Read Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 8 Page 52

  LETTER LI

  MR. BELFORD, TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.SAT. MORNING, SEPT. 2.

  I have some little pleasure given me by thine, just now brought me. Isee now that thou hast a little humanity left. Would to Heaven, for thedear lady's sake, as well as for thy own, that thou hadst rummaged it upfrom all the dark forgotten corners of thy soul a little sooner!

  The lady is alive, and serene, and calm, and has all her noble intellectsclear and strong: but nineteen will not however save her. She says shewill now content herself with her closet duties, and the visits of theparish-minister; and will not attempt to go out. Nor, indeed, will she,I am afraid, ever walk up or down a pair of stairs again.

  I am sorry at my soul to have this to say: but it would be a folly toflatter thee.

  As to thy seeing her, I believe the least hint of that sort, now, wouldcut off some hours of her life.

  What has contributed to her serenity, it seems, is, that taking the alarmher fits gave her, she has entirely finished, and signed and sealed, herlast will: which she had deferred till this time, in hopes, as she said,of some good news from Harlowe-place; which would have induced her toalter some passages in it.

  Miss Howe's letter was not given her till four in the afternoon,yesterday; at which time the messenger returned for an answer. Sheadmitted him into her presence in the dining-room, ill as she then was,and she would have written a few lines, as desired by Miss Howe; but, notbeing able to hold a pen, she bid the messenger tell her that she hopedto be well enough to write a long letter by the next day's post; andwould not now detain him.

  ***

  SATURDAY, SIX IN THE AFTERNOON.

  I called just now, and found the lady writing to Miss Howe. She made mea melancholy compliment, that she showed me not Miss Howe's letter,because I should soon have that and all her papers before me. But shetold me that Miss Howe had very considerably obviated to Colonel Mordenseveral things which might have occasioned misapprehensions between himand me; and had likewise put a lighter construction, for the sake ofpeace, on some of your actions than they deserved.

  She added, that her cousin Morden was warmly engaged in her favour withher friends: and one good piece of news Miss Howe's letter contained,that her father would give up some matters, which (appertaining to her ofright) would make my executorship the easier in some particulars that hadgiven her a little pain.

  She owned she had been obliged to leave off (in the letter she waswriting) through weakness.

  Will. says he shall reach you to-night. I shall send in the morning;and, if I find her not worse, will ride to Edgware, and return in theafternoon.