_Mrs. Johnson to Lady S. Vernon._
Edward Street.
My dearest Friend,—I congratulate you on Mr. De Courcy’s arrival, and I
advise you by all means to marry him; his father’s estate is, we know,
considerable, and I believe certainly entailed. Sir Reginald is very
infirm, and not likely to stand in your way long. I hear the young man
well spoken of; and though no one can really deserve you, my dearest
Susan, Mr. De Courcy may be worth having. Mainwaring will storm of
course, but you easily pacify him; besides, the most scrupulous point
of honour could not require you to wait for _his_ emancipation. I have
seen Sir James; he came to town for a few days last week, and called
several times in Edward Street. I talked to him about you and your
daughter, and he is so far from having forgotten you, that I am sure he
would marry either of you with pleasure. I gave him hopes of
Frederica’s relenting, and told him a great deal of her improvements. I
scolded him for making love to Maria Mainwaring; he protested that he
had been only in joke, and we both laughed heartily at her
disappointment; and, in short, were very agreeable. He is as silly as
ever.
Yours faithfully,
ALICIA.
X
_Lady Susan Vernon to Mrs. Johnson._
Churchhill.
I am much obliged to you, my dear Friend, for your advice respecting
Mr. De Courcy, which I know was given with the full conviction of its
expediency, though I am not quite determined on following it. I cannot
easily resolve on anything so serious as marriage; especially as I am
not at present in want of money, and might perhaps, till the old
gentleman’s death, be very little benefited by the match. It is true
that I am vain enough to believe it within my reach. I have made him
sensible of my power, and can now enjoy the pleasure of triumphing over
a mind prepared to dislike me, and prejudiced against all my past
actions. His sister, too, is, I hope, convinced how little the
ungenerous representations of anyone to the disadvantage of another
will avail when opposed by the immediate influence of intellect and
manner. I see plainly that she is uneasy at my progress in the good
opinion of her brother, and conclude that nothing will be wanting on
her part to counteract me; but having once made him doubt the justice
of her opinion of me, I think I may defy her. It has been delightful to
me to watch his advances towards intimacy, especially to observe his
altered manner in consequence of my repressing by the cool dignity of
my deportment his insolent approach to direct familiarity. My conduct
has been equally guarded from the first, and I never behaved less like
a coquette in the whole course of my life, though perhaps my desire of
dominion was never more decided. I have subdued him entirely by
sentiment and serious conversation, and made him, I may venture to say,
at least half in love with me, without the semblance of the most
commonplace flirtation. Mrs. Vernon’s consciousness of deserving every
sort of revenge that it can be in my power to inflict for her
ill-offices could alone enable her to perceive that I am actuated by
any design in behaviour so gentle and unpretending. Let her think and
act as she chooses, however. I have never yet found that the advice of
a sister could prevent a young man’s being in love if he chose. We are
advancing now to some kind of confidence, and in short are likely to be
engaged in a sort of platonic friendship. On my side you may be sure of
its never being more, for if I were not attached to another person as
much as I can be to anyone, I should make a point of not bestowing my
affection on a man who had dared to think so meanly of me. Reginald has
a good figure and is not unworthy the praise you have heard given him,
but is still greatly inferior to our friend at Langford. He is less
polished, less insinuating than Mainwaring, and is comparatively
deficient in the power of saying those delightful things which put one
in good humour with oneself and all the world. He is quite agreeable
enough, however, to afford me amusement, and to make many of those
hours pass very pleasantly which would otherwise be spent in
endeavouring to overcome my sister-in-law’s reserve, and listening to
the insipid talk of her husband. Your account of Sir James is most
satisfactory, and I mean to give Miss Frederica a hint of my intentions
very soon.
Yours, &c.,
S. VERNON.