. But, as I have heretofore told you, I could perceive,notwithstanding this resignation, that he had so good an opinion ofhimself, as not to doubt, that his person and accomplishments wouldinsensibly engage me: And could that be once done, he told my auntHervey, he should hope, from so steady a temper, that his hold in myaffections would be durable: While my sister accounted for his patiencein another manner, which would perhaps have had more force if it hadcome from a person less prejudiced: 'That the man was not fond ofmarrying at all: that he might perhaps have half a score mistresses: andthat delay might be as convenient for his roving, as for my well-actedindifference.' That was her kind expression.
Whatever was his motive for a patience so generally believed to be outof his usual character, and where the object of his address was supposedto be of fortune considerable enough to engage his warmest attention,he certainly escaped many mortifications by it: for while my fathersuspended his approbation till my brother's arrival, Mr. Lovelacereceived from every one those civilities which were due to his birth:and although we heard from time to time reports to his disadvantage withregard to morals, yet could we not question him upon them without givinghim greater advantages in his own opinion than the situation he was inwith us would justify to prudence; since it was much more likely thathis address would not be allowed of, than that it would.
And thus was he admitted to converse with our family almost upon his ownterms; for while my friends saw nothing in his behaviour but what wasextremely respectful, and observed in him no violent importunity,they seemed to have taken a great liking to his conversation: While Iconsidered him only as a common guest when he came; and thought myselfno more concerned in his visits, not at his entrance and departure, thanany other of the family.
But this indifference on my side was the means of procuring him onevery great advantage; since upon it was grounded that correspondence byletters which succeeded;--and which, had it been to be begun when thefamily animosity broke out, would never have been entered into on myp
art. The occasion was this:
My uncle Hervey has a young gentleman intrusted to his care, whom he hasthoughts of sending abroad a year or two hence, to make the Grand Tour,as it is called; and finding Mr. Lovelace could give a good accountof every thing necessary for a young traveller to observe upon such anoccasion, he desired him to write down a description of the courts andcountries he had visited, and what was most worthy of curiosity in them.
He consented, on condition that I would direct his subjects, as hecalled it: and as every one had heard his manner of writing commended;and thought his narratives might be agreeable amusements in winterevenings; and that he could have no opportunity particularly to addressme directly in them, since they were to be read in full assembly beforethey were given to the young gentleman, I made the less scruple towrite, and to make observations, and put questions for our furtherinformation--Still the less perhaps as I love writing; and those who do,are fond, you know, of occasions to use the pen: And then, havingever one's consent, and my uncle Hervey's desire that I would write,I thought that if I had been the only scrupulous person, it would haveshewn a particularity that a vain man might construe to his advantage;and which my sister would not fail to animadvert upon.
You have seen some of these letters; and have been pleased with thisaccount of persons, places, and things; and we have both agreed, that hewas no common observer upon what he had seen.
My sister allowed that the man had a tolerable knack of writing anddescribing: And my father, who had been abroad in his youth, said, thathis remarks were curious, and shewed him to be a person of reading,judgment and taste.
Thus was a kind of correspondence begun between him and me, with generalapprobation; while every one wondered at, and was pleased with, hispatient veneration of me; for so they called it. However, it was notdoubted but he would soon be more importunate, since his visits weremore frequent, and he acknowledged to my aunt Hervey a passion for me,accompanied with an awe that he had never known before; to which heattributed what he called his but seeming acquiescence with my father'spleasure, and the distance I kept him at. And yet, my dear, this may behis usual manner of behaviour to our sex; for had not my sister at firstall his reverence?
Mean time, my father, expecting his importunity, kept in readiness thereports he had heard in his disfavour, to charge them upon him then, asso many objections to address. And it was highly agreeable to me that hedid so: it would have been strange if it were not; since the person whocould reject Mr. Wyerley's address for the sake of his free opinions,must have been inexcusable, had she not rejected another's for his freerpractices.
But I should own, that in the letters he sent me upon the generalsubject, he more than once inclosed a particular one, declaring hispassionate regards for me, and complaining with fervour enough, of myreserves. But of these I took not the least notice: for, as I had notwritten to him at all, but upon a subject so general, I thought it wasbut right to let what he wrote upon one so particular pass off as if Ihad never seen it; and the rather, as I was not then at liberty (fromthe approbation his letters met with) to break off the correspondence,unless I had assigned the true reason for doing so. Besides, with allhis respectful assiduities, it was easy to observe, (if it had not beenhis general character) that his temper is naturally haughty and violent;and I had seen too much of that untractable spirit in my brother to likeit in one who hoped to be still more nearly related to me.
I had a little specimen of this temper of his upon the very occasion Ihave mentioned: For after he had sent me a third particular letter withthe general one, he asked me the next time he came to Harlowe-Place,if I had not received such a one from him?--I told him I should neveranswer one so sent; and that I had waited for such an occasion as he hadnow given me, to tell him so: I desired him therefore not to write againon the subject; assuring him, that if he did, I would return both, andnever write another line to him.
You can't imagine how saucily the man looked; as if, in short, he wasdisappointed that he had not made a more sensible impression upon me:nor, when he recollected himself (as he did immediately), what a visiblestruggle it cost him to change his haughty airs for more placid ones.But I took no notice of either; for I thought it best to convince him,by the coolness and indifference with which I repulsed his forward hopes(at the same time intending to avoid the affectation of pride orvanity) that he was not considerable enough in my eyes to make me takeover-ready offence at what he said, or at his haughty looks: in otherwords, that I had not value enough for him to treat him with peculiarityeither by smiles or frowns. Indeed he had cunning enough to give me,undesignedly, a piece of instruction which taught me this caution; forhe had said in conversation once, 'That if a man could not make a womanin courtship own herself pleased with him, it was as much and oftentimesmore to his purpose to make her angry with him.'
I must break off here, but will continue the subject the very firstopportunity. Mean time, I am
Your most affectionate friend and servant, CL. HARLOWE.