at I now say to you.--I
admire you more than I can express--and if you can forbear claiming your
estate, and can resolve to avoid Lovelace, you will continue to be the
greatest miracle I ever knew at your years--but I must hasten down after
your sister.--These are my last words to you: 'Conform to your father's
will, if you possibly can. How meritorious will it be in you if you do
so! Pray to God to enable you to conform. You don't know what may be
done.'

Only, my dear Aunt, one word, one word more (for she was going)--Speak
all you can for my dear Mrs. Norton. She is but low in the world: should
ill health overtake her, she may not know how to live without my mamma's
favour. I shall have no means to help her; for I will want necessaries
before I will assert my right: and I do assure you, she has said so many
things to me in behalf of my submitting to my father's will, that her
arguments have not a little contributed to make me resolve to avoid the
extremities, which nevertheless I pray to God they do not at last force
me upon. And yet they deprive me of her advice, and think unjustly of
one of the most excellent of women.

I am glad to hear you say this: and take this, and this, and this, my
charming Niece! (for so she called me almost at every word, kissing me
earnestly, and clasping her arms about my neck:) and God protect you,
and direct you! But you must submit: indeed you must. Some one day in a
month from this is all the choice that is left you.

And this, I suppose, was the doom my sister called for; and yet no worse
than what had been pronounced upon me before.

She repeated these last sentences louder than the former. 'And remember,
Miss,' added she, 'it is your duty to comply.'--And down she went,
leaving me with my heart full, and my eyes running over.

The very repetition of this fills me with almost equal concern to that
which I felt at the time.

I must lay down my pen. Mistiness, which give to the deluged eye the
appearance of all the colours in the rainbow, will not permit me to
write on.

WEDNESDAY, FIVE O'CLOCK

I will now add a few lines--My aunt, as she went down from me, was met
at the foot of the stairs by my sister, who seemed to think she had
staid a good while after her; and hearing her last words prescribing
to me implicit duty, praised her for it, and exclaimed against my
obstinacy. Did you ever hear of such perverseness, Madam? said she:
Could you have thought that your Claris