Love and Friendship, and Other Early Works | Page 8

particularly abruptly or without making a bow." Indeed my Love (said I)
you must be mistaken--for it is absolutely impossible that he should
ever have left you but with Confusion, Despair, and Precipitation.
Consider but for a moment Janetta, and you must be convinced how
absurd it is to suppose that he could ever make a Bow, or behave like
any other Person." Having settled this Point to our satisfaction, the next
we took into consideration was, to determine in what manner we should
inform M'Kenrie of the favourable Opinion Janetta entertained of
him. . . . We at length agreed to acquaint him with it by an anonymous
Letter which Sophia drew up in the following manner.

"Oh! happy Lover of the beautifull Janetta, oh! amiable Possessor of
HER Heart whose hand is destined to another, why do you thus delay a
confession of your attachment to the amiable Object of it? Oh! consider
that a few weeks will at once put an end to every flattering Hope that
you may now entertain, by uniting the unfortunate Victim of her
father's Cruelty to the execrable and detested Graham."
"Alas! why do you thus so cruelly connive at the projected Misery of
her and of yourself by delaying to communicate that scheme which had
doubtless long possessed your imagination? A secret Union will at once
secure the felicity of both."
The amiable M'Kenrie, whose modesty as he afterwards assured us had
been the only reason of his having so long concealed the violence of his
affection for Janetta, on receiving this Billet flew on the wings of Love
to Macdonald-Hall, and so powerfully pleaded his Attachment to her
who inspired it, that after a few more private interveiws, Sophia and I
experienced the satisfaction of seeing them depart for Gretna-Green,
which they chose for the celebration of their Nuptials, in preference to
any other place although it was at a considerable distance from
Macdonald-Hall. Adeiu Laura.

LETTER the 13th LAURA in continuation
They had been gone nearly a couple of Hours, before either Macdonald
or Graham had entertained any suspicion of the affair. And they might
not even then have suspected it, but for the following little Accident.
Sophia happening one day to open a private Drawer in Macdonald's
Library with one of her own keys, discovered that it was the Place
where he kept his Papers of consequence and amongst them some bank
notes of considerable amount. This discovery she imparted to me; and
having agreed together that it would be a proper treatment of so vile a
Wretch as Macdonald to deprive him of money, perhaps dishonestly
gained, it was determined that the next time we should either of us
happen to go that way, we would take one or more of the Bank notes
from the drawer. This well meant Plan we had often successfully put in

Execution; but alas! on the very day of Janetta's Escape, as Sophia was
majestically removing the 5th Bank-note from the Drawer to her own
purse, she was suddenly most impertinently interrupted in her
employment by the entrance of Macdonald himself, in a most abrupt
and precipitate Manner. Sophia (who though naturally all winning
sweetness could when occasions demanded it call forth the Dignity of
her sex) instantly put on a most forbidding look, and darting an angry
frown on the undaunted culprit, demanded in a haughty tone of voice
"Wherefore her retirement was thus insolently broken in on?" The
unblushing Macdonald, without even endeavouring to exculpate
himself from the crime he was charged with, meanly endeavoured to
reproach Sophia with ignobly defrauding him of his money . . . The
dignity of Sophia was wounded; "Wretch (exclaimed she, hastily
replacing the Bank-note in the Drawer) how darest thou to accuse me
of an Act, of which the bare idea makes me blush?" The base wretch
was still unconvinced and continued to upbraid the justly-offended
Sophia in such opprobious Language, that at length he so greatly
provoked the gentle sweetness of her Nature, as to induce her to
revenge herself on him by informing him of Janetta's Elopement, and of
the active Part we had both taken in the affair. At this period of their
Quarrel I entered the Library and was as you may imagine equally
offended as Sophia at the ill-grounded accusations of the malevolent
and contemptible Macdonald. "Base Miscreant! (cried I) how canst
thou thus undauntedly endeavour to sully the spotless reputation of
such bright Excellence? Why dost thou not suspect MY innocence as
soon?" "Be satisfied Madam (replied he) I DO suspect it, and therefore
must desire that you will both leave this House in less than half an
hour."
"We shall go willingly; (answered Sophia) our hearts have long
detested thee, and nothing but our freindship for