ceived my second, to go joyfully back again
with him to the vile house? But more of these by-and-by. I must hasten
to take notice of your letter of Wednesday last week; which you could
contrive should fall into my mother's hands.

Let me tell you, that that letter has almost broken my heart. Good God!
--What have you brought yourself to, Miss Clarissa Harlowe?--Could I have
believed, that after you had escaped from the miscreant, (with such
mighty pains and earnestness escaped,) and after such an attempt as he
had made, you would have been prevailed upon not only to forgive him, but
(without being married too) to return with him to that horrid house!--A
house I had given you such an account of!--Surprising!----What an
intoxicating thing is this love?--I always feared, that you, even you,
were not proof against its inconsistent effects.

You your best self have not escaped!--Indeed I see not how you could
expect to escape.

What a tale have you to unfold!--You need not unfold it, my dear: I would
have engaged to prognosticate all that has happened, had you but told me
that you would once more have put yourself in his power, after you had
taken such pains to get out of it.

Your peace is destroyed!--I wonder not at it: since now you must reproach
yourself for a credulity so ill-placed.

Your intellect is touched!--I am sure my heart bleeds for you! But,
excuse me, my dear, I doubt your intellect was touched before you left
Hampstead: or you would never have let him find you out there; or, when
he did, suffer him to prevail upon you to return to the horrid brothel.

I tell you, I sent you three letters: The first of which, dated the 7th
and 8th of June* (for it was written at twice) came safely to your hands,
as you sent me word by a few lines dated the 9th: had it not, I should
have doubted my own safety; since in it I give you such an account of the
abominable house, and threw such cautions in your way, in relation to
that Tomlinson, as the more surprised me that you could think of going
back to it again, after you had escaped from it, and from Lovelace.--O
my dear--but nothing now will I ever wonder at!

* See Vol. V. Letter XX.

The second, dated June 10,* was given into your own hand at Hampstead, on
Sunday the 11th, as you was lying upon a couch, in a strange way,
according to my messenger's account of you, bloated, and flush-coloured;
I don't know how.

* See Letter VII. of this volume.

The