not to be met with by every Girl. Oh! how I long to be with
him! I intend to send him the following in answer to his Letter
tomorrow.
My dearest Musgrove–. Words cannot express how happy your
Letter made me; I thought I should have cried for joy, for I love
you better than any body in the World. I think you the most
amiable, and the handsomest Man in England, and so to be sure you
are. I never read so sweet a Letter in my Life. Do write me
another just like it, and tell me you are in love with me in
every other line. I quite die to see you. How shall we manage
to see one another? for we are so much in love that we cannot
live asunder. Oh! my dear Musgrove you cannot think how
impatiently I wait for the death of my Uncle and Aunt–If they
will not Die soon, I beleive I shall run mad, for I get more in
love with you every day of my Life.
How happy your Sister is to enjoy the pleasure of your Company in
her house, and how happy every body in London must be because you
are there. I hope you will be so kind as to write to me again
soon, for I never read such sweet Letters as yours. I am my
dearest Musgrove most truly and faithfully yours for ever and
ever
Henrietta Halton.
I hope he will like my answer; it is as good a one as I can write
though nothing to his; Indeed I had always heard what a dab he
was at a Love-letter. I saw him you know for the first time at
Lady Scudamores–And when I saw her Ladyship afterwards she asked
me how I liked her Cousin Musgrove?
“Why upon my word said I, I think he is a very handsome young
Man.”
“I am glad you think so replied she, for he is distractedly in
love with you.”
“Law! Lady Scudamore said I, how can you talk so ridiculously?”
“Nay, t’is very true answered she, I assure you, for he was in
love with you from the first moment he beheld you.”
“I wish it may be true said I, for that is the only kind of love
I would give a farthing for–There is some sense in being in love
at first sight.”
“Well, I give you Joy of your conquest, replied Lady Scudamore,
and I beleive it to have been a very complete one; I am sure it
is not a contemptible one, for my Cousin is a charming young
fellow, has seen a great deal of the World, and writes the best
Love-letters I ever read.”
This made me very happy, and I was excessively pleased with my
conquest. However, I thought it was proper to give myself a few
Airs–so I said to her–
“This is all very pretty Lady Scudamore, but you know that we
young Ladies who are Heiresses must not throw ourselves away upon
Men who have no fortune at all.”
“My dear Miss Halton said she, I am as much convinced of that as
you can be, and I do assure you that I should be the last person
to encourage your marrying anyone who had not some pretensions to
expect a fortune with you. Mr Musgrove is so far from being
poor that he has an estate of several hundreds an year which is
capable of great Improvement, and an excellent House, though at
Present it is not quite in repair.”
“If that is the case replied I, I have nothing more to say
against him, and if as you say he is an informed young Man and
can write a good Love-letter, I am sure I have no reason to find
fault with him for admiring me, tho’ perhaps I may not marry him
for all that Lady Scudamore.”
“You are certainly under no obligation to marry him answered her
Ladyship, except that which love himself will dictate to you, for
if I am not greatly mistaken you are at this very moment unknown
to yourself, cherishing a most tender affection for him.”