lace and me) assure him not only of the above
particulars, but that I am under no obligations that shall hinder me from
taking his directions?'

I submit the whole to your consideration, whether to pursue it at all, or
in what manner. But if it be pursued, and if my uncle refuses to
interest himself in my favour upon Mr. Hickman's application as from you,
(for so, for obvious reasons, it must be put,) I can then have no hope;
and my next step, in the mind I am in, shall be to throw myself into the
protection of the ladies of his family.

It were an impiety to adopt the following lines, because it would be
throwing upon the decrees of Providence a fault too much my own. But
often do I revolve them, for the sake of the general similitude which
they bear to my unhappy, yet undersigned error.

To you, great gods! I make my last appeal:
Or clear my virtue, or my crimes reveal.
If wand'ring in the maze of life I run,
And backward tread the steps I sought to shun,
Impute my error to your own decree:
My FEET are guilty: but my HEART is free.

[The Lady dates again on Monday, to let Miss Howe know, that Mr.
Lovelace, on observing her uneasiness, had introduced to her Mr.
Mennell, Mrs. Fretchville's kinsman, who managed all her affairs. She
calls him a young officer of sense and politeness, who gave her an
account of the house and furniture, to the same effect that Mr.
Lovelace had done before;* as also of the melancholy way Mrs.
Fretchville is in.

* See Letter IV. of this volume.

She tells Miss Howe how extremely urgent Mr. Lovelace was with the
gentleman, to get his spouse (as he now always calls her before
company) a sight of the house: and that Mr. Mennell undertook that
very afternoon to show her all of it, except the apartment Mrs.
Fretchville should be in when she went. But that she chose not to
take another step till she knew how she approved of her scheme to have
her uncle sounded, and with what success, if tried, it would be
attended.

Mr. Lovelace, in his humourous way, gives his friend an account of the
Lady's peevishness and dejection, on receiving a letter with her
clothes. He regrets that he has lost her confidence; which he
attributes to his bringing her into the company of his four
companions. Yet he thinks he must excuse them, and censure her for
over-niceness; for that he never saw men behave better