[Letters 1 to 16]
LETTER 1.
Lady Susan Vernon to Mr. Vernon.
Langford, December.
My dear Brother
I can no longer refuse myself the pleasure of profiting by your kind
invitation, when we last parted, of spending some weeks with you at Churchill,
& therefore, if quite convenient to you & Mrs. Vernon to receive me
at present, I shall hope within a few days to be introduced to a Sister whom I
have so long desired to be acquainted with. My kind friends here are most
affectionately urgent with me to prolong my stay, but their hospitable &
chearful dispositions lead them too much into society for my present situation
& state of mind; & I impatiently look forward to the hour when I shall
be admitted into your delightful retirement. I long to be made known to your
dear little children, in whose hearts I shall be very eager to secure an
interest. I shall soon have need for all my fortitude, as I am on the point of
separation from my own daughter. The long illness of her dear Father prevented
my paying her that attention which Duty & affection equally dictated, &
I have too much reason to fear that the Governess to whose care I consigned her
was unequal to the charge. I have therefore resolved on placing her at one of
the best Private Schools in Town, where I shall have an opportunity of leaving
her myself, in my way to you. I am determined, you see, not to be denied
admittance at Churchill. It would indeed give me most painful sensations to
know that it were not in your power to receive me.
Yr. most obliged & affec: Sister
S. VERNON.
LETTER 2d.
Lady Susan Vernon to Mrs. Johnson.
Langford.
You were mistaken, my dear Alicia, in supposing me fixed at this place for
the rest of the winter. It grieves me to say how greatly you were mistaken,
for I have seldom spent three months more agreeably than those which have just
flown away. At present, nothing goes smoothly; the Females of the Family are
united against me. You foretold how it would be when I first came to Langford,
& Manwaring is so uncommonly pleasing that I was not without apprehensions
for myself. I remember saying to myself, as I drove to the House, "I like this
Man; pray Heaven no harm come of it!" But I was determined to be discreet, to
bear in mind my being only four months a widow, & to be as quiet as
possible: & I have been so, My dear Creature; I have admitted no one's
attentions but Manwaring's. I have avoided all general flirtation whatever; I
have distinguished no Creature besides, of all the Numbers resorting hither,
except Sir James Martin, on whom I bestowed a little notice, in order to detach
him from Miss Manwaring; but if the World could know my motive there,
they would honour me. I have been called an unkind Mother, but it was the
sacred impulse of maternal affection, it was the advantage of my Daughter that
led me on; & if that Daughter were not the greatest simpleton on Earth, I
might have been rewarded for my Exertions as I ought.
Sir James did make proposals to me for Frederica; but Frederica, who was
born to be the torment of my life, chose to set herself so violently against
the match that I thought it better to lay aside the scheme for the present. I
have more than once repented that I did not marry him myself; & were he but
one degree less contemptibly weak, I certainly should, but I must own myself
rather romantic in that respect, & that Riches only will not satisfy me.
The event of all this is very provoking: Sir James is gone, Maria highly
incensed, & Mrs. Manwaring insupportably jealous; so jealous, in short,
& so enraged against me, that, in the fury of her temper, I should not be
surprised at her appealing to her Guardian, if she had the liberty of
addressing him -- but there your Husband stands my friend; & the kindest,
most amiable action of his Life was his throwing her off forever on her
Marriage. Keep up his resentment, therefore, I charge you. We are now in a
sad state; no house was ever more altered: the whole family are at war, &
Manwaring scarcely dares speak to me. It is time for me to be gone; I have
therefore determined on leaving them, & shall spend, I hope, a comfortable
day with you in Town within this week. If I am as little in favour with
Mr. Johnson as ever, you must come to me at No. 10 Wigmore Street; but I
hope this may not be the case, for as Mr. Johnson, with all his faults, is
a Man to whom that great word "Respectable" is always given, & I am known
to be so intimate with his wife, his slighting me has an awkward Look.
I take Town in my way to that insupportable spot, a Country Village; for I
am really going to Churchill. Forgive me, my dear friend, it is my last
resource. Were there another place in England open to me, I would prefer it.
Charles Vernon is my aversion, & I am afraid of his wife. At Churchill,
however, I must remain till I have something better in view. My young Lady
accompanies me to Town, where I shall deposit her under the care of Miss
Summers, in Wigmore Street, till she becomes a little more reasonable. She
will make good connections there, as the Girls are all of the best Families.
The price is immense, & much beyond what I can ever attempt to pay.
Adieu, I will send you a line as soon as I arrive in Town. -- Yours
Ever,
S. VERNON.
LETTER 3.
Mrs. Vernon to Lady De Courcy.
Churchill.
My dear Mother
I am very sorry to tell you that it will not be in our power to keep our
promise of spending our Christmas with you; & we are prevented that
happiness by a circumstance which is not likely to make us any amends. Lady
Susan, in a letter to her Brother, has declared her intention of visiting us
almost immediately -- & as such a visit is in all probability merely an
affair of convenience, it is impossible to conjecture its length. I was by no
means prepared for such an event, nor can I now account for her Ladyship's
conduct; Langford appeared so exactly the place for her in every respect, as
well from the elegant & expensive stile of living there, as from her
particular attachment to Mrs. Manwaring, that I was very far from expecting
so speedy a distinction, tho' I always imagined from her increasing friendship
for us since her Husband's death, that we should at some future period be
obliged to receive her. Mr. Vernon, I think, was a great deal too kind to
her when he was in Staffordshire; her behaviour to him, independent of her
general Character, has been so inexcusably artful and ungenerous since our
Marriage was first in agitation that no one less amiable & mild than
himself could have overlooked it all; & tho', as his Brother's widow, &
in narrow circumstances, it was proper to render her pecuniary assistance, I
cannot help thinking his pressing invitation to her to visit us at Churchill
perfectly unnecessary. Disposed, however, as he always is to think the best of
every one, her display of Greif, & professions of regret, & general
resolutions of prudence were sufficient to soften his heart, & make him
really confide in her sincerity. But as for myself, I am still unconvinced;
& plausibly as her Ladyship has now written, I cannot make up my mind till
I better understand her real meaning in coming to us. You may guess,
therefore, my dear Madam, with what feelings I look forward to her arrival.
She will have occasion for all those attractive Powers for which she is
celebrated, to gain any share of my regard; & I shall certainly endeavour
to guard myself against their influence, if not accompanied by something more
substantial. She expresses a most eager desire of being acquainted with me,
& makes very gracious mention of my children, but I am not quite weak
enough to suppose a woman who has behaved with inattention if not unkindness to
her own child, should be attached to any of mine. Miss Vernon is to be placed
at a school in Town before her Mother comes to us, which I am glad of, for her
sake & my own. It must be to her advantage to be separated from her
Mother, & a girl of sixteen who has received so wretched an education could
not be a very desirable companion here. Reginald has long wished, I know, to
see the captivating Lady Susan, & we shall depend on his joining our party
soon. I am glad to hear that my Father continues so well; & am, with best
Love, &c.,
CATH. VERNON.
LETTER 4.
Mr. De Courcy to Mrs. Vernon.
Parklands.
My dear Sister
I congratulate you & Mr. Vernon on being about to receive into your
family the most accomplished Coquette in England. As a very distinguished
Flirt, I have always been taught to consider her; but it has lately fallen in
my way to hear some particulars of her conduct at Langford, which proves that
she does not confine herself to that sort of honest flirtation which satisfies
most people, but aspires to the more delicious gratification of making a whole
family miserable. By her behaviour to Mr. Manwaring she gave jealousy
& wretchedness to his wife, & by her attentions to a young man
previously attached to Mr. Manwaring's sister deprived an amiable girl of
her Lover. I learnt all this from a Mr. Smith, now in this neighbourhood
(I have dined with him, at Hurst & Wilford), who is just come from
Langford, where he was a fortnight in the house with her Ladyship, & who is
therefore well qualified to make the communication.
What a Woman she must be! I long to see her, & shall certainly accept
your kind invitation, that I may form some idea of those bewitching powers
which can do so much -- engaging at the same time, & in the same house, the
affections of two Men, who were neither of them at liberty to bestow them --
and all this without the charm of Youth! I am glad to find Miss Vernon does
not accompany her Mother to Churchill, as she has not even Manners to recommend
her, & according to Mr. Smith's account, is equally dull & proud.
Where Pride & Stupidity unite there can be no dissimulation worthy notice,
& Miss Vernon shall be consigned to unrelenting contempt; but by all that I
can gather, Lady Susan possesses a degree of captivating Deceit which it must
be pleasing to witness & detect. I shall be with you very soon, &
am
your affec. Brother R. DE COURCY
LETTER 5.
Lady Susan Vernon to Mrs. Johnson.
Churchill.
I received your note, my dear Alicia, just before I left Town, & rejoice
to be assured that Mr. Johnson suspected nothing of your engagement the
evening before. It is undoubtedly better to deceive him entirely; since he
will be stubborn, he must be tricked. I arrived here in safety, & have no
reason to complain of my reception from Mr. Vernon; but I confess myself
not equally satisfied with the behaviour of his Lady. She is perfectly
well-bred, indeed, & has the air of a woman of fashion, but her Manners are
not such as can persuade me of her being prepossessed in my favour. I wanted
her to be delighted at seeing me -- I was as amiable as possible on the
occasion -- but all in vain. She does not like me. To be sure, when we
consider that I did take some pains to prevent my Brother-in-law's
marrying her, this want of cordiality is not very surprising; & yet it
shews an illiberal & vindictive spirit
to resent a project which influenced me six years ago, & which never
succeeded at last.
I am sometimes half disposed to repent that I did not let Charles buy Vernon
Castle, when we were obliged to sell it; but it was a trying circumstance,
especially as the sale took place exactly at the time of his marriage; &
everybody ought to respect the delicacy of those feelings which could not
endure that my Husband's Dignity should be lessened by his younger brother's
having possession of the Family Estate. Could Matters have been so arranged as
to prevent the necessity of our leaving the Castle, could we have lived with
Charles & kept him single, I should have been very far from persuading my
husband to dispose of it elsewhere; but Charles was then on the point of
marrying Miss De Courcy, & the event has justified me. Here are Children
in abundance, & what benefit could have accrued to me from his purchasing
Vernon? My having prevented it may perhaps have given his wife an unfavourable
impression -- but where there is a disposition to dislike, a motive will never
be wanting; & as to money-matters it has not withheld him from being very
useful to me. I really have a regard for him, he is so easily imposed on!
The house is a good one, the Furniture fashionable, & everything
announces plenty & elegance. Charles is very rich, I am sure; when a Man
has once got his name in a Banking House, he rolls in money. But they do not
know what to do with it, keep very little company, & never go to Town but
on business. We shall be as stupid as possible. I mean to win my
Sister-in-law's heart through the children; I know all their names already,
& am going to attach myself with the greatest
sensibility to one in particular, a young
Frederic, whom I take on my lap & sigh over for his dear Uncle's sake.
Poor Manwaring! -- I need not tell you how much I miss him -- how
perpetually he is in my Thoughts. I found a dismal letter from him on my
arrival here, full of complaints of his wife & sister, & lamentations
on the cruelty of his fate. I passed off the letter as his wife's, to the
Vernons, & when I write to him, it must be under cover to you.
Yours Ever, S. V.
LETTER 6.
Mrs. Vernon to Mr. De Courcy.
Churchill
Well, my dear Reginald, I have seen this dangerous creature, & must give
you some description of her, tho' I hope you will soon be able to form your own
judgement. She is really excessively pretty. However you may choose to
question the allurements of a Lady no longer young, I must, for my own part,
declare that I have seldom seen so lovely a Woman as Lady Susan. She is
delicately fair, with fine grey eyes & dark eyelashes; & from her
appearance one would not suppose her more than five & twenty, tho' she must
in fact be ten years older. I was certainly not disposed to admire her, tho'
always hearing she was beautiful; but I cannot help feeling that she possesses
an uncommon union of Symmetry, Brilliancy, & Grace. Her address to me was
so gentle, frank, & even affectionate, that, if I had not known how much
she has always disliked me for marrying Mr. Vernon, & that we had never
met before, I should have imagined her an attached friend. One is apt, I
beleive, to connect assurance of manner with coquetry, & to expect that an
impudent address will naturally attend an impudent mind; at least I was myself
prepared for an improper degree of confidence in Lady Susan; but her
Countenance is absolutely sweet, & her voice & manner winningly mild.
I am sorry it is so, for what is this but Deceit? Unfortunately, one knows her
too well. She is clever & agreable, has all that knowledge of the world
which makes conversation easy, & talks very well with a happy command of
Language, which is too often used, I beleive, to make Black appear White. She
has already almost persuaded me of her being warmly attached to her daughter,
tho' I have been so long convinced to the contrary. She speaks of her with so
much tenderness & anxiety, lamenting so bitterly the neglect of her
education, which she represents however as wholly unavoidable, that I am forced
to recollect how many successive Springs her Ladyship spent in Town, while her
Daughter was left in Staffordshire to the care of servants, or a Governess very
little better, to prevent my believing what she says.
If her manners have so great an influence on my resentful heart, you may
judge how much more strongly they operate on Mr. Vernon's generous temper.
I wish I could be as well satisfied as he is, that it was really her choice to
leave Langford for Churchill; & if she had not stayed three months there
before she discovered that her friends' manner of Living did not suit her
situation or feelings, I might have beleived that concern for the loss of such
a Husband as Mr. Vernon, to whom her own behaviour was far from
unexceptionable, might for a time make her wish for retirement. But I cannot
forget the length of her visit to the Manwarings; & when I reflect on the
different mode of Life which she led with them, from that to which she must now
submit, I can only suppose that the wish of establishing her reputation by
following, tho' late, the path of propriety, occasioned her removal from a
family where she must in reality have been particularly happy. Your friend
Mr. Smith's story, however, cannot be quite correct, as she corresponds
regularly with Mrs. Manwaring. At any rate it must be exaggerated; it is
scarcely possible that two men should be so grossly deceived by her at
once.
Yrs. &c. CATH. VERNON.
LETTER 7.
Lady Susan Vernon to Mrs. Johnson
Churchill.
My dear Alicia
You are very good in taking notice of Frederica, & I am grateful for it
as a mark of your friendship; but as I cannot have any doubt of the warmth of
that friendship, I am far from exacting so heavy a sacrifice. She is a stupid
girl, & has nothing to recommend her. I would not, therefore, on any
account have you encumber one moment of your precious time by sending for her
to Edward Street, especially as every visit is so many hours deducted from the
grand affair of Education, which I really wish to be attended to while she
remains with Miss Summers. I want her to play & sing with some portion of
Taste & a good deal of assurance, as she has my hand & arm,
& a tolerable voice. I was so much indulged in my infant years
that I was never obliged to attend to anything, & consequently am without
the accomplishments which are now necessary to finish a pretty Woman. Not that
I am an advocate for the prevailing fashion of acquiring a perfect knowledge of
all Languages, Arts, & Sciences. It is throwing time away; to be Mistress
of French, Italian, & German, Music, Singing, Drawing, &c. will gain a
Woman some applause, but will not add one Lover to her list. Grace &
Manner, after all, are of the greatest importance. I do not mean, therefore,
that Frederica's acquirements should be more than superficial, & I flatter
myself that she will not remain long enough at School to understand anything
thoroughly. I hope to see her the wife of Sir James within a twelvemonth. You
know on what I ground my hope, & it is certainly a good foundation, for
school must be very humiliating to a girl of Frederica's age. And by the by,
you had better not invite her any more on that account, as I wish her to find
her situation as unpleasant as possible. I am sure of Sir James at any time,
& could make him renew his application by a Line. I shall trouble you
meanwhile to prevent his forming any other attachment when he comes to Town.
Ask him to your house occasionally, & talk to him of Frederica, that he may
not forget her.
Upon the whole, I commend my own conduct in this affair extremely, &
regard it as a very happy instance of circumspection & tenderness. Some
Mothers would have insisted on their daughter's accepting so good an offer on
the first overture, but I could not answer it to myself to force Frederica into
a marriage from which her heart revolted; & instead of adopting so harsh a
measure, merely propose to make it her own choice, by rendering her thoroughly
uncomfortable till she does accept him. -- But enough of this tiresome
girl.
You may well wonder how I contrive to pass my time here, & for the first
week it was most insufferably dull. Now, however, we begin to mend; our party
is enlarged by Mrs. Vernon's Brother, a handsome young Man, who promises me
some amusement. There is something about him which rather interests me, a sort
of sauciness & familiarity which I shall teach him to correct. He is
lively & seems clever;, & when I have inspired him with greater respect
for me than his sister's kind offices have implanted, he may be an agreable
Flirt. There is exquisite pleasure in subduing an insolent spirit, in making a
person predetermined to dislike, acknowledge one's superiority. I have
disconcerted him already by my calm reserve, & it shall be my endeavour to
humble the pride of these self-important De Courcys still lower, to convince
Mrs. Vernon that her sisterly cautions have been bestowed in vain, & to
persuade Reginald that she has scandalously belied me. This project will serve
at least to amuse me, & prevent my feeling so acutely this dreadful
separation from You & all whom I love. Adieu.
Yours Ever
S. VERNON.
LETTER 8.
Mrs. Vernon to Lady De Courcy.
Churchill.
My dear Mother
You must not expect Reginald back again for some time. He desires me to
tell you that the present open weather induced him to accept Mr. Vernon's
invitation to prolong his stay in Sussex, that they may have some hunting
together. He means to send for his Horses immediately, & it is impossible
to say when you may see him in Kent. I will not disguise my sentiments on this
change from you, my dear Madam, tho' I think you had better not communicate
them to my father, whose excessive anxiety about Reginald would subject him to
an alarm which might seriously affect his health & spirits. Lady Susan has
certainly contrived, in the space of a fortnight, to make my Brother like her.
In short, I am persuaded that his continuing here beyond the time originally
fixed for his return is occasioned as much by a degree of fascination towards
her, as by the wish of hunting with Mr. Vernon, & of course I cannot
receive that pleasure from the length of his visit which my Brother's company
would otherwise give me. I am, indeed, provoked at the artifice of this
unprincipled Woman. What stronger proof of her dangerous abilities can be
given than this perversion of Reginald's judgement, which when he entered the
house was so decidedly against her? In his last letter he actually gave me
some particulars of her behaviour at Langford, such as he received from a
Gentleman who knew her perfectly well, which, if true, must raise abhorrence
against her, & which Reginald himself was entirely disposed to credit. His
opinion of her, I am sure, was as low as of any Woman in England; & when he
first came it was evident that he considered her as one entitled neither to
Delicacy nor respect, & that he felt she would be delighted with the
attentions of any Man inclined to flirt with her.
Her behaviour, I confess, has been calculated to do away with such an idea;
I have not detected the smallest impropriety in it -- nothing of vanity, of
pretension, of Levity; & she is altogether so attractive that I should not
wonder at his being delighted with her, had he known nothing of her previous to
this personal acquaintance; but against reason, against conviction, to be so
well pleased with her, as I am sure he is, does really astonish me. His
admiration was at first very strong, but no more than was natural, & I did
not wonder at his being much struck by the gentleness & delicacy of her
Manners; but when he has mentioned her of late it has been in terms of more
extraordinary praise; & yesterday he actually said that he could not be
surprised at any effect produced on the heart of Man by such Loveliness &
such Abilities; & when I lamented, in reply, the badness of her
disposition, he observed that whatever might have been her errors, they were to
be imputed to her neglected Education & early Marriage, & that she was
altogether a wonderful Woman.
This tendency to excuse her conduct, or to forget it in the warmth of
admiration, vexes me; & if I did not know that Reginald is too much at home
at Churchill to need an invitation for lengthening his visit, I should regret
Mr. Vernon's giving him any.
Lady Susan's intentions are of course those of absolute coquetry, or a
desire of universal admiration. I cannot for a moment imagine that she has
anything more serious in view; but it mortifies me to see a young Man of
Reginald's sense duped by her at all. I am, &c.
CATH. VERNON.
LETTER 9.
Mrs. Johnson to Lady Susan.
Edward St.
My dearest Friend
I congratulate you on Mr. De Courcy's arrival, & I advise you by all
means to marry him; his Father's Estate is, we know, considerable, & I
beleive certainly entailed. Sir Reginald is very
infirm, & not likely to stand in your way long. I hear the young Man well
spoken of; & tho' no one can really deserve you, my dearest Susan,
Mr. De Courcy may be worth having. Manwaring will storm of course, but you
may easily pacify him; besides, the most scrupulous point of honour could not
require you to wait for his emancipation. I have seen Sir James; he came
to Town for a few days last week, & called several times in Edward Street.
I talked to him about you & your Daughter, & he is so far from having
forgotten you, that I am sure he would marry either of you with pleasure. I
gave him hopes of Frederica's relenting, & told him a great deal of her
improvements. I scolded him for making Love to Maria Manwaring; he protested
that he had been only in joke, & we both laughed heartily at her
disappointment; and, in short, were very agreable. He is as silly as ever. --
Yours faithfully
ALICIA.
LETTER 10.
Lady Susan Vernon to Mrs. Johnson
Churchill.
I am obliged to you, my dear friend, for your advice respecting Mr. De
Courcy, which I know was given with the full conviction of its expediency, tho'
I am not quite determined on following it. I cannot easily resolve on anything
so serious as Marriage; especially as I am not at present in want of money,
& might perhaps, till the old Gentleman's death, be very little benefited
by the match. It is true that I am vain enough to beleive it within my reach.
I have made him sensible of my power, & can now enjoy the pleasure of
triumphing over a Mind prepared to dislike me, & prejudiced against all my
past actions. His sister, too, is, I hope, convinced how little the ungenerous
representations of any one to the disadvantage of another will avail when
opposed to the immediate influence of Intellect & Manner. I see plainly
that she is uneasy at my progress in the good opinion of her Brother, &
conclude that nothing will be wanting on her part to counteract me; but having
once made him doubt the justice of her opinion of me, I think I may defy her.
It has been delightful to me to watch his advances towards intimacy, especially
to observe his altered manner in consequence of my repressing by the calm
dignity of my deportment his insolent approach to direct familiarity. My
conduct has been equally guarded from the first, & I never behaved less
like a Coquette in the whole course of my Life, tho' perhaps my desire of
dominion was never more decided. I have subdued him entirely by sentiment
& serious conversation, & made him, I may venture to say, at least
half in Love with me, without the semblance of the most commonplace
flirtation. Mrs. Vernon's consciousness of deserving every sort of revenge
that it can be in my power to inflict for her ill-offices could alone enable
her to perceive that I am actuated by any design in behaviour so gentle &
unpretending. Let her think & act as she chuses, however. I have never
yet found that the advice of a Sister could prevent a young Man's being in love
if he chose it. We are advancing now towards some kind of confidence, & in
short are likely to be engaged in a sort of platonic friendship. On
my side you may be sure of its never being more, for if I were not
already as much attached to another person as I can be to any one, I should
make a point of not bestowing my affection on a Man who had dared to think so
meanly of me.
Reginald has a good figure, & is not unworthy the praise you have heard
given him, but is still greatly inferior to our friend at Langford. He is less
polished, less insinuating than Manwaring, & is comparatively deficient in
the power of saying those delightful things which put one in good humour with
oneself & all the world. He is quite agreable enough, however, to afford
me amusement, & to make many of those hours pass very pleasantly which
would otherwise be spent in endeavouring to overcome my sister-in-law's
reserve, & listening to her Husband's insipid talk.
Your account of Sir James is most satisfactory, & I mean to give Miss
Frederica a hint of my intentions very soon. -- Yours, &c.,
S. VERNON.
LETTER 11.
Mrs. Vernon to Lady De Courcy.
Churchill.
I really grow quite uneasy, my dearest Mother, about Reginald, from
witnessing the very rapid increase of Lady Susan's influence. They are now on
terms of the most particular friendship, frequently engaged in long
conversations together; & she has contrived by the most artful coquetry to
subdue his Judgement to her own purposes. It is impossible to see the intimacy
between them so very soon established without some alarm, tho' I can hardly
suppose that Lady Susan's views extend to marriage. I wish you could get
Reginald home again under any plausible pretence; he is not at all disposed to
leave us, & I have given him as many hints of my Father's precarious state
of health as common decency will allow me to do in my own house. Her power
over him must now be boundless, as she has entirely effaced all his former
ill-opinion, & persuaded him not merely to forget but to justify her
conduct. Mr. Smith's account of her proceedings at Langford, where he
accused her of having made Mr. Manwaring & a young Man engaged to Miss
Manwaring distractedly in love with her, which Reginald firmly beleived when he
came to Churchill, is now, he is persuaded, only a scandalous invention. He
has told me so in a warmth of manner which spoke his regret at having ever
beleived the contrary himself.
How sincerely do I grieve that she ever entered this house! I always looked
forward to her coming with uneasiness; but very far was it from originating in
anxiety for Reginald. I expected a most disagreable companion for myself, but
could not imagine that my Brother would be in the smallest danger of being
captivated by a Woman with whose principles he was so well acquainted, &
whose character he so heartily despised. If you can get him away, it will be a
good thing.
Yrs. affec:ly,
CATH. VERNON.
LETTER 12.
Sir Reginald De Courcy to his Son.
Parklands.
I know that young Men in general do not admit of any inquiry even from their
nearest relations into affairs of the heart, but I hope, my dear Reginald, that
you will be superior to such as allow nothing for a Father's anxiety, &
think themselves privileged to refuse him their confidence & slight his
advice. You must be sensible that as an only son, & the representative of
an ancient Family, your conduct in Life is most interesting to your
connections. In the very important concern of Marriage especially, there is
everything at stake -- your own happiness, that of your Parents, & the
credit of your name. I do not suppose that you would deliberately form an
absolute engagement of that nature without acquainting your Mother &
myself, or at least without being convinced that we should approve of your
choice; but I cannot help fearing that you may be drawn in, by the Lady who has
lately attached you, to a Marriage which the whole of your Family, far &
near, must highly reprobate.
Lady Susan's age is itself a material objection, but her want of character
is one so much more serious that the difference of even twelve years becomes in
comparison of small amount. Were you not blinded by a sort of fascination, it
would be ridiculous in me to repeat the instances of great misconduct on her
side, so very generally known. Her neglect of her husband, her encouragement
of other Men, her extravagance & dissipation, were so gross & notorious
that no one could be ignorant of them at the time, nor can now have forgotten
them. To our Family she has always been represented in softened colours by the
benevolence of Mr. Charles Vernon; & yet, in spite of his generous
endeavours to excuse her, we know that she did, from the most selfish motives,
take all possible pains to prevent his marrying Catherine.
My Years & increasing Infirmities make me very desirous, my dear
Reginald, of seeing you settled in the world. To the Fortune of your wife, the
goodness of my own will make me indifferent; but her family & character
must be equally unexceptionable. When your choice is so fixed as that no
objection can be made to either, I can promise you a ready & chearful
consent; but it is my Duty to oppose a Match which deep
Art only could render probable, & must in the
end make wretched.
It is possible her behaviour may arise only from Vanity, or the wish of
gaining the admiration of a Man whom she must imagine to be particularly
prejudiced against her; but it is more likely that she should aim at something
farther. She is poor, & may naturally seek an alliance which may be
advantageous to herself. You know your own rights, & that it is out of my power to prevent your
inheriting the family Estate. My Ability of distressing you during my Life
would be a species of revenge to which I should hardly stoop under any
circumstances. I honestly tell you my Sentiments & Intentions: I do not
wish to work on your Fears, but on your Sense & Affection. It would
destroy every comfort of my Life to know that you were married to Lady Susan
Vernon: it would be the death of that honest Pride with which I have hitherto
considered my son; I should blush to see him, to hear of him, to think of
him.
I may perhaps do no good but that of relieving my own mind by this Letter,
but I felt it my Duty to tell you that your partiality for Lady Susan is no
secret to your friends, & to warn you against her. I should be glad to
hear your reasons for disbelieving Mr. Smith's intelligence; you had no
doubt of its authenticity a month ago.
If you can give me your assurance of having no design beyond enjoying the
conversation of a clever woman for a short period, & of yielding
admiration only to her Beauty & Abilities, without being blinded by them
to her faults, you will restore me to happiness; but if you cannot do this,
explain to me, at least, what has occasioned so great an alteration in your
opinion of her.
I am, &c.
REGD. DE COURCY.
LETTER 13.
Lady De Courcy to Mrs. Vernon.
Parklands.
My dear Catherine
Unluckily I was confined to my room when your last letter came, by a cold
which affected my eyes so much as to prevent my reading it myself; so I could
not refuse your Father when he offered to read it to me, by which means he
became acquainted, to my great vexation, with all your fears about your
Brother. I had intended to write to Reginald myself as soon as my eyes would
let me, to point out as well as I could the danger of an intimate acquaintance
with so artful a woman as Lady Susan, to a young Man of his age & high
expectations. I meant, moreover, to have reminded him of our being quite alone
now, & very much in need of him to keep up our spirits these long winter
evenings. Whether it would have done any good can never be settled now, but I
am excessively vexed that Sir Reginald should know anything of a matter which
we foresaw would make him so uneasy. He caught all your fears the moment he
had read your Letter, and I am sure has not had the business out of his head
since. He wrote by the same post to Reginald a long letter full of it all,
& particularly asking an explanation of what he may have heard from Lady
Susan to contradict the late shocking reports. His answer came this morning,
which I shall enclose to you, as I think you will like to see it. I wish it
was more satisfactory; but it seems written with such a determination to think
well of Lady Susan, that his assurances as to Marriage, &c., do not set my
heart at ease. I say all I can, however, to satisfy your Father, & he is
certainly less uneasy since Reginald's letter. How provoking it is, my dear
Catherine, that this unwelcome Guest of yours should not only prevent our
meeting this Christmas, but be the occasion of so much vexation & trouble!
Kiss the dear Children for me. Your affec: Mother,
C. DE COURCY.
LETTER 14.
Mr. De Courcy to Sir Reginald
Churchill.
My dear Sir
I have this moment received your Letter, which has given me more
astonishment than I ever felt before. I am to thank my Sister, I suppose, for
having represented me in such a light as to injure me in your opinion, &
give you all this alarm. I know not why she should chuse to make herself
& her family uneasy by apprehending an Event which no one but herself, I
can affirm, would ever have thought possible. To impute such a design to Lady
Susan would be taking from her every claim to that excellent understanding
which her bitterest Enemies have never denied her; & equally low must sink
my pretensions to common sense if I am suspected of matrimonial views in my
behaviour to her. Our difference of age must be an insuperable objection,
& I entreat you, my dear Sir, to quiet your mind, & no longer harbour a
suspicion which cannot be more injurious to your own peace than to our
Understandings.
I can have no other view in remaining with Lady Susan, than to enjoy for a
short time (as you have yourself expressed it) the conversation of a Woman of
high mental powers. If Mrs. Vernon would allow something to my affection
for herself & her husband in the length of my visit, she would do more
justice to us all; but my Sister is unhappily prejudiced beyond the hope of
conviction against Lady Susan. From an attachment to her husband, which in
itself does honour to both, she cannot forgive the endeavours at preventing
their union which have been attributed to selfishness in Lady Susan; but in
this case, as well as in many others, the World has most grossly injured that
Lady, by supposing the worst where the motives of her conduct have been
doubtful.
Lady Susan had heard something so materially to the disadvantage of my
Sister, as to persuade her that the happiness of Mr. Vernon, to whom she
was always much attached, would be absolutely destroyed by the Marriage. And
this circumstance, while it explains the true motive of Lady Susan's conduct,
& removes all the blame which has been so lavished on her, may also
convince us how little the general report of any one ought to be credited;
since no character, however upright, can escape the malevolence of slander. If
my Sister, in the security of retirement, with as little opportunity as
inclination to do Evil, could not avoid Censure, we must not rashly condemn
those who, living in the World & surrounded with temptation, should be
accused of Errors which they are known to have the power of committing.
I blame myself severely for having so easily beleived the slanderous tales
invented by Charles Smith to the prejudice of Lady Susan, as I am now convinced
how greatly they have traduced her. As to Mrs. Manwaring's jealousy, it
was totally his own invention, & his account of her attaching Miss
Manwaring's Lover was scarcely better founded. Sir James Martin had been drawn
in by that young Lady to pay her some attention; & as he is a Man of
fortune, it was easy to see that her views extended to Marriage. It
is well known that Miss Manwaring is absolutely on the catch for a husband,
& no one therefore can pity her for losing, by the superior attractions of
another woman, the chance of being able to make a worthy Man completely
miserable. Lady Susan was far from intending such a conquest, & on finding
how warmly Miss Manwaring resented her Lover's defection, determined, in spite
of Mr. & Mrs. Manwaring's most earnest entreaties, to leave the
family. I have reason to imagine that she did receive serious Proposals from
Sir James, but her removing to Langford immediately on the discovery of his
attachment, must acquit her on that article with any Mind of common candour.
You will, I am sure, my dear Sir, feel the truth of this, & will hereby
learn to do justice to the character of a very injured Woman.
I know that Lady Susan in coming to Churchill was governed only by the most
honourable & amiable intentions; her prudence & economy are exemplary,
her regard for Mr. Vernon equal even to his deserts; & her
wish of obtaining my sister's good opinion merits a better return than it has
received. As a Mother she is unexceptionable; her solid affection for her
Child is shewn by placing her in hands where her Education will be properly
attended to; but because she has not the blind & weak partiality of most
Mothers, she is accused of wanting Maternal Tenderness. Every person of Sense,
however, will know how to value & commend her well-directed affection,
& will join me in wishing that Frederica Vernon may prove more worthy than
she has yet done of her Mother's tender care.
I have now, my dear Sir, written my real sentiments of Lady Susan; you will
know from this Letter how highly I admire her Abilities, & esteem her
Character; but if you are not equally convinced by my full & solemn
assurance that your fears have been most idly created, you will deeply mortify
& distress me. -- I am, &c.
R. DE COURCY.
LETTER 15.
Mrs. Vernon to Lady De Courcy.
Churchill.
My dear Mother
I return you Reginald's letter, & rejoice with all my heart that my
Father is made easy by it. Tell him so, with my congratulations; but between
ourselves, I must own it has only convinced me of my Brother's having
no present intention of marrying Lady Susan -- not that he is in no
danger of doing so three months hence. He gives a very plausible account of
her behaviour at Langford; I wish it may be true, but his intelligence must
come from herself, & I am less disposed to beleive it than to lament the
degree of intimacy subsisting between them implied by the discussion of such a
subject.
I am sorry to have incurred his displeasure, but can expect nothing better
while he is so very eager in Lady Susan's justification. He is very severe
against me indeed, & yet I hope I have not been hasty in my judgement of
her. Poor Woman! tho' I have reasons enough for my dislike, I cannot help
pitying her at present, as she is in real distress, & with too much cause.
She had this morning a letter from the Lady with whom she has placed her
daughter, to request that Miss Vernon might be immediately removed, as she had
been detected in an attempt to run away.
Why, or whither she intended to go, does not appear; but as her situation seems
to have been unexceptionable, it is a sad thing, & of course highly
afflicting to Lady Susan.
Frederica must be as much as sixteen, & ought to know better; but from
what her Mother insinuates, I am afraid she is a perverse girl. She has been
sadly neglected, however, & her Mother ought to remember it.
Mr. Vernon set off for Town as soon as she had determined what should be
done. He is, if possible, to prevail on Miss Summers to let Frederica continue
with her; & if he cannot succeed, to bring her to Churchill for the
present, till some other situation can be found for her. Her Ladyship is
comforting herself meanwhile by strolling along the Shrubbery with Reginald,
calling forth all his tender feelings, I suppose, on this distressing occasion.
She has been talking a great deal about it to me. She talks vastly well; I am
afraid of being ungenerous, or I should say too well to feel so very
deeply. But I will not look for Faults; she may be Reginald's Wife -- Heaven
forbid it! -- but why should I be quicker-sighted than anybody else?
Mr. Vernon declares that he never saw deeper distress than hers, on the
receipt of the Letter -- & is his judgement inferior to mine?
She was very unwilling that Frederica should be allowed to come to
Churchill, & justly enough, as it seems a sort of reward to Behaviour
deserving very differently; but it was impossible to take her anywhere else,
& she is not to remain here long.
"It will be absolutely necessary," said she, "as you, my dear Sister, must
be sensible, to treat my daughter with some severity while she is here; -- a
most painful necessity, but I will endeavour to submit to it. I am afraid I
have often been too indulgent, but my poor Frederica's temper could never bear
opposition well. You must support & encourage me -- You must urge the
necessity of reproof if you see me too lenient."
All this sounds very reasonably. Reginald is so incensed against the poor
silly Girl! Surely it is not to Lady Susan's credit that he should be so
bitter against her daughter; his idea of her must be drawn from the Mother's
description.
Well, whatever may be his fate, we have the comfort of knowing that we have
done our utmost to save him. We must commit the event to an Higher Power.
Yours Ever, &c.
CATH. VERNON.
LETTER 16.
Lady Susan to Mrs. Johnson
Churchill.
Never, my dearest Alicia, was I so provoked in my life as by a Letter this
morning from Miss Summers. That horrid girl of mine has been trying to run
away. I had not a notion of her being such a little devil before, she seemed
to have all the Vernon Milkiness; but on receiving the letter in which I
declared my intention about Sir James, she actually attempted to elope; at
least, I cannot otherwise account for her doing it. She meant, I suppose, to
go to the Clarkes in Staffordshire, for she has no other acquaintance. But
she shall be punished, she shall have him. I have sent
Charles to Town to make matters up if he can, for I do not by any means want
her here. If Miss Summers will not keep her, you must find me out another
school, unless we can get her married immediately. Miss S. writes word that
she could not get the young Lady to assign any cause for her extraordinary
conduct, which confirms me in my own private explanation of it.
Frederica is too shy, I think, & too much in awe of me to tell tales;
but if the mildness of her Uncle should get anything from her, I am
not afraid. I trust I shall be able to make my story as good as hers. If I am
vain of anything, it is of my eloquence. Consideration & Esteem as surely
follow command of Language, as Admiration waits on Beauty. And here I have
opportunity enough for the exercise of my Talent, as the cheif of my time is
spent in Conversation. Reginald is never easy unless we are by ourselves,
& when the weather is tolerable, we pace the shrubbery for hours together.
I like him on the whole very well; he is clever & has a good deal to say,
but he is sometimes impertinent & troublesome. There is a sort of
ridiculous delicacy about him which requires the fullest explanation of
whatever he may have heard to my disadvantage, & is never satisfied till he
thinks he has ascertained the beginning & end of everything.
This is one sort of Love, but I confess it does not particularly
recommend itself to me. I infinitely prefer the tender & liberal spirit of
Manwaring, which, impressed with the deepest conviction of my merit, is
satisfied that whatever I do must be right; & look with a degree of
contempt on the inquisitive & doubtful Fancies of that Heart which seems
always debating on the reasonableness of its Emotions. Manwaring is indeed,
beyond compare, superior to Reginald -- superior in everything but the
power of being with me! Poor fellow! he is quite distracted by Jealousy, which
I am not sorry for, as I know no better support of Love. He has been teizing
me to allow of his coming into this country, & lodging somewhere near
incog. -- but I forbid anything of the kind. Those women are
inexcusable who forget what is due to themselves & the opinion of the
World.
S. VERNON.
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