might stand a good chance of
pleasing some young Man who might afford to marry a girl without a
Shilling. Louisa perfectly entered into her father's schemes and was
determined to forward them with all her care and attention. By dint of
Perseverance and Application, she had at length so thoroughly disguised
her natural disposition under the mask of Innocence, and Softness, as to
impose upon every one who had not by a long and constant intimacy with
her discovered her real Character. Such was Louisa when the hapless
Lesley first beheld her at Drummond-house. His heart which (to use
your favourite comparison) was as delicate as sweet and as tender as a
Whipt-syllabub, could not resist her attractions. In a very few Days,
he was falling in love, shortly after actually fell, and before he had
known her a Month, he had married her. My Father was at first highly
displeased at so hasty and imprudent a connection; but when he found
that they did not mind it, he soon became perfectly reconciled to the
match. The Estate near Aberdeen which my brother possesses by the bounty
of his great Uncle independant of Sir George, was entirely sufficient
to support him and my Sister in Elegance and Ease. For the first
twelvemonth, no one could be happier than Lesley, and no one more
amiable to appearance than Louisa, and so plausibly did she act and
so cautiously behave that tho' Matilda and I often spent several weeks
together with them, yet we neither of us had any suspicion of her real
Disposition. After the birth of Louisa however, which one would have
thought would have strengthened her regard for Lesley, the mask she had
so long supported was by degrees thrown aside, and as probably she then
thought herself secure in the affection of her Husband (which did indeed
appear if possible augmented by the birth of his Child) she seemed
to take no pains to prevent that affection from ever diminushing. Our
visits therefore to Dunbeath, were now less frequent and by far less
agreable than they used to be. Our absence was however never either
mentioned or lamented by Louisa who in the society of young Danvers
with whom she became acquainted at Aberdeen (he was at one of the
Universities there,) felt infinitely happier than in that of Matilda and
your freind, tho' there certainly never were pleasanter girls than we
are. You know the sad end of all Lesleys connubial happiness; I will not
repeat it--. Adeiu my dear Charlotte; although I have not yet m