LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP and Other Early Works also spelled LOVE AND FREINDSHIP

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

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