of course he thinks them very ill done. He mentioned fomething of this kind lately in a letter to court, and I had a reprimand from the minifter there very gentle indeedbut still it was a reprimand; and I had refolved to refign, when I received a private letter, before which I humbled myself, and adored the wife, the noble, the exalted genius which dictated it-which endeavour, ed to foothe my painful fenfibilityexpreffed an approbation of my fchemes, and an opinion of their weight and influence;-condescending to enquire into bufinefs, as well as to examine the ideas of an impe tuous 'tuous young man. How I am exhorted, not to extinguish this fire, but to foften it, and keep it within due bounds, that it may be productive of good! So now I am no longer at variance with myfelf, but fettled, determined at least for a week to come. Content and peace of mind are valuable things, my dear friend; but if they are precious, they are alfo tranfitory. LETTER XLIV. February 20. OD bless you, my dear friends! GOD and may he grant to you that happiness which he denies to me! I thank I thank you, Albert, for having deceived me. I waited for the weddingday to be fixed, and on that day I intended with folemnity to have taken dear Charlotte's profile from the wall, and with fome other papers to have buried it. You are now united, and her picture still remains there. Well, let it remain! Why fhould it not? Does not Charlotte find room for me in her heart? Yes, you may allow me to occupy the fecond place there, and I will, I ought to keep it; I fhould become furious if she could forget Albert, that thought is hell.-May you be happy, Albert!~ Charlotte, angel of light, may you be the happiest of women! LETTER LETTER XLV. March 15. HAVE juft had an adventure which will drive me from hence: I lose all patience.-Death!-it is not to be remedied, and you only are the cause of all this ;-you that drove me on, and urged and tormented me; you that made me take an employment I am by no means fit for. I have great reason now to be fatisfied-fo have you! But that I may not again be told, that the impetuofity of my temper ruins every thing, I here fend you, Sir, a plain and fimple narration of the affair, as any mere chronicler of facts would relate it. The The Count of O likes me, dif tinguishes me; it is known that he does; I have mentioned it to you a hundred times. Yesterday I dined with him; it was the day on which all the nobility meet at his house. I never once dreamed of the affembly, nor that we fubalterns were excluded. In fhort I dined with the Count, and after dinner we went into the hall, and talked and walked backwards and forwards. Colonel B. who came in, joined in the converfation, and the time paffed away till the company came. God knows I was thinking of nothing! when 'entered the right noble and right honourable Lady of T-, accompa nied |