The History of Sir Charles Grandison, Volume 4 (of 7)Richardson, Samuel
General
The History of Sir Charles Grandison, Volume 4 (of 7)
Richardson, Samuel
England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Epistolary fiction
He mentions not one word in this melancholy letter of his unhappy sister:
which Sir Charles accounted for, by supposing, that she not being at
Bologna, they kept from him, in his deplorable way, everything relating
to her, that was likely to disturb him. He then read part of a letter
written in English, by the admired Mrs. Beaumont; some of the contents
of which were, as you shall hear, extremely affecting.
'Mrs. Beaumont gives him in it an account of the situation of the unhappy
young lady; and excuses herself for not having done it before, in answer
to his request, by reason of an indisposition under which she had for
some time laboured, which had hindered her from making the necessary
inquiries.
'She mentions, that the lady had received no benefit from her journeyings
from place to place; and from her voyage from Leghorn to Naples, and back
again; and blames her attendants, who, to quiet her, unknown to their
principals, for some time, kept her in expectation of seeing her
Chevalier, at the end of each; for her more prudent Camilla, she says,
had been hindered by illness from attending her, in several of the
excursions.
'They had a second time, at her own request, put her into a nunnery. She
at first was so sedate in it as gave them hopes: but the novelty going
off, and one of the sisters, to try her, having officiously asked her to
go with her into the parlour, where she said, she would be allowed to
converse through the grate with a certain English gentleman, her
impatience, on her disappointment, made her more ungovernable than they
had ever known her; for she had been for two hours before meditating what
she would say to him.
'For a week together, she was vehemently intent upon being allowed to
visit England; and had engaged her cousins, Sebastiano and Juliano, to
promise to escort her thither, if she could obtain leave.
'Her mother brought her off this when nobody else could, only by
entreating her, for her sake, never to think of it more.
'The marchioness then, encouraged by this instance of her obedience, took
her under her own care: but the young lady going on from flight to
slight; and the way she was in visibly affecting the health of her
indulgent mother; a doctor was found, who was absolutely of opinion, that
nothing but harsh methods would avail: and in this advice Lady Sforza,
and her daughter Laurana, and the general, concurring, she was told, that
she must prepare to go to Milan. She was so earnest to be excused from
going thither, and to be permitted to go to Florence to Mrs. Beaumont,
that they gave way to her entreaties; and the marquis himself,
accompanying her to Florence, prevailed on Mrs. Beaumont to take her
under her care.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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