mised to tell you something of
our late dinner at Lord Melbourne's, but have left myself neither
space nor time. It was very pleasant, and I fell out of my love for
our host (who, moreover, is absorbed by Mrs. Norton) and into
another love with Lord O----, Lord T----'s son, who is one of the
most beautiful creatures of the male sex I ever saw; unluckily, he
does not fulfill the necessary conditions of your theory, and is
neither as old nor as decrepit as you have settled the nobleman I
am to marry is to be; so he won't do.

We are going to a party at Devonshire House to-night. Here I am
called away to receive some visitors. Pray write soon to your
affectionate

FANNY.

To-morrow I act Constance, and Saturday Isabella, which is all I
know for the present of the future. I have just bought A---- a
beautiful guitar; I promised her one as soon as my play was out. My
room is delicious with violets, and my new blue velvet gown
heavenly in color and all other respects except the--well,
_un_heavenly price Devy makes me pay for it.

GREAT RUSSELL STREET, April 2, 1831.
DEAR H----,

I am truly sorry for M----'s illness, just at the height of all her
gay season gayeties, too; it is too provoking to have one's tackle
out of order and lie on the beach with such a summer sea sparkling
before one. I congratulate L---- on her father's relenting and
canceling his edict against waltzing and galloping. And yet, I am
always _rather_ sorry when a determination of that sort, firmly
expressed, is departed from. Of course our views and opinions, not
being infallible, are liable to change, and may not unreasonably be
altered or weakened by circumstances and the more enlightened
convictions of improved powers and enlarged experience, but it is
as well, therefore, for our own sakes, not to promulgate them as if
they were Persian decrees. One can step gracefully down from a
lesser height, where one would fall from a greater. But with young
people generally, I think, to retreat from a position you have
assumed is to run the risk of losing some of their consideration
and respect; for they have neither consciousness of their own
frailty, nor charity for the frailty of others,