England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Epistolary fiction; Essays
I executed my Plan with great Punctuality. I can not say success, for
alas! my silence while she played seemed not in the least to displease
her; on the contrary she actually said to me one day “Well Charlotte, I
am very glad to find that you have at last left off that ridiculous
custom of applauding my Execution on the Harpsichord till you made _my_
head ake, and yourself hoarse. I feel very much obliged to you for
keeping your admiration to yourself.” I never shall forget the very
witty answer I made to this speech. “Eloisa (said I) I beg you would be
quite at your Ease with respect to all such fears in future, for be
assured that I shall always keep my admiration to myself and my own
pursuits and never extend it to yours.” This was the only very severe
thing I ever said in my Life; not but that I have often felt myself
extremely satirical but it was the only time I ever made my feelings
public.
I suppose there never were two Young people who had a greater affection
for each other than Henry and Eloisa; no, the Love of your Brother for
Miss Burton could not be so strong tho’ it might be more violent. You
may imagine therefore how provoked my Sister must have been to have him
play her such a trick. Poor girl! she still laments his Death with
undiminished constancy, notwithstanding he has been dead more than six
weeks; but some People mind such things more than others. The ill state
of Health into which his loss has thrown her makes her so weak, and so
unable to support the least exertion, that she has been in tears all
this Morning merely from having taken leave of Mrs. Marlowe who with
her Husband, Brother and Child are to leave Bristol this morning. I am
sorry to have them go because they are the only family with whom we
have here any acquaintance, but I never thought of crying; to be sure
Eloisa and Mrs Marlowe have always been more together than with me, and
have therefore contracted a kind of affection for each other, which
does not make Tears so inexcusable in them as they would be in me. The
Marlowes are going to Town; Cliveland accompanies them; as neither
Eloisa nor I could catch him I hope you or Matilda may have better
Luck. I know not when we shall leave Bristol, Eloisa’s spirits are so
low that she is very averse to moving, and yet is certainly by no means
mended by her residence here. A week or two will I hope determine our
Measures—in the mean time believe me
and etc—and etc—Charlotte Lutterell.
LETTER the EIGHTH
Miss LUTTERELL to Mrs MARLOWE
Bristol April 4th
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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