In pursuance of my promise, I will minutely inform you of every thing we
know relating to this shocking transaction.
When we returned from you on Thursday night, and made our report of the
kind reception both we and our message met with, in that you had been so
good as to promise to use your interest with your dear friend, it put us
all into such good humour with one another, and with my cousin Lovelace,
that we resolved upon a little tour of two days, the Friday and Saturday,
in order to give an airing to my Lord, and Lady Sarah, both having been
long confined, one by illness, the other by melancholy. My Lord, Lady
Sarah, Lady Betty, and myself, were in the coach; and all our talk was of
dear Miss Harlowe, and of our future happiness with her: Mr. Lovelace and
my sister (who is his favourite, as he is her's) were in his phaëton:
and, whenever we joined company, that was still the subject.
As to him, never man praised woman as he did her: Never man gave greater
hopes, and made better resolutions. He is none of those that are
governed by interest. He is too proud for that. But most sincerely
delighted was he in talking of her; and of his hopes of her returning
favour. He said, however, more than once, that he feared she would not
forgive him; for, from his heart, he must say, he deserved not her
forgiveness: and often and often, that there was not such a woman in the
world.
This I mention to show you, Madam, that he could not at this time be
privy to such a barbarous and disgraceful treatment of her.
We returned not till Saturday night, all in as good humour with one
another as we went out. We never had such pleasure in his company
before. If he would be good, and as he ought to be, no man would be
better beloved by relations than he. But never was there a greater
alteration in man when he came home, and received a letter from a
messenger, who, it seems, had been flattering himself in hopes of a
reward, and had been waiting for his return from the night before. In
such a fury!--The man fared but badly. He instantly shut himself up to
write, and ordered man and horse to be ready to set out before day-light
the next morning, to carry the letter to a friend in London.
He would not see us all that night; neither breakfast nor dine with us
next day. He ought, he said, never to see the light; and bid my sister,
whom he called an innocent, (and who was very desirous to know the
occasion of all this,) shun him, saying, he was a wretch, and made so by
his own inventions, and the consequences of them.
None of us could get out of him what so disturbed him. We should too
soon hear, he said, to the utter dissipation of all his hopes, and of all
ours.
We could easily suppose that all was not right with regard to the worthy
young lady and him.
He went out each day; and said he wanted to run away from himself.
Late on Monday night he received a letter from Mr. Belford, his most
favoured friend, by his own messenger; who came back in a foam, man and
horse. Whatever were the contents, he was not easier, but like a madman
rather: but still would not let us know the occasion. But to my sister
he said, nobody, my dear Patsey, who can think but of half the plagues
that pursue an intriguing spirit, would ever quit the fore-right path.
He was out when your messenger came: but soon came in; and bad enough was
his reception from us all. And he said, that his own torments were
greater than ours, than Miss Harlowe's, or your's, Madam, all put
together. He would see your letter. He always carries every thing
before him: and said, when he had read it, that he thanked God, he was
not such a villain, as you, with too great an appearance of reason,
thought him.
Thus, then, he owned the matter to be.
He had left general instructions to the people of the lodgings the dear
lady went from, to find out where she was gone to, if possible, that he
might have an opportunity to importune her to be his, before their
difference was public. The wicked people (officious at least, if not
wicked) discovered where she was on Wednesday; and, for fear she should
remove before they could have his orders, they put her under a gentle
restraint, as they call it; and dispatched away a messenger to acquaint
him with it; and to take his orders.
This messenger arrived Friday afternoon; and staid here till we returned
on Saturday night:--and, when he read the letter he brought--I have told
you, Madam, what a fury he was in.
The letter he retired to write, and which he dispatched away so early on
Sunday morning, was to conjure his friend, Mr. Belford, on receipt of it,
to fly to the lady, and set her free; and to order all her things to be
sent to her; and to clear him of so black and villanous a fact, as he
justly called it.
And by this time he doubts not that all is happily over; and the beloved
of his soul (as he calls her at ever word) in an easier and happier way
than she was before the horrid fact. And now he owns that the reason why
Mr. Belford's letter set him into stronger ravings was, because of his
keeping him wilfully (and on purpose to torment him) in suspense; and
reflecting very heavily upon him, (for Mr. Belford, he says, was ever the
lady's friend and advocate); and only mentioning, that he had waited upon
her; referring to his next for further particulars; which Mr. Belford
could have told him at the time.
He declares, and we can vouch for him, that he has been, ever since last
Saturday night, the most miserable of men.
He forbore going up himself, that it might not be imagined he was guilty
of so black a contrivance; and that he went up to complete any base views
in consequence of it.
Believe us all, dear Miss Howe, under the deepest concern at this unhappy
accident; which will, we fear, exasperate the charming sufferer; not too
much for the occasion, but too much for our hopes.
O what wretches are these free-living men, who love to tread in intricate
paths; and, when once they err, know not how far out of the way their
headstrong course may lead them!
My sister joins her thanks with mine to your good mother and self, for
the favours you heaped upon us last Thursday. We beseech your continued
interest as to the subject of our visit. It shall be all our studies to
oblige and recompense the dear lady to the utmost of our power, and for
what she has suffered from the unhappy man.
We are, dear Madam,
Your obliged and faithful servants,
CHARLOTTE | MONTAGUE.
MARTHA |
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