light to say, "Sir Edward or lady Harriot did this, or
this;" now I would give worlds to say, "My father or my mother."

I should be perfectly unkind if I were to complain of miss
Lesley--indeed, I have not the least cause of complaint against her.
As my companion, her affection and her gratitude had been unbounded;
and now that it was my turn to be the humble friend, she tried
by every means in her power, to make me think she felt the same
respectful gratitude, which in her dependant station she had so
naturally displayed.

Only in a few rarely constituted minds, does that true attentive
kindness spring up, that delicacy of feeling, which enters into every
trivial thing, is ever awake and keeping watch lest it should offend.
Myself, though educated with the extremest care, possessed but little
of this virtue. Virtue I call it, though among men it is termed
politeness, for since the days of my humiliating reverse of fortune I
have learned its value.

I feel quite ashamed to give instances of any deficiency I observed,
or thought I have observed, in miss Lesley. Now I am away from her,
and dispassionately speaking of it, it seems as if my own soreness
of temper had made me fancy things. I really believe now that I was
mistaken; but miss Lesley had been so highly praised for her filial
tenderness, I thought at last she seemed to make a parade about it,
and used to run up to my mother, and affect to be more glad to see her
than she really was after a time; and I think Dr. Wheelding thought
so, by a little hint he once dropped. But he too might be mistaken,
for he was very partial to me.

I am under the greatest obligation in the world to this good Dr.
Wheelding. He has made my mother quite a respectable woman, and I am
sure it is owing a great deal to him that she loves me as well as she
does.

And here, though it may seem a little out of place, let me stop to
assure you, that if I ever could have had any doubt of the sincerity
of miss Lesley's affection towards me, her behaviour on the occasion
of my coming here ought completely to efface it. She entreated with
many tears, and almost the same energy with which she pleaded for
forgiveness for my mother, that I might not be sent away.--But she was
not alike successful in her supplications.

Miss Lesley had made some progress in reading and writing during the
time she was my companion only, it was highly necessary that every
exertion should be now made--the whole hou