N° 95.

SATURDAY, April 4, 1786.

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

As

S you have, by several of your publications, given proof that you do not think the occurrences of domeftic life unworthy your attention, I fhall, without further preface, address you on a subject full as deserving of it as any yet offered to your confideration. It is now above four years fince I became the wife of a gentleman, my equal in rank and fortune; and, what was more material, of a disposition and turn of mind every way fuitable to mine. His eftate lies at a confiderable diftance from the capital; but as it is fituated in an agreeable neighbourhood, and as we have both a tafte for reading, and Mr. B. is not averse to rural employments, we spent our time as happily as poffible, till about half a year ago, that my ill stars directed me to renew my acquaintance with a young lady, who had been my companion at fchool, and who now came on a vifit to a relation who lived at no great diftance from our house.

Before

Before I proceed in my story, I must beg a candid confideration of it. From the introduction to the difagreeable part of it, you will be apt to imagine that I am one of thofe felf-tormentors justly ridiculed by the ingenious author of the Jealous Wife. No fuch thing, Mr. MIRROR; my husband's attention to other women never gave me the flighteft ureafinefs. Convinced of his attachment, fatisfied with his treatment of me, I never expected him to be blind to the charms of a beautiful 'woman, or infenfible of the merit of an agreeable one; nor had I the mistaken policy of many wives, of never fuffering a tolerable female to enter my doors, or of courting the intimacy of fome tall elderly maiden, that I might gain by the comparifon. No, Sir, I depended wholly upon my unremitting attention to please Mr. B. for the continuance of his attachment. Nor can I in the leaft reproach myself with giving cause for the abatement I too plainly perceive in it.

But to return to my ftory. I was much pleafed at feeing my old fchool-fellow: We had been parted many years, and I found the wild lively romp improved into an elegant woman. She ftill, however, retained a good deal of the heedlefs manner that marked her childish days; and, though the has an excellent underftanding, fhe never feemed to make ufe of it in

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the regulation of her conduct or behaviour. She expressed herself much pleased at finding me fo happily fettled: Mr. B. appeared to her a most. amiable man, and my children (particularly my little Befs) fhe faid were angels. Her attention to them, I own, endeared her to me very much; though, indeed, Mr. MIRROR, no one can help loving them, for they are charming children. Her good-humoured playful ways made the little creatures doat on her. At my return from walking, I have frequently found her on her knees on the floor, building card-houfes for their entertainment. Mr. B. has obferved to me, on thofe occafions, how amiable it was in a young admired woman, who spent her life in the ufual round of folly and diffipation, to preserve fuch natural and right feelings. He generally concluded his obfervations with faying, that he believed fhe would make a most excellent wife. I, for a long time, agreed with him in opinion, and used to tell her before his face the fine things Mr. B. faid of her. She received them in a rattling good-humoured way, infifting that her conduct in the married ftate would depend on her husband's; for fhe declared that she did not find in herself that exalted turn of mind to love virtue for its own fake, and fhe believed the would make but an indifferent wife to half the men in the world. Such converfation generally

produced

produced an argument between her and Mr. B. which, as it was carried on with fpirit and temper, had no other effect than making them ftill more pleased with one another. If the found the argument growing ferious, she would call over the children, and, putting them on their father's knee, defire them to kifs him into good humour, which never failed having the effect; or, if fhe faid a flippant thing to him, with which he feemed half offended, fhe used to take his hand, and smile so sweetly in his face, it was impoffible for him to continue difpleafed with her; and generally a kifs, and a game at billiards, fealed their reconciliation.

ter.

I own to you, I began not to relish her behaviour; yet it feemed fo unpremeditated, and so perfectly correfponding with her general character, that I did not know how to make her fenfible of the impropriety of it. I even doubted my own judgment of the måtI had, for fome time, lived fo much out of the gay world, that I did not know but Maria's very great freedom of manner might be the fashionable behaviour of the people fhe had been accustomed to fee: if fo, how was fhe to blame? or why fhould I be uneafy, knowing her to be a woman of honour, surely incapable of fo bafe an action as endeavouring VOL. III. I.

to

to alienate my hufband's affection from me? By fuch reafonings I ftrove to quell the first emotions (jealous, if you will have them fo) that rofe in my breaft. But, alas, Mr. MIRROR, to what purpose! I have every hour fresh cause of uneafinefs. About a week ago I went fuddenly into the parlour, and found Maria fitting on Mr. B.'s knee, her head leaning on his fhoulder: he looked a little out of countenance; but fhe was not in the leaft diftreffed at my appearance, but asked me, with her ufual good humour, what made me look fo grave? then, flapping Mr. B. gently on the cheek, faid, "It is your fault,

you harfh thing you when I knew her "formerly, fhe ufed to be all life and fpi"rits." He anfwered (coldly I thought), that it was his wifh ever to fee me in fpirits, and that he was forry he was not so happy as to hit on a method to make me fo. I turned my head afide, to hide the ftarting tear. Maria, as if gueffing at my emotion, put her arm about my neck, and, drawing round my averted face, faid, in a loud whisper, "My dear "Mrs. B. how can you indulge fuch weak"nefs?" Mr. B. fnatched up his hat, and left the room; I heard the word " childish," as he fhut the door. I remember the time when he

could