I have but just received your letter, which being directed to Sussex
while I was at Bristol was obliged to be forwarded to me here, and from
some unaccountable Delay, has but this instant reached me—. I return
you many thanks for the account it contains of Lesley’s acquaintance,
Love and Marriage with Louisa, which has not the less entertained me
for having often been repeated to me before.
I have the satisfaction of informing you that we have every reason to
imagine our pantry is by this time nearly cleared, as we left
Particular orders with the servants to eat as hard as they possibly
could, and to call in a couple of Chairwomen to assist them. We brought
a cold Pigeon pye, a cold turkey, a cold tongue, and half a dozen
Jellies with us, which we were lucky enough with the help of our
Landlady, her husband, and their three children, to get rid of, in less
than two days after our arrival. Poor Eloisa is still so very
indifferent both in Health and Spirits, that I very much fear, the air
of the Bristol downs, healthy as it is, has not been able to drive poor
Henry from her remembrance.
You ask me whether your new Mother in law is handsome and amiable—I
will now give you an exact description of her bodily and mental charms.
She is short, and extremely well made; is naturally pale, but rouges a
good deal; has fine eyes, and fine teeth, as she will take care to let
you know as soon as she sees you, and is altogether very pretty. She is
remarkably good-tempered when she has her own way, and very lively when
she is not out of humour. She is naturally extravagant and not very
affected; she never reads anything but the letters she receives from
me, and never writes anything but her answers to them. She plays, sings
and Dances, but has no taste for either, and excells in none, tho’ she
says she is passionately fond of all. Perhaps you may flatter me so far
as to be surprised that one of whom I speak with so little affection
should be my particular freind; but to tell you the truth, our
freindship arose rather from Caprice on her side than Esteem on mine.
We spent two or three days together with a Lady in Berkshire with whom
we both happened to be connected—. During our visit, the Weather being
remarkably bad, and our party particularly stupid, she was so good as
to conceive a violent partiality for me, which very soon settled in a
downright Freindship and ended in an established correspondence. She is
probably by this time as tired of me, as I am of her; but as she is too
Polite and I am too civil to say so, our letters are still as frequent
and affectionate as ever, and our Attachment as firm and sincere as
when it first commenced. As she had a great taste for the pleasures of
London, and of Brighthelmstone, she will I dare say find some
difficulty in prevailing on herself even to satisfy the curiosity I
dare say she feels of beholding you, at the expence of quitting those
favourite haunts of Dissipation, for the melancholy tho’ venerable
gloom of the castle you inhabit. Perhaps however if she finds her
health impaired by too much amusement, she may acquire fortitude
sufficient to undertake a Journey to Scotland in the hope of its
Proving at least beneficial to her health, if not conducive to her
happiness. Your fears I am sorry to say, concerning your father’s
extravagance, your own fortunes, your Mothers Jewels and your Sister’s
consequence, I should suppose are but too well founded. My freind
herself has four thousand pounds, and will probably spend nearly as
much every year in Dress and Public places, if she can get it—she will
certainly not endeavour to reclaim Sir George from the manner of living
to which he has been so long accustomed, and there is therefore some
reason to fear that you will be very well off, if you get any fortune
at all. The Jewels I should imagine too will undoubtedly be hers, and
there is too much reason to think that she will preside at her Husbands
table in preference to his Daughter. But as so melancholy a subject
must necessarily extremely distress you, I will no longer dwell on it—.
Eloisa’s indisposition has brought us to Bristol at so unfashionable a
season of the year, that we have actually seen but one genteel family
since we came. Mr and Mrs Marlowe are very agreable people; the ill
health of their little boy occasioned their arrival here; you may
imagine that being the only family with whom we can converse, we are of
course on a footing of intimacy with them; we see them indeed almost
every day, and dined with them yesterday. We spent a very pleasant Day,
and had a very good Dinner, tho’ to be sure the Veal was terribly
underdone, and the Curry had no seasoning. I could not help wishing all
dinner-time that I had been at the dressing it—. A brother of Mrs
Marlowe, Mr Cleveland is with them at present; he is a good-looking
young Man, and seems to have a good deal to say for himself. I tell
Eloisa that she should set her cap at him, but she does not at all seem
to relish the proposal. I should like to see the girl married and
Cleveland has a very good estate. Perhaps you may wonder that I do not
consider _myself_ as well as my Sister in my matrimonial Projects; but
to tell you the truth I never wish to act a more principal part at a
Wedding than the superintending and directing the Dinner, and therefore
while I can get any of my acquaintance to marry for me, I shall never
think of doing it myself, as I very much suspect that I should not have
so much time for dressing my own Wedding-dinner, as for dressing that
of my freinds.
Yours sincerely
C. L.
LETTER the FIFTH
Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL