absurd it is to suppose that he could ever make a Bow, or behave
like any other Person.” Having settled this Point to our
satisfaction, the next we took into consideration was, to
determine in what manner we should inform M’Kenrie of the
favourable Opinion Janetta entertained of him. . . . We at
length agreed to acquaint him with it by an anonymous Letter
which Sophia drew up in the following manner.
“Oh! happy Lover of the beautifull Janetta, oh! amiable
Possessor of HER Heart whose hand is destined to another, why do
you thus delay a confession of your attachment to the amiable
Object of it? Oh! consider that a few weeks will at once put an
end to every flattering Hope that you may now entertain, by
uniting the unfortunate Victim of her father’s Cruelty to the
execrable and detested Graham.”
“Alas! why do you thus so cruelly connive at the projected
Misery of her and of yourself by delaying to communicate that
scheme which had doubtless long possessed your imagination? A
secret Union will at once secure the felicity of both.”
The amiable M’Kenrie, whose modesty as he afterwards assured us
had been the only reason of his having so long concealed the
violence of his affection for Janetta, on receiving this Billet
flew on the wings of Love to Macdonald-Hall, and so powerfully
pleaded his Attachment to her who inspired it, that after a few
more private interveiws, Sophia and I experienced the
satisfaction of seeing them depart for Gretna-Green, which they
chose for the celebration of their Nuptials, in preference to any
other place although it was at a considerable distance from
Macdonald-Hall.
Adeiu
Laura.
LETTER the 13th
LAURA in continuation
They had been gone nearly a couple of Hours, before either
Macdonald or Graham had entertained any suspicion of the affair.
And they might not even then have suspected it, but for the
following little Accident. Sophia happening one day to open a
private Drawer in Macdonald’s Library with one of her own keys,
discovered that it was the Place where he kept his Papers of
consequence and amongst them some bank notes of considerable
amount. This discovery she imparted to me; and having agreed
together that it would be a proper treatment of so vile a Wretch
as Macdonald to deprive him of money, perhaps dishonestly gained,
it was determined that the next time we should either of us
happen to go that way, we would take one or more of the Bank
notes from the drawer. This well meant Plan we had often
successfully put in Execution; but alas! on the very day of
Janetta’s Escape, as Sophia was majestically removing the 5th
Bank-note from the Drawer to her own purse, she was suddenly most
impertinently interrupted in her employment by the entrance of
Macdonald himself, in a most abrupt and precipitate Manner.
Sophia (who though naturally all winning sweetness could when
occasions demanded it call forth the Dignity of her sex)
instantly put on a most forbidding look, and darting an angry
frown on the undaunted culprit, demanded in a haughty tone of
voice “Wherefore her retirement was thus insolently broken in
on?” The unblushing Macdonald, without even endeavouring to
exculpate himself from the crime he was charged with, meanly
endeavoured to reproach Sophia with ignobly defrauding him of his
money . . . The dignity of Sophia was wounded; “Wretch (exclaimed
she, hastily replacing the Bank-note in the Drawer) how darest
thou to accuse me of an Act, of which the bare idea makes me
blush?” The base wretch was still unconvinced and continued to
upbraid the justly-offended Sophia in such opprobious Language,
that at length he so greatly provoked the gentle sweetness of her
Nature, as to induce her to revenge herself on him by informing
him of Janetta’s Elopement, and of the active Part we had both
taken in the affair. At this period of their Quarrel I entered
the Library and was as you may imagine equally offended as Sophia
at the ill-grounded accusations of the malevolent and
contemptible Macdonald. “Base Miscreant! (cried I) how canst
thou thus undauntedly endeavour to sully the spotless reputation
of such bright Excellence? Why dost thou not suspect MY