HARRIET VERNON;

OR,

what I myself should have written, it is certainly dictated by a strong affection for her son, and the most disinterested wish to see him happy. -Did she know my Harriet one

A NOVEL.

In a Series of Letters.

BY A LADY.

(Continued from p. 473.)

LETTER XXXIII.

Mrs. West, in Answer.

MY dearest Harriet, I lose no time in answering your sister's letter, and as you are the subject, to you I address myself. How happy does it make ine, that the two young women who, next to my own daughter, I love best in the world, are possessed of sense, prudence, and diffidence. The latter amiable quality naturally results from the two former; and a young woman possessing it will never fall into gross errors. A modest diffidence is the groundwork of virtue, and unless I could build on that foundation I would relinquish all hopes of my pupil's becoming a good or accomplished character. But I must proceed to answer your letter.

I congratulate you, dear Harriet, on gaining the affections of a man of Mr. Beaumont's description: it is, I think, in point of interest, as good an offer as you could expect; and your partiality in his favour is to be approved. But I like not the circumstances attending this affair. His mother's letter I have perused over and over, and though it is not exactly VOL. XXXVIII.

not wonder at her request of taking her under her roof, as well as ber very ready approbation of her son's choice; but, had I been circumstanced as Mr. Beaumont is, I should have wished to have known more of the lady, and been less liberal of my generous proposals. She has evinced the highest confidence in her son's judgment; and in the present instance will not be deceived.-Peoples tempers and mode of thinking vary so inaterially, that it is sometimes difficult to reconcile their conduct to our own ideas on the same subject. I have endeavoured in a hundred ways to develop the seeming mystery of not undeceiving miss Jones until you are actually married. It is possible the good lady may have potent reasons in her own mind, but surely she can have none for keeping those reasons from her son. If they are, as she says, of the utmost importance, it is in my opinion highly necessary that her son and yourself should be made acquainted with them. By the style of Mrs. Beaumont's letter I should suppose her to be a sensible woman; but really this part puzzles me not a little to reconcile the character. As the matter now stands represented by Mrs. Beaumont, it should seem necessary that you immediately marry; but I must say I think your honour, as well as Mr. Beaumont's, require you should instantly undeceive miss Jones. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson see the propriety of this; but methinks there is no occasion for being so hasty. The first step

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Your sincere friend,

I would then advise you to tell Mr. Beaumont that you cannot think of becoming his until his mother has explained the mystery she alludes to respecting miss Jones; and that your acquaintance with him you deem too short to allow you, with prudence, to marry immediately; that if his mother sees the expediency of continuing the deception, it is most likely you may too, when informed of it; but that you will not countenance a deception, the reason for which you are unacquainted with. After this your steady determination, which Mr. Beaumont will inform her of, she must be very inconsistent in her affectionate professions to her son if she refuses to comply with your request. If she remain inflexible, which I do not think likely, your own heart must dictate; I shall not in that case like to advise; but, at all events, you must procure an interview with her, and your own good sense and discernment will then be of infinite service.

I am sorry for your brother's unaffectionate conduct; but you are used to it, and I hope will not suffer it to affect you too much. -I am pleased with Dorcas' honest simplicity. Simplicity like hers, joined to so good a heart, has, with me, charms in any sta

tion.

My dear Susan joins with me in love, and best wishes that Providence will direct you in all your concerns, We shall be impatient

M. WEST.

LETTER XXXIV.

Miss Harriet Vernon to Mrs. West.

I CANNOT, my dearest madam, sufficiently thank you for your kind and sensible letter: it would not have remained unanswered a whole week, but from circumstances of which I will now inform you.

The day after Maria had sent her last letter, as we were sitting at dinner, a stage-coach stopped at the house, and from the box who should alight but our brother. He followed the servant into the parlour, without the ceremony of sending in his name. He was rather shabbily dressed, and Mrs. Wilson, not having seen him for twenty years, did not know him, but thought he was come to some of the servants. Our exclamation convinced her, and Mr. Wilson rose from table to take him by the hand. He advanced towards Mrs. Wilson, and offered his hand, but she withdrew hers. He snatched his away, and put it behind him in an instant. Oh! oh!' said he, what, you are above shaking hands with your cousin! perhaps there may be some younger and handsomer than yourself may be glad to'-He turned on his heel, and nodded at us, with How do you do, Maria? how do you, Harriet?'

Mr. Wilson ordered a chair, and urged him to take something to eat. He said he was very hungry, and had not the coachman told him he was near his journey's end, he should have treated himself with some bread

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and cheese at the ale-house where the horses watered. So saying, he sat himself down between miss Jones and me, the former smiling contemptuously. Mrs. Wilson repeated, in a whisper, two or three times, What a bear!' whilst Maria and I wished to creep into a nut-shell.

We all were silent till he had finished his meal; when miss Jones noticed an unsavoury smell that issued from his boots, and begged him to remove his seat.

• Anan!' said he; the blacking on my boots offends you, does it? My organs of smell,' replied she, are offended by the effluvia.' The company smiled at his uncouth manners, all but Mrs. Wilson, who was so completely picqued at his first salutation, that no mark but of contempt appeared on her

countenance.

'Well,' said he, 'I suppose you all wonder what brought me hither; but I am come on business,-nothing but business ever takes me from home.'

• No doubt, sir,' said Mrs. Wilson; and the sooner it is dispatched the better.'

My brother, who has sense enough to understand an affront, took fire at this speech, and starting from his seat, Yes, yes, old dame,' said he, it shall be soon dispatched, and then good bye to your old shrivelled face.'

This was too much for a woman of better sense and temper to bear. She burst into tears, and Will you, Mr. Wilson,' said she, sit and see me abused in this manner in my own house?'

'I must, sir,' said Mr. Wilson, "beg you will leave the room; the miss Vernons will attend you into the next; I presume your business is with them.'

You guess right; and so your servant,' returned this uncourteous brother-Come, girls, let us go out of the sight of madam: what I have to say will soon be said, and then I am off.'

So saying, we all left the room.

Maria,' whispered Mrs. Wilson-Dear madam, he affronts every one; let me beg of you to treat his behaviour with the contempt it deserves.'

When we were seated in the next room, after he had vented his spleen, and sworn by 'Change Alley that he would never darken her doors more, he dashed at once into the business by saying,— I am going to be married next week.'

We stared in speechless astonishment. He went on- A young woman I have met with by the greatest chance in the world, de

vilish rich-estates in the West Indies to the amount of fifty thousand pounds-a widow-no incumbrances-wants a person to secure her property. Propose when we are married we both go for a year.

All this well attested by several friends upon 'Change, and by Lawyer Dixon to boot!'

We congratulated him on his good fortune, and Maria faintly asked what he meant to do with us?

That's the very thing I am come about. You see I have maintained you, bed and board, many years; but it does not follow that a man who does nineteen good offices should do the twen tieth.-A friend of mine upon 'Change has offered to take Maria for a companion to his wife; and Lawyer Dixon knows a milliner who will take Harriet as a journeywoman, provided she is tractable in learning the business. You see I would not have married without providing for you.'

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I thought Maria would have fainted during this speech, but a flood of tears relieved her. For my part I was too angry to faint or weep. I felt an uncommon courage and spirit possess me, and seeing Maria's situation, found I must be the only speaker. And is this,' said I, all you intend doing for us?'

I intended,' said he, if you behaved well, to give you ten pounds a-piece ;'--at the same time taking out his pocket-book, he presented a ten pound bank note to each of us. Secure of the treasure, and convinced this was really all we were to expect, I found my self in a moment divested of all affection and respect for the ungracious giver. And now, sir,' said I, rising from my seat, that you have informed us of your intentions, I will acquaint you with ours. The manner with which you have treated us ever since, as you say, you have maintained us bed and board, by making us every day feel our dependence, has cancelled all obligation-your present behaviour is of a piece.-I looked at Maria, who, by an encouraging glance, prompted me to go on. Your proposals we despise. On Providence we will depend for a subsistence, and on the compassion of strangers, when they shall hear we are set adrift in the wide world by a brother possessing a hundred thousand pounds.'

Never did I see a countenance so strongly marked with surprise and anger as his was when I had finished my speech. Fearing an answer, I took Maria by the hand, and made towards the door. He caught her arm, and What say you, madam?' said he. That my sister has spoken my senti

ments,' said she. The devil! was all we heard him say, for we hurried out of the room, and in a few minutes saw the gentleman walk out of the court-yard.

Guess, my dear madam, our feelings on this occasion:-turned out on the wide world by a brother who ought to have been our guar dian and protector, and having it so amply in his power so to be! But oh! how inexpressibly happy did we feel ourselves by the recollection that our distresses were not brought on us by our own misconduct. With a good conscience what cannot we encounter? and relying on a kind and good Providence what difficulty may we not surmount?

After we had sat weeping and looking at each other about half an hour, we received a summons from Mrs. Wilson to attend her in her dressing-room. We dried our tears, and went. After we had informed her of all the particulars of our brother's behaviour, she looked at us with an aspect of tenderness and compassion, of which I, until then, had thought her incapable. Do not make yourselves unhappy,' said she. Maria, I shall be happy to have you stay with me; and as for you, Harriet, Mr. Beaumont you know will make you his wife.'-All the contents of your letter now rushed on my mind; I made no answer. Maria returned her acknowledgments in the most grateful manner, and we both felt ourselves much obliged to her. We accompanied her down to tea, and she acquainted Mr. Wilson, miss Jones, and Mr. Beaumont, with all the particulars. We would willingly have excused her this trouble, but people of little delicacy have no idea of the pain they