rouges
would not have had it fall into my hands for the world.*

* See Letter XXXIV. of this volume.

I see by it to what her displeasure with me, in relation to my proposals,
was owing. They were not summed up, it seems, with the warmth, with the
ardour, which she had expected.

This whole letter was transcribed by Dorcas, to whose lot it fell. Thou
shalt have copies of them all at full length shortly.

'Men of our cast,' this little devil says, 'she fancies, cannot have the
ardours that honest men have.' Miss Howe has vey pretty fancies, Jack.
Charming girl! Would to Heaven I knew whether my fair-one answers her as
freely as she writes! 'Twould vex a man's heart, that this virago should
have come honestly by her fancies.

Who knows but I may have half a dozen creatures to get off my hands,
before I engage for life?--Yet, lest this should mean me a compliment, as
if I would reform, she adds her belief, that she 'must not expect me to
be honest on this side my grand climacteric.' She has an high opinion of
her sex, to think they can charm so long a man so well acquainted with
their identicalness.

'He to suggest delays,' she says, 'from a compliment to be made to Lord
M.!'--Yes, I, my dear.--Because a man has not been accustomed to be
dutiful, must he never be dutiful?--In so important a case as this too!
the hearts of his whole family are engaged in it!--'You did, indeed,'
says she, 'want an interposing friend--but were I to have been in your
situation, I would have torn his eyes out, and left it to his heart to
furnish the reason for it.' See! See! What sayest thou to this, Jack?

'Villain--fellow that he is!' follow. And for what? Only for wishing
that the next day were to be my happy one; and for being dutiful to my
nearest relation.

'It is the cruelest of fates,' she says, 'for a woman to be forced to
have a man whom her heart despises.'--That is what I wanted to be sure
of.--I was afraid, that my beloved was too conscious of her talents; of
her superiority! I was afraid that she indeed despises me.--And I cannot
bear to think that she does. But, Belford, I do not intend that this
lady shall be bound down to so cruel a fate. Let me perish if I marry a
woman who has given her most intimate friend reason to say, she despises
me!--A Lovelace to be despised, Jack!

'His clenched fist to his forehead on your leaving him in just
displeasure'--that is, when she was not satisfied with my ardour