man, viz. Mr. Walker, who is undoubtedly a gentleman now, is as fond of you as ever, though confiderably altered in fome other refpects, particularly fince he was an officer of light infantry in a volunteer company; which, however, he was obliged to quit, because the largeness of the hinder and lower part of his perfon, though pretty well concealed by long clothes, appeared fo vaft in his fhort military jacket, that it excited the laughter of indifcreet fpectators, and difgufted him with the fervice. However, inftead of a white perriwig, with two regular rows of large curls, he now wears a little fmart dark scratch; and blue pantaloons instead of breeches, and halfboots instead of fhoes, when he is in full drefs. My friend alfo affures me, that, though this may in part proceed from fome remains of his military fpirit, yet, he is perfuaded, it is chiefly with a view to gratify you, as he is informed it is the prefent London mode of drefs, which he knows was always approved of by you: for, notwithstanding the harsh manner in which you rejected him formerly, he is determined to renew his fuit as soon as you return to York, in the hopes that this great addition to his fortune will render you more favourably difpofed than formerly. I judged it proper to acquaint you with this, that you might be prepared to act as your understanding may dictate; and, as Mr. Walker is on the whole a well-difpofed man, not above five or fix and forty years of age, and will now be able to live in a genteel manner, according to your taste, I hope that your will find his proposals agreeable;-which hope, I do affure you, my dear young lady, is more owing to the intereft I take in your happiness than his. At all events, I earnestly intreat that you will fend lord Deanport back every present he has ever made you, and fet out directly after to your afflicted aunt. As foon as you fhall have arrived there, let me know, and I will endeavour to wait on you at York; or, if I am prevented, send you a draught for the money. I I am, dear mifs Almond, Your conftant well wither and humble fervant, LETTER CII. From Mifs ALMOND to DANIEL PROCTOR, Eq. SIR, London. ALTHOUGH I have received a great many epiftolary letters from gentlemen during the short time I have hitherto been in this world, yet I cannot but observe, that I have the honour to acknowledge, that that which my footman has just delivered to me from you is the moft extraordinary, or, I may prefume to add, the most unprecedented, I ever faw in the whole course of my existence. You really seem to be what Mr. Townly calls rufticated; which, perhaps, may be imputed to your living continually in the country but that is no reason for your not writing with common politenefs, which, as I heard lady Varnish observe, is one of thofe things which render the intercourse between the fexes in fociety fo agreeable; and the want of which may make all your great loyalty to his majesty very much to be doubted; for, in a book upon polite conversation, by Mr. Simon Wagstaff, efq. which I was reading when the French frifeur was dreffing my hair, I find thefe lines, "Who in his talk can't speak a polite thing, I recommend the perufal of that book to you, Mr. Proctor, on purpofe to purify a little your style of language, particularly when you write to the fair fex; that you may never again mention a certain article of men's dress by a name which obliges a wo→ man of true politeness and fashion to blush; especially as you cannot but know that the very article I mean goes by the name of smallclothes as well as breeches. But, whether you take my counsel in this or not, allow me to tell you, fir, that you have no right to em. ploy a spy on my conduct, in a sphere of life of which neither you, nor your vulgar narrowminded correfpondents, are proper judges of, It is very true, fir, that I have a friendship for my lord Deanport, because of his noble birth, as well as his other accomplishments; and if he has the fame delicate fincere friendfhip for me, which he swears he has, and that it will be eternal, what right have you, or any one elfe, to find the leaft fault with it? You seem to have no notion of pure refined friendship between man and woman, Mr. Proctor, which makes you write as you do, of his robbing me of my precious jewel and virgin innocence, and fuch like vulgar stuff as never once entered my head and it is quite monftrous that it should enter yours, at an age when, by your own confeffion, in your indecent letter to me, you are unfit for marriage. You might have fpared yourself the trous ble of informing me that you did not intend to renew your odious propofals, as you might well imagine I should now reject them with more difdain than ever; but I must confefs that I admire your assurance in mentioning te |