LETTER LXXXV.
Mr. Belford, To Robert Lovelace, Esq;
Sat. Morning, Sept. 2.
I have some little pleasure given me by thine, just now brought me. I see now that thou hast a little humanity left. Would to heaven, for the dear Lady's sake, as well as for thy own, that thou hadst romaged it up from all the dark forgotten corners of thy soul a little sooner!
The Lady is alive, and serene, and calm, and has all her noble intellects clear and strong: But Nineteen will not however save her. She says, she will now content herself with her Closet-duties, and the visits of the Parish-minister; and will not attempt to go out. Nor, indeed, will she, I am afraid, ever walk up or down a pair of stairs again.
I am sorry at my soul to have this to say: But it would be a folly to flatter thee.
As to thy seeing her, I believe the least hint of that sort, now, would cut off some hours of her life.
What has contributed to her serenity, it seems, is, That, taking the alarm her fits gave her, she has entirely
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finished, and signed and sealed, her Last Will: Which she had deferred doing till this time, in hopes, as she said, of some good news from Harlowe-Place; which would have induced her to alter some passages in it.
Miss Howe's Letter was not given her till Four in the afternoon, yesterday; at what time the messenger returned for an Answer. She admitted him into her presence in the Dining-room, ill as she then was; and she would have written a few lines, as desired by Miss Howe; but, not being able to hold a pen, she bid the messenger tell her, that she hoped to be well enough to write a long Letter by the next day's post; and would not now detain him.
Saturday, Six in the Afternoon.
I called just now, and found the Lady writing to Miss Howe. She made me a melancholy compliment, that she shewed me not Miss Howe's Letter, because I should soon have that and all her papers before me. But she told me, that Miss Howe had very considerately obviated to Colonel Morden several things which might have occasioned misapprehensions between him and me; and had likewise put a lighter construction, for the sake of peace, on some of your actions, than they deserved.
She added, That her Cousin Morden was warmly engaged in her favour with her friends: And one good piece of news Miss Howe's Letter contained; that her Father would give up some matters, which (appertaining to her of right) would make my Executorship the easier in some particulars that had given her a little pain.
She owned she had been obliged to leave off (in the Letter she was writing) thro' weakness.
Will. says, he shall reach you to-night. I shall send in the morning; and if I find her not worse, will ride to Edgware, and return in the afternoon.