The tears stood in her eyes when she delivered her message.

You, my dear, are happy! May you always be so! And then I can never be wholly miserable. Adieu, my beloved friend!

CL. HARLOWE

Letter 22: MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE TO MISS HOWE

Sunday morning, March 5

Hannah has just brought me, from the private place in the garden-wall, a letter from Mr Lovelace, deposited last night, signed also by Lord M.

He tells me in it, ‘That Mr Solmes makes it his boast that he is to be married in a few days to one of the shyest women in England; that my brother explains his meaning to be me, assuring everyone that his youngest sister is very soon to be Mr Solmes’s wife. He tells me of the patterns bespoke, which my mamma mentioned to me.’

Not one thing escapes him that is done or said in this house!

‘He knows not what my relations’ inducements can be, to prefer such a man as Solmes to him.

‘As to his estate or family, the first cannot be excepted against; and for the second, he will not disgrace himself by a comparison so odious. He appeals to Lord M. for the regularity of his life and manners, ever since he has made his addresses to me, or had hope of my favour.’

I suppose he would have his Lordship’s signing to this letter to be taken as a voucher for him.

‘He desires my leave, in company with my Lord, in a pacific manner to attend my father or uncles, in order to make proposals that must be accepted, if they will but see him and hear what they are; and tells me that he will submit to any measures that I shall prescribe, in order to bring about a reconciliation.’

He presumes to be very earnest with me ‘to give him a private meeting some night in my father’s garden, attended by whom I please.’

Really, my dear, were you to see his letter, you would think I had given him great encouragement and were in direct treaty with him; or that he were sure that my friends would drive me into a foreign protection; for he has the boldness to offer, in my Lord’s name, an asylum to me should I be tyrannically treated in Solmes’s behalf.

I suppose it is the way of this sex to endeavour to entangle the thoughtless of ours by bold supposals and offers, in hopes that we shall be too complaisant or bashful to quarrel with them; and, if not checked, to reckon upon our silence as assents voluntarily given, or concessions made in their favour.

There are other particulars in this letter which I ought to mention to you; but I will take an opportunity to send you the letter itself, or a copy of it.

For my own part, I am very uneasy to think how I have been drawn on one hand, and driven on the other, into a clandestine, in short, into a mere lover-like correspondence, which my heart condemns.

It is easy to see that if I do not break it off, Mr Lovelace’s advantages by reason of my unhappy situation will every day increase, and I shall be more and more entangled; yet if I do put an end to it, without making it a condition of being freed from Mr Solmes’s address—May I, my dear—is it best to continue it a little longer, in hopes, by giving him up, to extricate myself out of the other difficulty? Whose advice can I now ask but yours?

All my relations are met. They are at breakfast together. Solmes is expected. I am excessively uneasy. I must lay down my pen.

Letter 23: MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE TO MISS HOWE

Mon. morning, Mar. 6

They are resolved to break my heart. My poor Hannah is discharged—disgracefully discharged! Thus it was.

Half an hour after I had sent the poor girl down for my breakfast, that bold creature Betty Barnes, my sister’s confidant and servant (if a favourite maid and confidant can be deemed a servant), came up.

What, miss, will you please to have for breakfast?

I was surprised. What will I have for breakfast, Betty! How! what!—how comes it! Then I named Hannah. I could not tell what to say.

Don’t be surprised, miss. But you’ll see Hannah no more in this house!

God forbid! Is any harm come to Hannah! What! What is the matter with Hannah?

Why, miss, the short and the long is this: your papa and mamma think Hannah has stayed long enough in the house to do mischief; and so she is ordered to troop (that was the confident creature’s word); and I am directed to wait upon you.

I burst into tears. I have no service for you, Betty Barnes, none at all. But where is Hannah? Cannot I speak with the poor girl. I owe her half a year’s wages. May I not see the honest creature and pay her her wages? I may never see her again perhaps, for they are resolved to break my heart.

And they think, you are resolved to break theirs: so tit for tat, miss.

Impertinent I called her; and asked her if it were upon such confident terms that her service was to commence.

I was so very earnest to see the poor maid that, to oblige me, as she said, she went down with my request.

The worthy creature was as earnest to see me; and the favour was granted in presence of Shorey and Betty.

I thanked her, when she came up, for her past service to me.

Her heart was ready to break. And she fell a-vindicating her fidelity and love, and disclaiming any mischief she had ever made.

I told her that those who occasioned her being turned out of my service made no question of her integrity: that it was an indignity levelled at me: that I was very sorry for it, and hoped she would meet with as good a service.

Never, never, wringing her hands, a mistress she loved so well. And the poor creature ran on in my praises, and in professions of love to me.

I gave her a little linen, some laces and other odd things; and, instead of four pounds which were due to her, ten guineas: and said, if ever I were again allowed to be my own mistress, I would think of her in the first place.

Hannah told me, before their faces, having no other opportunity, that she had been examined about letters to me, and from me: and that she had given her pockets to Miss Harlowe, who looked into them and put her fingers in her stays, to satisfy herself that she had not any.

She gave me an account of the number of my pheasants and bantams; and I said they should be my own care twice or thrice a day.

We wept over each other at parting. The girl prayed for all the family.

To have so good a servant so disgracefully dismissed is a cutting thing: and I could not help saying, that these methods might break my heart, but not any other way answer the end of the authors of my disgraces.

Thus have I been forced to part with my faithful Hannah. If you can commend the good creature to a place worthy of her, pray do, for my sake.

Letter 25: MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE TO MISS HOWE

Tues. March 7

By my last deposit, you’ll see how I am driven, and what a poor prisoner I am; no regard had to my reputation. The whole matter is now before you. Can such measures be supposed to soften? But surely they can only mean to try to frighten me into my brother’s views. All my hope is to be able to weather this point till my cousin Morden comes from Florence; and he is expected soon. Yet, if they are determined upon a short day, I doubt he will not be here time enough to save me.

They think they have done everything by turning away my poor Hannah: but as long as the liberty of the garden, and my poultry-visits are allowed me, they will be mistaken.

I asked Mrs Betty if she had any orders to watch or attend me? or, whether I were to ask her leave, whenever I should be disposed to walk in the garden, or to go to feed my bantams?

Lord bless her! what could I mean by such a question! Yet she owned that she had heard that I was not to walk in the garden when my papa, mamma, or uncles were there.

However, as it behoved me to be assured on this head, I went down directly, and stayed an hour, without question or impediment: and yet a good part of the time, I walked under, and in sight (as I may say) of my brother’s study window, where both he and my sister happened to be. And I am sure they saw me, by the loud mirth they affected by way of insult, as I suppose.

So this part of my restraint was doubtless a stretch of the authority given him. The enforcing of that may perhaps come next.