r from Caprice on her side than Esteem on mine. We spent two or
three days together with a Lady in Berkshire with whom we both happened
to be connected--. During our visit, the Weather being remarkably bad,
and our party particularly stupid, she was so good as to conceive
a violent partiality for me, which very soon settled in a downright
Freindship and ended in an established correspondence. She is probably
by this time as tired of me, as I am of her; but as she is too Polite
and I am too civil to say so, our letters are still as frequent and
affectionate as ever, and our Attachment as firm and sincere as when it
first commenced. As she had a great taste for the pleasures of London,
and of Brighthelmstone, she will I dare say find some difficulty in
prevailing on herself even to satisfy the curiosity I dare say she feels
of beholding you, at the expence of quitting those favourite haunts of
Dissipation, for the melancholy tho' venerable gloom of the castle you
inhabit. Perhaps however if she finds her health impaired by too much
amusement, she may acquire fortitude sufficient to undertake a Journey
to Scotland in the hope of its Proving at least beneficial to her
health, if not conducive to her happiness. Your fears I am sorry to say,
concerning your father's extravagance, your own fortunes, your Mothers
Jewels and your Sister's consequence, I should suppose are but too well
founded. My freind herself has four thousand pounds, and will probably
spend nearly as much every year in Dress and Public places, if she can
get it--she will certainly not endeavour to reclaim Sir George from the
manner of living to which he has been so long accustomed, and there is
therefore some reason to fear that you will be very well off, if you get
any fortune at all. The Jewels I should imagine too will undoubtedly be
hers, and there is too much reason to think that she will preside at
her Husbands table in preference to his Daughter. But as so melancholy a
subject must necessarily extremely distress you, I will no longer dwell
on it--.

Eloisa's indisposition has brought us to Bristol at so unfashionable a
season of the year, that we have actually seen but one genteel family
since we came. Mr and Mrs Marlowe are very agreable people; the ill
health of their little boy occasioned their arrival here; you may
imagine that being the only family with whom we can converse, we are
of course on a footing of intimacy with them; we see them indeed al