'have known some things himself,' affects me not a little. What can a man of his prudence have had to disturb him? my favourite author says,

But

Yet, with a sigh o'er all mankind, I grant,
In this our day of proof, our land of hope,
The good man has his clouds that intervene,
Clouds that obscure his sublunary day;

But never conquer. E'en the best must own,
Patience and resignation are the pillars
Of human peace on earth.-

NIGHT THOUGHTS.

But so young a man! so prudent! as I said; and so generally beloved! But that he is so, may be the occasion. Some lady, I doubt!-What sad people are we women at this rate! Yet some women may have the worst of it. What are your thoughts on all these appearances, Lucy?

Miss Grandison, as I said, is uneasy. These are the words that disturb her: Only this one hint, my sister! 'Whenever you condescend to consult me, let me have every thing before me, that shall be necessary to enable me to form a judgment.'-And so they would me in her

case.

But it seems plain, from Sir Charles's hint, that he keeps to himself (as Miss Grandison once indeed said in his favour) those intelligences which would disturb her, and his other friends, to know. The secret which he would have made of the wicked challenge; his self-invited breakfasting with Sir Hargrave; are proofs, among others, of this: and if this be his considerate motive, what a forward, what a censorious creature have I been, on so many occasions, to blame him for his reserves, and particularly for his Canterbury excursions! I think I will be cautious for the

future, how I take upon me to censure those actions, which in such a man I cannot account for.

Miss Grandison, on her brother's withdrawing with Dr. Bartlett, said, Well, now that my cousin Grandison will accompany my brother to Canterbury, we shall have that secret out in course.

LADY L. It seems to be your fault, Charlotte, that we have not had it before.

MISS GR. Be quiet, Lady L

MR. GR. Perhaps not. You'll find I can keep à secret, cousin; especially if I am desired to do so.

MISS GR. I shall wonder at that.

MR. GR. Why so?

MISS GR. Shall I give it you in plain English?
MR. GR. You don't use to mince it.

MISS GR. It would be strange, cousin, if a man should make a secret of an innocent piece of intelligence, who has told stories of himself, and gloried in them, that he ought, if true, to have been hanged for-You would have it.

MR. GR. I knew I must have the plain English, whether I asked for it or not. But give me leave to say, cousin Charlotte, that you made not so superior a figure just now.

MISS GR. True, Mr. Grandison. There is but one man in the world, of whom I stand in awe.

MR. GR. I believe it; and hope you never design to marry, for that reason.

MISS GR. What a wretch is my cousin! Must a woman stand in awe of her husband? Whether, sir, is marriage a state of servitude or of freedom to a woman?

MR. GR. Of freedom, as women generally make it— of servitude, if they know their duty.-Pardon me, ladies. MISS GR. Don't pardon him. I suppose, sir, it is owing to your consciousness, that you have only the will,

and not the spirit, to awe a woman of sense, that you are a single man at this day.

LADY L. Pray, my lord, what have I done, that you treat me with so much contempt?

LORD L. Contempt! my best life!-How is that?

LADY L. You seem not to think it worth your while to

overawe me.

MISS GR. Lord, my dear! how you are mistaken in applying thus to Lord L-! Lord L is a good man, a virtuous man. None but rakes hold those overawing doctrines. They know what they deserve; and live in continual fear of meeting with their deserts; and so, if they marry, having the hearts of slaves, they become tyrants. Miss Byron

MR. GR. The devil's in it if you two ladies want help. I fly the pit.

LORD L. And I think, Mr. Grandison, you have fought a hard battle.

MR. GR. By my soul, I think so too. I have held it out better than I used to do.

MISS GR. I protest I think you have. We shall brighten I am mistaken if there were not two or you up among us. three smart things said by my cousin. Pray, did any body mind them? I should be glad to hear them again. Do you recollect them yourself, cousin?

MR. GR. You want to draw me on again, cousin Charlotte. But the d-1 fetch me, if you do. I'll leave off

while I am well.

MISS GR. Would you have thought it, Lady L-? My cousin has discretion as well as smartness. I congratulate you, sir: a new discovery!-But hush! "Tis time for both to have done.

Sir Charles entered. Mr. Grandison a sufferer again? said he.

MR. GR. No, no! Pretty well off this bout !-Miss Byron, I have had the better end of the staff, I believe. HAR. I can't say that, sir. But you got off, I think, in

very good time.

MR. GR. And that's a victory, to what it used to be, I can assure you. No body ever could awe Miss Grandison. MISS GR. Coward!-You would now begin again, would you?-Sir Charles loves to take me down.

MR. GR. Never, madam, but when you are up: and laughed heartily.

MISS GR. Witty too!-A man of repartee. A verbal wit! And that's half as good as a punster, at any time.

SIR CH. Fight it out, cousin Grandison. You can laugh on, though the laugh of every other person should be against you.

MR. GR. And thou, Brutus ?-It is time to have done. As I think these conversations characteristic, I hope the recital of them will be excused. Yet I am sensible, those things that go well off in conversation, do not always read to equal advantage.

They would fain have engaged us to stay supper: but we excused ourselves. I promised to breakfast with them.

I chose not to take my maid with me. Jenny is to be made over to me occasionally, for the time of my stay. Dr. Bartlett had desired to be excused. So our party is only the two sisters, Lord L, Miss Jervois, and I.

Sir Charles and Mr. Grandison are to set out for their journey early in the morning.

Adieu, my Lucy. It is late: and sleepiness promises to befriend your HARRIET.

LETTER VIII.

MRS. SELBY, TO MISS BYRON.*

MY DEAREST CHILD,

Selby House, Sunday, March 5.

We are all extremely affected with your present situation. Such apparent struggles betwixt your natural openness of heart, and the confessions of a young, of a new passion, and that so laudably founded, and so visibly increasing0 my love! you must not affect reserves. They will sit very awkwardly upon a young woman, who never knew what affectation and concealment were.

You have laid me under a difficulty with respect to Lady D. She is to be with me on Saturday next. I have not written to her, though you desired I would; since, in truth, we all think that her proposals deserve consideration; and because we are afraid, that a greater happiness will never be yours and ours. It is impossible, my dear, to imagine, that such a man as Sir Charles Grandison should not have seen the woman whom he could love, before he saw you; or whom he had not been engaged to love by his grati tude, as I may call it, for her love. Has not his sister talked of half a score ladies, who would break their hearts for him, were he to marry?-And may not this be the reason why he does not?

*This letter, and the two that follow it, are inserted in this place, though not received, and answered, till Miss Byron was at Colnebrook, for the sake of keeping entire the subject she writes upon from thence.