LETTER XIV
MISS MONTAGUE, TO MISS HOWEM. HALL, JULY 18.
DEAR MADAM,
In pursuance of my promise, I will minutely inform you of every thing weknow relating to this shocking transaction.
When we returned from you on Thursday night, and made our report of thekind reception both we and our message met with, in that you had been sogood as to promise to use your interest with your dear friend, it put usall into such good humour with one another, and with my cousin Lovelace,that we resolved upon a little tour of two days, the Friday and Saturday,in order to give an airing to my Lord, and Lady Sarah, both having beenlong confined, one by illness, the other by melancholy. My Lord, LadySarah, Lady Betty, and myself, were in the coach; and all our talk was ofdear Miss Harlowe, and of our future happiness with her: Mr. Lovelace andmy sister (who is his favourite, as he is her's) were in his phaeton:and, whenever we joined company, that was still the subject.
As to him, never man praised woman as he did her: Never man gave greaterhopes, and made better resolutions. He is none of those that aregoverned by interest. He is too proud for that. But most sincerelydelighted was he in talking of her; and of his hopes of her returningfavour. He said, however, more than once, that he feared she would notforgive him; for, from his heart, he must say, he deserved not herforgiveness: and often and often, that there was not such a woman in theworld.
This I mention to show you, Madam, that he could not at this time beprivy to such a barbarous and disgraceful treatment of her.
We returned not till Saturday night, all in as good humour with oneanother as we went out. We never had such pleasure in his companybefore. If he would be good, and as he ought to be, no man would bebetter beloved by relations than he. But never was there a greateralteration in man when he came home, and received a letter from amessenger, who, it seems, had been flattering himself in hopes of areward, and had been waiting for his return from the night before. Insuch a fury!--The man fared but badly. He instantly shut himself up towrite, and ordered man and horse to be ready to set out before day-lightthe next morning, to carry the letter to a friend in London.
He would not see us all that night; neither breakfast nor dine with usnext day. He ought, he said, never to see the light; and bid my sister,whom he called an innocent, (and who was very desirous to know theoccasion of all this,) shun him, saying, he was a wretch, and made so byhis own inventions, and the consequences of them.
None of us could get out of him what so disturbed him. We should toosoon hear, he said, to the utter dissipation of all his hopes, and of allours.
We could easily suppose that all was not right with regard to the worthyyoung lady and him.
He went out each day; and said he wanted to run away from himself.
Late on Monday night he received a letter from Mr. Belford, his mostfavoured friend, by his own messenger; who came back in a foam, man andhorse. Whatever were the contents, he was not easier, but like a madmanrather: but still would not let us know the occasion. But to my sisterhe said, nobody, my dear Patsey, who can think but of half the plaguesthat pursue an intriguing spirit, would ever quit the fore-right path.
He was out when your messenger came: but soon came in; and bad enough washis reception from us all. And he said, that his own torments weregreater than ours, than Miss Harlowe's, or your's, Madam, all puttogether. He would see your letter. He always carries every thingbefore him: and said, when he had read it, that he thanked God, he wasnot such a villain, as you, with too great an appearance of reason,thought him.
Thus, then, he owned the matter to be.
He had left general instructions to the people of the lodgings the dearlady went from, to find out where she was gone to, if possible, that hemight have an opportunity to importune her to be his, before theirdifference was public. The wicked people (officious at least, if notwicked) discovered where she was on Wednesday; and, for fear she shouldremove before they could have his orders, they put her under a gentlerestraint, as they call it; and dispatched away a messenger to acquainthim with it; and to take his orders.
This messenger arrived Friday afternoon; and staid here till we returnedon Saturday night:--and, when he read the letter he brought--I have toldyou, Madam, what a fury he was in.
The letter he retired to write, and which he dispatched away so early onSunday morning, was to conjure his friend, Mr. Belford, on receipt of it,to fly to the lady, and set her free; and to order all her things to besent to her; and to clear him of so black and villanous a fact, as hejustly called it.
And by this time he doubts not that all is happily over; and the belovedof his soul (as he calls her at ever word) in an easier and happier waythan she was before the horrid fact. And now he owns that the reason whyMr. Belford's letter set him into stronger ravings was, because of hiskeeping him wilfully (and on purpose to torment him) in suspense; andreflecting very heavily upon him, (for Mr. Belford, he says, was ever thelady's friend and advocate); and only mentioning, that he had waited uponher; referring to his next for further particulars; which Mr. Belfordcould have told him at the time.
He declares, and we can vouch for him, that he has been, ever since lastSaturday night, the most miserable of men.
He forbore going up himself, that it might not be imagined he was guiltyof so black a contrivance; and that he went up to complete any base viewsin consequence of it.
Believe us all, dear Miss Howe, under the deepest concern at this unhappyaccident; which will, we fear, exasperate the charming sufferer; not toomuch for the occasion, but too much for our hopes.
O what wretches are these free-living men, who love to tread in intricatepaths; and, when once they err, know not how far out of the way theirheadstrong course may lead them!
My sister joins her thanks with mine to your good mother and self, forthe favours you heaped upon us last Thursday. We beseech your continuedinterest as to the subject of our visit. It shall be all our studies tooblige and recompense the dear lady to the utmost of our power, and forwhat she has suffered from the unhappy man.
We are, dear Madam,Your obliged and faithful servants,CHARLOTTE | MONTAGUE.MARTHA |
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DEAR MISS HOWE,
We join in the above request of Miss Charlotte and Miss Patty Montague,for your favour and interest; being convinced that the accident was anaccident, and no plot or contrivance of a wretch too full of them. Weare, Madam,
Your most obedient humble servants,
M.SARAH SADLEIR.ELIZ. LAWRANCE.
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DEAR MISS HOWE,
After what is written above, by names and characters of unquestionablehonour, I might have been excused signing a name almost as hateful tomyself, as I KNOW it is to you. But the above will have it so. Since,therefore, I must write, it shall be the truth; which is, that if I maybe once more admitted to pay my duty to the most deserving and mostinjured of her sex, I will be content to do it with a halter about myneck; and, attended by a parson on my right hand, and the hangman on myleft, be doomed, at her will, either to the church or the gallows.
Your most humble servant,ROBERT LOVELACE.
TUESDAY, JULY 18.