Clarissa, Volume 1 | Page 6

for your silent benevolence; sufficiently happy in the noble
consciousness which attends it: Rather useful than glaring, your
deserved motto; though now, to your regret, pushed into blaze, as I may
say: and yet blamed at home for the faults of others--how must such a
virtue suffer on every hand!--yet it must be allowed, that your present
trial is but proportioned to your prudence.
As all your friends without doors are apprehensive that some other
unhappy event may result from so violent a contention, in which it
seems the families on both sides are now engaged, I must desire you to
enable me, on the authority of your own information, to do you
occasional justice.
My mother, and all of us, like the rest of the world, talk of nobody but
you on this occasion, and of the consequences which may follow from
the resentments of a man of Mr. Lovelace's spirit; who, as he gives out,
has been treated with high indignity by your uncles. My mother will
have it, that you cannot now, with any decency, either see him, or
correspond with him. She is a good deal prepossessed by your uncle
Antony; who occasionally calls upon us, as you know; and, on this
rencounter, has represented to her the crime which it would be in a
sister to encourage a man who is to wade into her favour (this was his
expression) through the blood of her brother.
Write to me therefore, my dear, the whole of your story from the time
that Mr. Lovelace was first introduced into your family; and

particularly an account of all that passed between him and your sister;
about which there are different reports; some people scrupling not to
insinuate that the younger sister has stolen a lover from the elder: and
pray write in so full a manner as may satisfy those who know not so
much of your affairs as I do. If anything unhappy should fall out from
the violence of such spirits as you have to deal with, your account of all
things previous to it will be your best justification.
You see what you draw upon yourself by excelling all your sex. Every
individual of it who knows you, or has heard of you, seems to think you
answerable to her for your conduct in points so very delicate and
concerning.
Every eye, in short, is upon you with the expectation of an example. I
wish to heaven you were at liberty to pursue your own methods: all
would then, I dare say, be easy, and honourably ended. But I dread your
directors and directresses; for your mother, admirably well qualified as
she is to lead, must submit to be led. Your sister and brother will
certainly put you out of your course.
But this is a point you will not permit me to expatiate upon: pardon me
therefore, and I have done.--Yet, why should I say, pardon me? when
your concerns are my concerns? when your honour is my honour?
when I love you, as never woman loved another? and when you have
allowed of that concern and of that love; and have for years, which in
persons so young may be called many, ranked in the first class of your
friends,
Your ever grateful and affectionate, ANNA HOWE?
Will you oblige me with a copy of the preamble to the clauses in your
grandfather's will in your favour; and allow me to send it to my aunt
Harman?--She is very desirous to see it. Yet your character has so
charmed her, that, though a stranger to you personally, she assents to
the preference given you in that will, before she knows the testator's
reasons for giving you that preference.

LETTER II
MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE, TO MISS HOWE
HARLOWE-PLACE, JAN. 13.
How you oppress me, my dearest friend, with your politeness! I cannot
doubt your sincerity; but you should take care, that you give me not

reason from your kind partiality to call in question your judgment. You
do not distinguish that I take many admirable hints from you, and have
the art to pass them upon you for my own: for in all you do, in all you
say, nay, in your very looks (so animated!) you give lessons to one who
loves you and observes you as I love you and observe you, without
knowing that you do--So pray, my dear, be more sparing of your praise
for the future, lest after this confession we should suspect that you
secretly intend to praise yourself, while you would be thought only to
commend another.
Our family has indeed been strangely discomposed.--Discomposed!--It
has been in tumults, ever since the unhappy transaction; and I have
borne all the blame; yet should have had too much concern from