seal? If you do, sir, let it not be in my presence: but it is too serious. Not, my dear, now the apprehension is so happily over: it may now add to my joy and my thankfulness on that account. Then do as you please, sir: but I had rather you would not.

Then here it is, Miss Darnford; I had it from you: it was put into your hands; and there I place it again. That's something like, said I, considering the gentleman. Mrs. B——, I hope we shall bring him into good order between us in time.

So I returned it to the dear writer; who lifted up her eyes, and her lips moving, showed a thankful ejaculation, that she was spared to receive it back again; and put it into her bosom.

I related to Lady Davers, when she came, this circumstance; and she, I believe, has got leave to take it with her. She is very proud of all opportunities now of justifying her brother's choice, and doing honour to his wife, with Lady Betty C— who is her great favourite, and who delights to reads Mrs. B's letters.

You desire to know, my honoured papa, how Mr. B— passes his time, and whether it be in his lady's chamber? No, indeed! Catch gentlemen, the best of them, in too great a complaisance that way, if you can. What then, does he pass his time with you, Polly? you are pleased to ask. What a disadvantage a man lies under who has been once a rake! But I am so generally with Mrs. B—, that when I tell you, sir, that his visits to her are pretty much of the polite form, I believe I answer all you mean by your questions; and especially when I remind you, sir, that Lord and Lady Davers, and the Earl and Countess of C—, and your unworthy daughter, are at dinner and supper time generally together; for Mrs. Andrews, who is not yet gone back to Kent, breakfasts, dines, and sups with her beloved daughter, and is hardly ever out of her room.

Then, sir, Mr. B, and the Earl, and Lord Davers, give pretty constant attendance to the business of parliament; and now and then sup abroad-So, sir, we are all

upon honour; and I could wish (only that your facetiousness always gives me pleasure, as it is a token that you have your much desired health and freedom of spirits) that even in jest my mamma's daughter might pass unquestioned.

But I know why you do it: it is only to put me out of heart to ask to stay longer. Yet I wish-but I know you won't permit me to go through the whole winter here.Will my dear papa grant it, do you think, my honoured mamma, if you were to lay the highest obligation upon your dutiful daughter, and petition for me? And should you care to try?

I dare not hope it myself, you see, madam: But when one sees a gentleman here, who denies his lady nothing that she asks, it makes one be ready to wish, methinks, that Lady Darnford was as happy in that particular as Mrs. B

Your indulgence for this winter, this one winter, or rather this small remainder of winter, I make not so much doubt of, you see, madam. I know you'll call me a bold girl; but then you always, when you do, condescend to grant my request: and I will be as good as ever I can be afterwards. I will fetch up all the lost time; rise an hour sooner in the morning, go to bed an hour later at night; flower my papa anything he pleases; read him to sleep when he pleases; put his gout into good humour, when it will be soothed; and Mrs. B- to crown all, will come down with me, by permission of her sovereign lord, who will attend her, you may be sure. And will not all this do, to procure me a month or two more? If it won't, why then, I will thank you for your past goodness to me, and with all duty and cheerfulness, bid adieu to this dear London, this dearer family, and attend a still dearer papa and mamma, whose dutiful daughter I will ever be, whilst

POLLY DARNford.

VOL. III.

K

LETTER LXII.

Miss Darnford to her Parents.

MY HONOURED PAPA AND MAMMA,-I have received your joint commands, and intend to set out on Wednesday next week. I hope I shall find my papa in better health than he is at present, and in better humour too; for I am very sorry he is displeased with my petitioning for a little longer. time in London. It is very severe to impute to me want of duty and affection to you both, which would, if deserved, make me very unworthy of your favour to me.

Mr. B-- and his lady are resolved to accompany me in their coach, till your chariot meets me, if you will be pleased to permit it so to do; and even set me down at your gate, if it do not; but he vows that he will not alight at your house, nor let his lady neither. But I say that this is a misplaced resentment, because I ought to think it a favour that you have indulged me so much as you have done. And yet even this is likewise a favour on their side to me, because it is an instance of their fondness for your unworthy daughter's company.

Mrs. B than before.

is, if possible, more lovely since her lying-in She has so much delight in her nursery, that I fear it will take her off from her pen, which will be a great loss to all whom she used to oblige with her correspondence. Indeed this new object of her care is a charming child; and she is exceedingly pleased with her nurse; -for she is not permitted, as she very much desired, to suckle it herself.

She makes a great proficiency in the French and Italian languages; and well she may; for she has the best schoolmaster in the world, and one whom she loves better than lady ever loved a tutor. He is lofty, and will not be disputed with: but I never saw a more polite and tender husband, for all that; and well may a lady, blessed as she is, bear with a little imperiousness sometimes; which, how

ever, she nips in the bud, by her sweetness of temper and ready compliance. But then he is a man of sense; and a lady need be the less concerned to yield a point to a man of sense and generosity, as he is; who is incapable of treating her the worse for her resignation and complacency. Whenever I marry, it shall be to a man of sense, and a generous man, against the world; for such a one cannot treat a woman ill; as Mrs. B- often observes.

We had a splendid christening, exceedingly well ordered, and everybody was highly delighted at it. The quality gossips went away but on Tuesday; and my Lady Davers took leave of her charming sister with all the blessings, and all the kindness, and affectionate fondness that could be expressed.

Mr. Andrews, that worthy old man, came up to see his grandson yesterday, and in order to attend his wife down. You would never have forgotten the good man's behaviour (had you seen it) to his daughter, and to the charming child: I wish I could describe it to you; but I am apt to think Mrs. B will take notice of it to Lady Davers; and if she enters into the description of it while I stay, I will beg a copy of it to bring down with me, because I know you were pleased with the sensible, plain, good man, and his ways, when at the Hall in your neighbourhood.

The child is named William; that I should have told you; but I write without any manner of connection, just as things come uppermost. But don't, my dear papa, construe this, too, as an instance of disrespect. I wish you were not so angry with me; it makes me almost afraid to see you! As I said, I shall set out next Wednesday in Mr. B's coach; and as we shall keep the main road all the way, I shall see, by my being met, how I am to be received, and whether pardoned or not. Mr. B says he will take me back again, if my dear papa frown at me ever so little; and he will not deliver me up into any other hands but his, neither.

We have been at several plays, and at the opera divers times; for we make the best of our time, since it is so short; and we feared how it would be; though I hoped I

should not have anger neither. Mrs. Bis taken up between whiles, with writing remarks upon the plays, &c., she sees, in a little book, for Lady Davers. She sent that lady her remarks upon one or two, with which she is so well pleased, that she will not let even her nursery excuse her from proceeding upon those subjects; and this will so engross the dear lady's pen, that I shall not be favoured so much as I used to be; but Lady Davers promises to lend me the book, when she has read it; so that will be some satisfaction.

I see but one thing that can possibly happen to disturb the felicity of this charming couple; and that I will mention, in confidence. Mr. B- and Mrs. B——, and myself, were at the masquerade, before she lay in. There was a lady greatly taken with Mr. B. She was in a nun's habit, and followed him wherever he went; and Mr. Turner, a gentleman of one of the inns of court, who visits Mr. B-sometimes, and is an old acquaintance of his, tells me, by the by, that the lady took an opportunity to unmask to Mr. B. Mr. Turner has since found she is the young Countess Dowager of; a fine lady; but not the most reserved in her conduct of late, since her widowhood. And he has since discovered, as he says, that a letter or two, if not more, have passed between Mr. B—— and that lady.

Now Mrs. B——, with all her perfections, has, as she owns, a little spice of jealousy; and should she be once alarmed, I tremble for the consequences to both their happiness.

It is my opinion, that if ever anything makes a misunderstanding between them, it will be from some such quarter as this. But 'tis a thousand pities it should. And I hope, as to the actual correspondence begun, Mr. Turner is mistaken.

But be it as it will, I would not for the world that the first hints of this matter should come from me. Mr. B is a very enterprising and gallant man, is a fine figure of a man, and I don't wonder a lady may like him. But he