Love and Friendship, and Other Early Works | Page 6

been somewhat surprised my Dearest
Marianne, that in the Distress I then endured, destitute of any support,
and unprovided with any Habitation, I should never once have
remembered my Father and Mother or my paternal Cottage in the Vale
of Uske. To account for this seeming forgetfullness I must inform you
of a trifling circumstance concerning them which I have as yet never
mentioned. The death of my Parents a few weeks after my Departure, is
the circumstance I allude to. By their decease I became the lawfull

Inheritress of their House and Fortune. But alas! the House had never
been their own and their Fortune had only been an Annuity on their
own Lives. Such is the Depravity of the World! To your Mother I
should have returned with Pleasure, should have been happy to have
introduced to her, my charming Sophia and should with Chearfullness
have passed the remainder of my Life in their dear Society in the Vale
of Uske, had not one obstacle to the execution of so agreable a scheme,
intervened; which was the Marriage and Removal of your Mother to a
distant part of Ireland. Adeiu Laura.

LETTER 11th LAURA in continuation
"I have a Relation in Scotland (said Sophia to me as we left London)
who I am certain would not hesitate in receiving me." "Shall I order the
Boy to drive there?" said I--but instantly recollecting myself, exclaimed,
"Alas I fear it will be too long a Journey for the Horses." Unwilling
however to act only from my own inadequate Knowledge of the
Strength and Abilities of Horses, I consulted the Postilion, who was
entirely of my Opinion concerning the Affair. We therefore determined
to change Horses at the next Town and to travel Post the remainder of
the Journey --. When we arrived at the last Inn we were to stop at,
which was but a few miles from the House of Sophia's Relation,
unwilling to intrude our Society on him unexpected and unthought of,
we wrote a very elegant and well penned Note to him containing an
account of our Destitute and melancholy Situation, and of our intention
to spend some months with him in Scotland. As soon as we had
dispatched this Letter, we immediately prepared to follow it in person
and were stepping into the Carriage for that Purpose when our attention
was attracted by the Entrance of a coroneted Coach and 4 into the
Inn-yard. A Gentleman considerably advanced in years descended from
it. At his first Appearance my Sensibility was wonderfully affected and
e'er I had gazed at him a 2d time, an instinctive sympathy whispered to
my Heart, that he was my Grandfather. Convinced that I could not be
mistaken in my conjecture I instantly sprang from the Carriage I had
just entered, and following the Venerable Stranger into the Room he
had been shewn to, I threw myself on my knees before him and

besought him to acknowledge me as his Grand Child. He started, and
having attentively examined my features, raised me from the Ground
and throwing his Grand-fatherly arms around my Neck, exclaimed,
"Acknowledge thee! Yes dear resemblance of my Laurina and
Laurina's Daughter, sweet image of my Claudia and my Claudia's
Mother, I do acknowledge thee as the Daughter of the one and the
Grandaughter of the other." While he was thus tenderly embracing me,
Sophia astonished at my precipitate Departure, entered the Room in
search of me. No sooner had she caught the eye of the venerable Peer,
than he exclaimed with every mark of Astonishment --"Another
Grandaughter! Yes, yes, I see you are the Daughter of my Laurina's
eldest Girl; your resemblance to the beauteous Matilda sufficiently
proclaims it. "Oh!" replied Sophia, "when I first beheld you the instinct
of Nature whispered me that we were in some degree related--But
whether Grandfathers, or Grandmothers, I could not pretend to
determine." He folded her in his arms, and whilst they were tenderly
embracing, the Door of the Apartment opened and a most beautifull
young Man appeared. On perceiving him Lord St. Clair started and
retreating back a few paces, with uplifted Hands, said, "Another
Grand-child! What an unexpected Happiness is this! to discover in the
space of 3 minutes, as many of my Descendants! This I am certain is
Philander the son of my Laurina's 3d girl the amiable Bertha; there
wants now but the presence of Gustavus to compleat the Union of my
Laurina's Grand- Children."
"And here he is; (said a Gracefull Youth who that instant entered the
room) here is the Gustavus you desire to see. I am the son of Agatha
your Laurina's 4th and youngest Daughter," "I see you are indeed;
replied Lord St. Clair--But tell me (continued he looking fearfully
towards the Door) tell me,