for restoring her to her arms! But, in this instance, we see
the force of habitual piety. Though not so good as I should be myself, I
revere those who are so; and that I hope you will own is no bad sign.

Well, but now for ourselves, and those about us.

Lady Olivia has written a letter from Windsor to Lady L----. It is in
French; extremely polite. She promises to write to me from Oxford.

Lady Anne S---- made me a visit this morning. She was more concerned
than I wished to see her, on my confirming the report she had heard of my
brother's being gone abroad. I rallied her a little too freely, as it
was before Lord G---- and Lord L----. I never was better rebuked than by
her; for she took out her pencil, and on the cover of a letter wrote
these lines from Shakespeare, and slid them into my hand:

"And will you rend our ancient love asunder,
To join with men in scorning your poor friend?
It is not friendly; 'tis not maidenly:
Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it,
Though I alone do feel the injury."

I never, my dear, told you how freely this lady and I had talked of love:
but, freely as we had talked, I was not aware that the matter lay so deep
in her heart. I knew not how to tell her that my brother had said, it
could not be. I could have wept over her when I read this paper; and I
owned myself by a whisper justly rebuked. She charged me not to let any
man see this; particularly not either of those present: and do you,
Harriet, keep what I have written of Lady Anne to yourself.

My aunt Eleanor has written a congratulatory letter to me from York. Sir
Charles, it seems, had acquainted her with Lord G----'s day, [Not my day,
Harriet! that is not the phrase, I hope!] as soon as he knew it himself;
and she writes, supposing that I was actually offered on it. Women are
victims on these occasions: I hope you'll allow me that. My brother has
made it a point of duty to acquaint his father's sister with every matter
of consequence to the family; and now, she says, that both her nieces are
so well disposed of, she will come to town very quickly to see her new
relations and us; and desires we will make room for her. And yet she
owns, that my brother has informed her of his being obliged to go abroad;
and she supposes him gone. As he is the beloved of her heart, I wonder
she thinks of making this visit now he is absent: but we shall all be
glad to see my aunt Nell. She is a good creature, t