Love and Friendship, and Other Early Works | Page 7

have I any other Grand-children in the
House." "None my Lord." "Then I will provide for you all without
farther delay--Here are 4 Banknotes of 50L each--Take them and
remember I have done the Duty of a Grandfather." He instantly left the
Room and immediately afterwards the House. Adeiu, Laura.

LETTER the 12th LAURA in continuation

You may imagine how greatly we were surprised by the sudden
departure of Lord St Clair. "Ignoble Grand-sire!" exclaimed Sophia.
"Unworthy Grandfather!" said I, and instantly fainted in each other's
arms. How long we remained in this situation I know not; but when we
recovered we found ourselves alone, without either Gustavus, Philander,
or the Banknotes. As we were deploring our unhappy fate, the Door of
the Apartment opened and "Macdonald" was announced. He was
Sophia's cousin. The haste with which he came to our releif so soon
after the receipt of our Note, spoke so greatly in his favour that I
hesitated not to pronounce him at first sight, a tender and simpathetic
Freind. Alas! he little deserved the name--for though he told us that he
was much concerned at our Misfortunes, yet by his own account it
appeared that the perusal of them, had neither drawn from him a single
sigh, nor induced him to bestow one curse on our vindictive stars--. He
told Sophia that his Daughter depended on her returning with him to
Macdonald-Hall, and that as his Cousin's freind he should be happy to
see me there also. To Macdonald-Hall, therefore we went, and were
received with great kindness by Janetta the Daughter of Macdonald,
and the Mistress of the Mansion. Janetta was then only fifteen;
naturally well disposed, endowed with a susceptible Heart, and a
simpathetic Disposition, she might, had these amiable qualities been
properly encouraged, have been an ornament to human Nature; but
unfortunately her Father possessed not a soul sufficiently exalted to
admire so promising a Disposition, and had endeavoured by every
means on his power to prevent it encreasing with her Years. He had
actually so far extinguished the natural noble Sensibility of her Heart,
as to prevail on her to accept an offer from a young Man of his
Recommendation. They were to be married in a few months, and
Graham, was in the House when we arrived. WE soon saw through his
character. He was just such a Man as one might have expected to be the
choice of Macdonald. They said he was Sensible, well-informed, and
Agreable; we did not pretend to Judge of such trifles, but as we were
convinced he had no soul, that he had never read the sorrows of Werter,
and that his Hair bore not the least resemblance to auburn, we were
certain that Janetta could feel no affection for him, or at least that she
ought to feel none. The very circumstance of his being her father's
choice too, was so much in his disfavour, that had he been deserving

her, in every other respect yet THAT of itself ought to have been a
sufficient reason in the Eyes of Janetta for rejecting him. These
considerations we were determined to represent to her in their proper
light and doubted not of meeting with the desired success from one
naturally so well disposed; whose errors in the affair had only arisen
from a want of proper confidence in her own opinion, and a suitable
contempt of her father's. We found her indeed all that our warmest
wishes could have hoped for; we had no difficulty to convince her that
it was impossible she could love Graham, or that it was her Duty to
disobey her Father; the only thing at which she rather seemed to
hesitate was our assertion that she must be attached to some other
Person. For some time, she persevered in declaring that she knew no
other young man for whom she had the the smallest Affection; but
upon explaining the impossibility of such a thing she said that she
beleived she DID LIKE Captain M'Kenrie better than any one she
knew besides. This confession satisfied us and after having enumerated
the good Qualities of M'Kenrie and assured her that she was violently
in love with him, we desired to know whether he had ever in any wise
declared his affection to her.
"So far from having ever declared it, I have no reason to imagine that
he has ever felt any for me." said Janetta. "That he certainly adores you
(replied Sophia) there can be no doubt--. The Attachment must be
reciprocal. Did he never gaze on you with admiration--tenderly press
your hand--drop an involantary tear-- and leave the room abruptly?"
"Never (replied she) that I remember--he has always left the room
indeed when his visit has been ended, but has never gone away