i

ment, whilst the fnow and hail are driving against my little window, I find myself restored to you and to myself. The moment I entered, your figure presented itself before my eyes, and the remembrance of you filled my heart. Oh! my Charlotte, the facred remembrance! the tender recollections!

• Gracious

Heaven! reftore to me that first moment in which I beheld her!

Could you but fee me, my dear Charlotte, in that vortex where everything diffipates and nothing touches me! My fenfes are dried up; my heart is at no time full; I never fhed the foft tears of tenderness;

no

thing, nothing touches me. I ftand, as it were, before the rareefhow; I see the little puppets move, and I say to myself it is a deception of optics. I am amufed with these puppets, or rather I am myself one of them. I take the hand of the man who ftands next to me, I feel that it is made of wood, I fhudder and draw mine back. I have found but one being here that is of the fame order with you, a Mifs B. She resembles you, my dear Charlotte, if indeed it is poffible for any thing to resemble you. "Ah!" you will fay" he has learnt to make elegant compliments." And there is

fome truth in your obfervation. I have been prodigiously agreeable lately, not having it in my power to be any thing better. I have a great deal of wit too, and the women say that nobody understands better how to deal out panegyric-" and lies," you will add, for one always accompanies the other. But I meant to talk to you of Mifs B. She has great fenfibility, and a fuperior understanding; her fine blue

evident marks of both.

eyes fhew

Her rank

is a burthen to her, and gratifies no one paffion of her foul; fhe would gladly leave this crowd; and we often indulge our imagination in

talking,

talking, for hours together, of happinefs in retired and country scenes, and near you, my dear Charlotte;for fhe knows you, fhe does homage to you; but the homage is not exacted; he loves you; and takes great pleasure in hearing me talk of

you.

Oh! why am I not at your feet in your favourite little room, and the dear children playing round us! If their noise became troublesome to you, I would tell them a story, and they would crowd about me with filent attention. The fun is fetting;

his laft

rays shine on the fnow which

covers the face of the

country; the

ftorm is over, and I-must return to my dungeon. Adieu!-Is Albert with you, and what is he to you? Fool that I am! fhould I ask this question?

LETTER XLIII.

Ο

February 17.

UR minifter and I don't seem

as if we fhould continue much

longer together: his manner of treating a fubject, and of doing business, is fo abfurd, that I cannot help contradicting him very often, and doing things my own way; and then,

of