HARRIET VERNON;

OR,

as doing myself an injustice to pass the prime of my life in a situation too unproductive for me to make a provision for the season when I shall

A NOVEL,

In a Series of Letters.

BY A LADY.

(Continued from p. 30.)

LETTER V.

Mr. Charles Wentworth to Mr. Johnson.

London.

I AM ashamed to acknowledge, dear Johnson, yours of the late date of the twentieth of February last; but in truth you must excuse my negligence, and accept the only apology I can offer, namely, business. I perfectly agree that it is the youth's best preservative from ill;' but where is the youth who does not expect to reap the golden fruits of a close ap plication, as the remark that gain sweetens labour is equally just? I am at this moment labouring under the influence of discontent, anger, pride, and ambition; in. a pretty state, say you, to write to a friend: a friend, however, must like one in all humours; so do not complain, but read this letter with patience, and give me your advice how to act, for I never so much needed your friendship and sympathy as at present.

It is now four years since I first engaged as clerk to Mr. Vernon, That he is a sordid wretch is notoriously known; as such, I could never expect to be sufficiently recompensed for my services: the small stipend of thirty pounds a year and my board, is all I have ever received or ever shall, though I were to continue my whole life: I have not a relation or friend in the world who could assist me in any distress I might be involved in; in short, I conceive it VOL. XXXVII.

all. To this I must add, that the uncouth manners of the man I serve has made my residence with him extremely irksome; and the daily insults I receive, too numerous to particularise, are more than my pride will allow me to bear.

A gentleman has been here a few days past on a visit, of the name of Ambrose, a colonel in the army; but having gained by trade in the East Indies a large fortune, he has sold his commission in the army, and is come home to end his days. This gentleman, who forms the greatest contrast you can conceive to his friend Mr. Vernon, has been pleased to regard me with a par ticular attention, and yesterday entered into my affairs with a warmth that surprised and flattered me be yond expression. Young man,' said he, your countenance con vinces me that you are not happy, and my own observation of the conduct of Mr. Vernon towards you has led me to guess from whence your discontent proceeds; honour me with your confidence, and I doubt not I shall find it in my power to contribute to your ease of mind, if its uneasiness proceeds from the cause which I suspect.'

Thus called on by such a man, and in a manner so truly noble, you may suppose that I made no scruple to lay before him the state of my affairs.

Exactly as I imagined,' said he, Mr. Vernon is a stranger to your worth; or, if not, has not a soul to set a proper value on it. But if you are willing to adopt a plan I shall lay down for you, you will have no reason to regret his behaviour. I have in Bengal a friend in a very con K

siderable line of business, who wants exactly such a young man as yourself to transact it. He is old, and has no connections but one daughter. In short, if you are disposed to try your fortune in a foreign clime, I doubt not that my recommendation, added to your own exertions, will effect in a few years a very considerable alteration in your affairs.'

'It is impossible,' I replied, sir, to thank you as I ought'--and was proceeding, when he interrupted me with Say not a word of obligation; I shall be amply repaid if I am made the instrument of good to a warthy character, at the same time that I am rendering an essential service to an old friend, who is in want of such a person to assist him in the close of life to settle his affairs. Take time to consider my proposal, and if you approve it, I will myself furnish you with all necessaries for the voyage, and we will lose no time in the execution of the plan.'

I will not trouble you with further particulars of this interesting conversation, but inform you that I have acceded to the proposal of the generous colonel. Very blind must I have been to my interest if I had not done it; but the doing it has cost me a pang far beyond my power to give you an idea of. I am now going to intrust you with a secret but lately known to myself, a secret which I fear will imbitter all my good fortune. You must know then this mean being, this Vernon, has two sisters half-blood by the father. I could almost say Heaven was unjust to intrust him with such a treasure. Dependent from their infancy on him, his sordid soul makes them feel their dependence, and his uncouth manners daily wound the feelings of two females the most delicate of their sex. I will endeavour to give a description of these lovely girls; but my pen cannot do

justice to their minds, whatever it may to their persons.

Maria, the eldest, is in her twentythird year, tall, and formed by the most exact rules of proportion: her hand and arm are the most delicate, for shape and colour, I ever saw. Α grace impossible to describe accompanies every action, and à dignity peculiar to herself adds a double force to that grace. With these advantages of figure, an indifferent face would be dispensed with: but hers is not indifferent; it is in my eye highly pleasing. I am, however, willing to subscribe to the assertion, that beauty is the lover's gift. An uninterested beholder, I believe,would say, that Maria has not a feature in her face more than tolerable, and that her complexion is too pale. Every one, however, must allow that she has very fine auburn hair, which she dresses in a manner extremely becoming. But I will finish my description of her person with a pa radox. She is not handsome, she is more; unless you are a lover, you will not comprehend this.

Now for her sister Harriet. Just turned of twenty, considerably shorter than her sister, and stouter: she is notwithstanding a genteel, though not a fine, figure: her manners, though not so elegant as Maria's, are easy and unaffected; and her face would be universally allowed to be handsomer than her sister's. A complexion where the lily and the rose bloom with lustre, is set off by a profusion of dark-brown hair. These beauties, added to a pair of fine dark eyes, cannot but make a pleasing face: but Harriet has more; she has an openness of countenance that prepossesses every one in her favour, and a vivacity tempered by the sweetest modesty imaginable.

So much for the exterior of these two charming girls. Their minds are as different as their features, and

yet it is hard to say which to prefer: : my heart, however, has never balanced; it is devoted to Maria, for whom I have conceived the purest sentiments of admiration and love. Mild and gentle as the dove, she possesses an understanding and prudence rarely to be met with; and though Harriet's understanding is equal, and her wit superior, her extreme vivacity and high flow of spirits would frequently hurry her into imprudences if not checked by Maria, from whom a word or a look is always attended to by her with the utmost deference. I will give you one instance which occurred yesterday, that will exemplify my meaning. A box directed for the miss Vernons was left at the house. Maria was out; but Harriet, all impatience to see the contents, opened it-when lo! two masquerade dresses presented themselves, accompanied with a polite note containing colonel Ambrose's compliments to the ladies, and informing them, that having heard them express a wish to see a masquerade, he had procured tickets and dresses for the next, when he hoped they would do him the honour of permitting him to attend them. To describe the joy that shone in every feature of Harriet's face is impossible. She traversed the room, unable to sit still a moment, in a perfect ecstasy. At length Maria returned. The contents of the box were displayed, and the colonel's note read in an instant. She then seated herself opposite her sister, to enjoy the pleasure and surprise she imagined she should discover in her face. Maria, with great composure, took off her gloves, then her cloak, and read over the colonel's note to herself, laid it down, and said- Pray how long has this box been here?"

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Was there ever such a scrupulous girl?' said Harriet; why these objections would never have entered my head.'

I wonder at that,' replied Maria, smiling: 'I dare say, some of the novels you have been studying lately have furnished you with instances of damsels being decoyed away at masquerades; I will appeal to Mr. Wentworth, if Pish! why you had better appeal to old Dorcas Say at once, shall we accept the colonel's kind offer, or stay at home poring over our work as usual? You are always right in your decisions.'

'Dear Harriet,' said Maria, tak ing her hand, I am much concerned to see you so disappointed; but indeed I conceive it improper to accept his offer at present-when we have been longer acquainted with him we will not be so scrupulous. I may be wrong, but let us err on the right side.'

But do you think the colonel will accept an excuse?' said Harriet: shall we not run the risque of offending him?'

I think not; but you must second all I say on the occasion,"