tell you before, that Sir Archibald Johnson is thinking of you for his son, who makes no kind of objection, and if your fortune can liberate the estate from some thousands of embarrassment, it will be quite a nice hit. Lady Johnson of Norbury Park will not sound badly. The settlements and _pin money_ will be liberal I dare say, and any assistance which my work-people in London can give, I shall be vastly happy, I assure you, to offer. You know that you need not have much at present: a few things made by the first hands will do, till you go to town yourself, and choose your own jewels, and select your own favourite colours. I am sure that Sir Archibald will be anxious to hasten matters, for I know at this moment, that a sum of ten thousand is called in by Mr. Fletcher, who is going to marry one of his girls famously to that madcap, Colonel Anstruther, who will be as rich as a jew bye and bye. To be sure he is a sad _roué_ at present, but either he will sow his wild oats or run a muck. If the latter, he will shoot himself, or end his days in the Fleet; but people must not look forward; if we did, what a dull sort of thing you know it would be. I doat on the little Scotch song, which says ‘the present moment is our ain, the next we never saw;’ how pretty!” By this time I was burning indeed: shame, indignation, and surprise, were so strongly excited, that, like contrary forces, they had the effect of paralyzing all movement. I sat like a fool, totally unable to speak; and how long I should have been doomed to listen to a strain so uncouth, the more humiliating, because uttered in the presence of mamma and my uncle, I know not, if Mr. Bolton had not been announced in this crisis, when Mrs. Hannaper jumped up, called her niece, who had been talking to Charlotte in the music-room adjoining, and, hastily nodding to me, shook my hand with an air of _intelligence_, saying, “I hate old Bolton, so must take fresh ground; well, we will talk over matters when next we meet, and _perhaps_ the neighbourhood may be enlivened by more than _one_ wedding ere long.” Miss Ormsby laughed so loud as this sally burst upon her ear, that I was absolutely confounded. “Good morrow” being hurried over, the same opening of the door served to usher in the old gentleman, to whose _rescue_ I had been once before indebted, and to float away the most intolerable specimen of inelegance and indelicacy that I ever met with in the form of woman. The dear little Mr. Bolton was received with rapture. He seemed like a guardian spirit, and I believe that he saw how truly he was welcome to me, as in the most good-humoured and playful manner possible, he said, “Oh, do you know I have had a great escape. Mrs. Hannaper looked as if she could have eaten me up; and only that your hall is so spacious, I question whether I could have avoided a _bite_ at least. Miss Douglas, I take it into my head that this amazonian _chieftainess_ is not a greater favourite of yours than she is of mine.”