es, every part of this billet; he also kissed several
times her gloves and her fan. Play being over, Lady Chesterfield
received them from his hands, and read in his eyes the joy that her
billet had raised in his heart. Nor was he satisfied with expressing his
raptures, only by looks: he hastened home, and wrote to her at least four
times as much. How different was this letter from the other! Though
perhaps not so well written; for one does not show so much wit in suing
for pardon, as in venting reproaches, and it seldom happens that the soft
languishing style of a love-letter is so penetrating as that of
invective.

Be that as it may, his peace was made: their past quarrel gave new life
to their correspondence; and Lady Chesterfield, to make him as easy as he
had before been distrustful expressed on every occasion a feigned
contempt for his rival, and a sincere aversion for her husband.

So great was his confidence in her, that he consented she should show in
public some marks of attention to the duke, in order to conceal as much
as possible their private intelligence. Thus, at this time nothing
disturbed his peace of mind, but his impatience of finding a favourable
opportunity for the completion of his desires: he thought it was in her
power to command it; but she excused herself on account of several
difficulties which she enumerated to him, and which she was desirous he
should remove by his industry and attentions.

This silenced his complaints; but whilst he was endeavouring to surmount
these obstacles, still wondering how it was possible that two persons who
were so well disposed to each other, and who were agreed to make each
other happy, could not put their designs in execution, accident
discovered an unexpected adventure, which left him no room to doubt,
either of the happiness of his rival, or of the perfidy of his mistress.

Misfortunes often fall light when most feared; and frequently prove
heaviest when merited, and when least suspected. Hamilton was in the
middle of the most tender and passionate letter he had ever written to
Lady Chesterfield, when her husband came to announce to him the
particulars of this last discovery: he came so suddenly upon him, that he
had only just time to conceal his amorous epistle among his other papers.
His heart and mind were still so full of what he was writing to his
cousin, that her husband's complaints against her, at first, were scarce
attended to; besides, in his opi