'promise to follow all your directions. Indeed, and upon my word, I will. You please me mightily in giving me so dear a new mamma here. Now I know indeed I have

a mamma, and I will love and obey her as if she was you 'your own self. Indeed I will. You must always bless ( me, because I will be always good.

I hope you will believe

'me, because I am above telling fibs. I am, my honoured

mamma on the other side of the water, and ever will be, as if you was here,

'Your dutiful daughter,

'SALLY GOODWIN.'

'Miss (permit me, dear madam, to subjoin) is a very ' good-tempered child, easy to be persuaded, and I hope 'loves me dearly; and I will endeavour to make her love

me better and better; for on that love will depend the ' regard which I hope she will pay to all I shall say and do for her good.

Repeating my acknowledgments for the kind trust. you repose in me, and with thanks for the valuable present you have sent me, we all here join in respects to worthy Mr. Wrightson, and in wishing you, madam, a continuance and increase of worldly felicity: and I, particularly, beg leave to assure you that I am, and ever 'will be, with the highest respect and gratitude, though 'personally unknown, dearest madam,

6

• The affectionate admirer of your piety,

And your obliged humble servant,

'P. B

Your ladyship will see how I was circumscribed and limited; otherwise I would have told the good lady (what I have mentioned more than once) how I admire and honour her for her penitence, and for that noble resolution which enabled her to do what thousands could not have the heart to do, abandon her country, her relations, friends, baby, and all that was dear to her, as well as the

seducer, whom she too well loved, and hazard the sea, the dangers of pirates, and possibly of other wicked attempters of the mischievous sex, in a world she knew nothing of, among strangers; and all to avoid repeating a sin she had been unhappily drawn into; and for which she still abhors herself!

Must not such a lady as this, dear madam, have as much merit as many even of those who, having not had her temptations, have not fallen? This, at least, one may aver, that next to not committing an error, is the resolution to retrieve it all that one may, to repent of it, and studiously to avoid the repetition. But who, besides this excellent Mrs. Wrightson, having so fallen, and being still so ardently solicited and pursued (and flattered perhaps by fond hopes that her spoiler would one day do her all the justice he could -for who can do complete justice to a woman he has robbed of her honour?)—could resolve as she resolved, and act as she acted?

Miss Goodwin is a sweet child; but, permit me to say, has a little of her papa's spirit; hasty, yet generous and acknowledging, when she is convinced of her fault; a little haughtier and prouder than I wish her to be; but in everything else deserves the character I give of her to her

mamma.

She is very fond of fine clothes; is a little too lively to the servants-told me once, when I took notice that softness and mildness of speech became a young lady, That they were but servants; and she could say no more, than pray, and I desire, and I wish you'd be so kind—to her uncle, or

to me.

I told her, that good servants deserved any civil distinctions; and that so long as they were ready to oblige her in everything by a kind word, it would be very wrong to give them imperative ones, which could serve for no other end. but to convince observers of the haughtiness of one's own temper; and looked as if one would question their compliance with our wills, unless we would exact it with a high hand; which might cast a slur upon the command we

gave, as if we thought it was hardly so reasonable, as otherwise to obtain their observation of it.

as

Besides, my dear, said I, you don't consider that, if you speak as haughtily and commandingly to them on common on extraordinary occasions, you weaken your own authority, if ever you should be permitted to have any, and they'll regard you no more in the one case than in the other.

She takes great notice of what I say; and when her little proud heart is subdued by reasonings she cannot answer, she will sit as if she were studying what to say, that she may come off as flyingly as she can: and as the case requires, I let her go off easily, or I push the little dear to her last refuge, and make her quit her post, and yield up her spirit a captive to reason and discretion, two excellent commanders, with whom, I tell her, I must bring her to be intimately acquainted.

Yet, after all, till I can be sure that I can inspire her with the love of virtue, for its own sake, I will rather try to conduct her spirit to proper ends, than endeavour totally to subdue it; being sensible that our passions are given us for excellent ends, and that they may, by a proper direction, be made subservient to the noblest purposes.

I tell her sometimes, there may be a decent pride in humility, and that it is very possible for a young lady to behave with so much true dignity as shall command respect by the turn of her eye, sooner than by asperity of speech; that she may depend upon it, that the person who is always finding faults, frequently causes them; and that it is no glory to be better born than servants, if she is not better behaved too.

Besides, I tell her, humility is a grace that shines in a high condition, but cannot equally in a low one; because that is already too much humbled perhaps: and that, though there is a censure lies against being poor and proud, yet I would rather forgive pride in a poor body than in a rich; for in the rich it is insult and arrogance, proceeding from their high condition; but in the poor it may be a

defensative against dishonesty, and may show a natural bravery of mind perhaps, if properly directed, and manifested on right occasions, that the frowns of fortune cannot depress.

She says, she hears every day things from me which her governess never taught her.

That may very well be, I tell her, because her governess has many young ladies to take care of; I but one; and that I want to make her wise and prudent betimes, that she may be an example to other misses; and that governesses and mammas shall say to their misses, When will you be like Miss Goodwin? Do you ever hear Miss Goodwin say a naughty word? Would Miss Goodwin, think you, have done so or so?

She threw her arms about my neck on one such occasion as this: Oh, said she, what a charming mamma have I got! I will be in everything as like you, madam, as ever I can; and then you will love me, and so will my uncle, and so will everybody else.

Mr. B, whom, now and then, she says she loves as well as if he were her own papa, sees with pleasure how we go on; and loves us both, if possible, better and better. But she tells me I must not have any daughter but her, and is very jealous on the occasion about which your ladyship so kindly reproaches me.

There is a pride, you know, madam, in some of our sex, that serves to useful purposes, and is a good defence against improper matches, and mean actions; and this is not wholly to be subdued, for that reason; for, though it is not virtue, yet, if it can be virtue's substitute, in high, rash, and inconsiderate minds, it may turn to good account. So I will not quite discourage my dear pupil neither, till I see what discretion, and riper years, may add to her distinguishing faculty. For, as some have no notion of pride, separate from imperiousness and arrogance; so others know no difference between humility and meanness.

There is a golden mean in everything; and if it please God to spare us both, I will endeavour to point her passions,

and such even of those foibles, which seem too deeply rooted to be soon eradicated, to useful purposes; choosing to imitate physicians, who in certain chronical illnesses, as I have read in Lord Bacon, rather proceed by palliatives than by harsh extirpatives, which, through the resistance given to them by the constitution, may create such ferments in it, as may destroy that health it was their intention to establish.

But whither am I running?—Your ladyship, I hope, will excuse this parading freedom of my pen: for though these notions are well enough with regard to Miss Goodwin, they must be very impertiment to a lady, who can so much better instruct miss's tutoress, than that vain tutoress can her pupil. And therefore, with my humblest respects to my good Lord Davers, and your noble neighbours, and to Mr. H——, I hasten to conclude myself H

Your ladyship's obliged sister
And obedient servant,

P. B.

Your Billy, madam, is a charming dear!-I long to

have you see him.

paper. You'll see it

He sends you a kiss upon this stained just here. The charmer.

is

has cut two teeth, and is about more: So you'll excuse the dear, pretty slabbering boy. Miss Goodwin is ready to eat him with love and Mr. Bfonder and fonder of us all: and then your ladyship, and my good Lord Davers, love us too. O madam, what a blessed creature am I !

Miss Goodwin begs I'll send her duty to her noble uncle and aunt; that's her just distinction always, when she speaks of you both, which is not seldom. She asked me, pretty dear, just now, If I think there is such a happy girl in the world as she is? I tell her, God always blesses good misses, and makes them happier and happier.