MR. LOVELACE TO MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE.

[Superscribed to Mrs. Lovelace.]

M. Hall. Monday, June 26.

IN a letter sent by the messenger whom I despatch with this, I have desired, that my friend, Mr. Belford, who is your very great admirer, and who knows all the secrets of my heart, will wait upon you, to know what I am to depend upon, as to the chosen day. Relieve, I beseech you, dearest madam, by the four requested words, or by Mr. Belford, the anxiety of

Your ever affectionate and obliged

LOVELACE.

MR. LOVELACE TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.

M. Hall. June 26.

HOU wilt see the situation I am in with Miss Harlowe by the enclosed copies of my letters to her.

Now, Belford, as I really, in my present mood, think of nothing less than marrying her, if she let not Thursday slip; I would have thee attend her, in pursuance of the intimation I have given her in my letter of this date; and vow for me, swear for me, bind thy soul to her for my honour, and use what arguments thy friendly heart can suggest, in order to procure me an answer from her; which, as thou wilt see, she may give in four words only. And then I purpose to leave Lord M. (dangerously ill as he is) and meet her at her appointed church, in order to solemnise if she will sign but Cl. H. to thy writing the four words, that shall do; for I would not come up to be made a fool of in the face of all my family and friends.

If she should let the day go off;—I shall be desperate. I am entangled in my own devices, and cannot bear that she should detect me.

O that I had been honest!-What a devil are all my plots come to! What do they end in, but one grand plot upon myself, and a title to eternal infamy and disgrace! But, depending on thy friendly offices, I will say no more of this. Let her send me but one line!-but one line!To treat me as unworthy of her notice; yet be altogether in my power—I cannot-I will not bear that.

My lord, as I said, is extremely ill. The doctors give him over. He gives himself over. Those who would not have him die, are afraid he will die. am doubtful.

But as to myself, I

Thou wilt see in the inclosed what pains I am at to despatch messengers; who are constantly on the road to meet each other, and one of them to link in the chain with a fourth, whose station is in London, and five miles onward, or till met. But in truth, I have some other matters for them to perform at the same time, with my lord's banker and his lawyer; which will enable me, if his lordship is so good as to die this bout, to be an overmatch for some of my other relations. I don't mean Charlotte and Patty; for they are noble girls; but others, who have been scratching and clawing underground like so many moles in my absence; and whose workings I have discovered since I have been down, by the little heaps of dirt they have thrown up.

A speedy account of thy commission, dear Jack! The letter travels all night.

VOL. II.

R

MR. BELFORD TO ROBERT LOVELACE, ESQ.

London, Tuesday, June 27.

OU must excuse me, Lovelace, from engaging in the office you would have me undertake, till I

can be better assured you really intend honourably at last by this much-injured lady.

If thou canst convince me time enough for the day, that thou meanest to do honourably by her, in her own sense of the word; or, if not time enough, wilt fix some other day (which thou oughtest to leave to her option, and not bind her down for the Thursday; and the rather, as thy pretence for so doing is founded on an absolute fiction); I will then most cheerfully undertake thy cause; by person, if she will admit me to her presence; if she will not, by pen. But in this case, thou must allow me to be guarantee for thy faith. And, if so, as much as I value thee, and respect thy skill in all the qualifications of a gentleman, thou mayest depend upon it, that I will act up to the character of a guarantee, with more honour than the princes of our day usually do-to their shame be it spoken.

Command me with honour, and thou shalt find none readier to oblige thee, than

Thy sincere friend,

JOHN BELFORD.

MR. LOVELACE TO JOHN BELFORD, ESQ.

M. Hall. Tuesday night, June 27.

|ND so thou wilt not wait upon the charmer of my heart, but upon terms and conditions!-let it alone, and be cursed; I care not.—But so much credit did I give to the value thou expressedst for her,

that I thought the office would have been as acceptable to thee, as serviceable to me; for what was it, but to endeavour to persuade her to consent to the reparation of her own honour? for what have I done but disgrace myself, and been a thief to my own joys?—and if there be an union of hearts, and an intention to solemnize, what is there wanting but the foolish ceremony?—and that I still offer. But if she will keep back her hand; if she will make me hold out mine in vain—how can I help it?

I write her one more letter, and if, after she has received that, she keep sullen silence, she must thank herself for what is to follow.

As to what you hint, of leaving to her choice another day, do you consider, that it will be impossible, that my contrivances and stratagems should be much longer concealed?-this makes me press that day, though so near; and the more, as I have made so much ado about her uncle's anniversary. If she send me the four words, I will spare no fatigue to be in time, if not for the canonical hour at church, for some other hour of the day in her own apartment, or any other: for money will do everything : and that I have never spared in this affair.

To show thee, that I am not at enmity with thee, I inclose the copies of two letters-one to her: it is the fourth, and must be the last on the subject—the other to Captain Tomlinson; calculated, as thou wilt see, for him. to show her.

And now, Jack, interfere in this case or not, thou knowest the mind of

R. LOVELACE.

MR. LOVELACE TO MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE.

[Superscribed to Mrs. Lovelace.]

M. Hall. June 28.

OT one line, my dearest life, not one word, in answer to three letters I have written! the time is now so short, that this must be the last letter that can reach you on this side of the important hour that might make us legally one.

My friend Mr. Belford is apprehensive, that he cannot wait upon you in time, by reason of some urgent affairs of his own.

I the less regret the disappointment, because I have procured a more acceptable person, as I hope, to attend you; Captain Tomlinson I mean: to whom I had applied for this purpose, before I had Mr. Belford's answer.

I was the more solicitous to obtain this favour from him, because of the office he is to take upon him, as I humbly presume to hope, to-morrow. That office obliged him to be in town as this day and I acquainted him with my unhappy situation with you; and desired, that he would show me, on this occasion, that I had as much of his favour and friendship, as your uncle had; since the whole treaty must be broken off, if he could not prevail upon you in my behalf.

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He will dispatch the messenger directly; whom I pose to meet in person at Slough; either to proceed onward to London with a joyful heart, or to return back to M. Hall, with a broken one.

I ought not (but cannot help it) to anticipate the pleasure Mr. Tomlinson proposes to himself, in acquainting you with the likelihood there is of your mother's seconding your uncle's views. For, it seems, he has privately communicated to her his laudable intentions: and her