LETTER TWO of CLARISSA, volume 1
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Lampter, Wales
CLARISSA , or the History of a Young Lady
volume 1
by Samuel Richardson
LETTER II
MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE, TO MISS HOWE HARLOWE-PLACE, JAN. 13.
How you oppress me, my dearest friend, with your politeness!
I cannot doubt your sincerity; but you should take
care, that you give me not reason from your kind partiality to call in
question your judgment.
You do not distinguish that I take many admirable
hints from you, and have the art to pass them upon you for my own:
for in all you do, in all you say, nay, in your very looks (so animated!)
you give lessons to one who loves you and observes you as I love you
and observe you, without knowing that you do--So pray, my dear, be
more sparing of your praise for the future, lest after this confession
we should suspect that you secretly intend to praise yourself, while
you would be thought only to commend another.
Our family has indeed been strangely discomposed.--Discomposed!--It has
been in tumults, ever since the unhappy transaction; and I have borne
all the blame; yet should have had too much concern from myself, had I
been more justly spared by every one else.
For, whether it be owing to a faulty impatience, having been too
indulgently treated to be inured to blame, or to the regret I have to
hear those censured on my account, whom it is my duty to vindicate; I
have sometimes wished, that it had pleased God to have taken me in my
last fever, when I had every body's love and good opinion; but oftener
that I had never been distinguished by my grandfather as I was: since
that distinction has estranged from me my brother's and sister's
affections; at least, has raised a jealousy with regard to the
apprehended favour of my two uncles, that now-and-then overshadows their
love.
My brother being happily recovered of his fever, and his wound in a
hopeful way, although he has not yet ventured abroad, I will be as
particular as you desire in the little history you demand of me.
But heaven forbid that any thing should ever happen
which may require it to be produced for the purpose you mention!
I will begin, as you command, with Mr. Lovelace's address to my sister;
and be as brief as possible.
I will recite facts only; and leave you to judge of the truth of the report raised,
that the younger sister has robbed the elder.
It was in pursuance of a conference between Lord M. and my uncle Antony,
that Mr. Lovelace [my father and mother not forbidding] paid his respect
to my sister Arabella.
My brother was then in Scotland, busying himself in viewing the condition of the considerable
estate which was left him there by his generous godmother, together
with one as considerable in Yorkshire.
I was also absent at my Dairy-house, as it is called,* busied
in the accounts relating to the estate which my grandfather had
the goodness to devise to me; and which once a year was left to my
inspection, although I have given the whole into my father's power.
* Her grandfather, in order to invite her to him as often as
her other friends would spare her, indulged her in erecting
and fitting up a diary-house in her own taste.
When finished, it was so much admired for its elegant
simplicity and convenience, that the whole seat (before,
of old time, from its situation, called The Grove) was
generally known by the name of The Dairy-house.
Her grandfather in particular was fond of having it so called.
My sister made me a visit there the day after Mr. Lovelace had been
introduced; and seemed highly pleased with the gentleman.
His birth, his fortune in possession, a clear 2000L.
a year, as Lord M. had assured my uncle; presumptive heir to that nobleman's
large estate: his great expectations from Lady Sarah Sadleir and Lady
Betty Lawrence; who with his uncle interested themselves very warmly
(he being the last of his line) to see him married.
'So handsome a man!--O her beloved Clary!' (for then she was ready
to love me dearly, from the overflowings of her good humour on his
account!)
'He was but too handsome a man for her!--Were she but as
amiable as somebody, there would be a probability of holding his
affections!--For he was wild, she heard; very wild, very gay; loved
intrigue--but he was young; a man of sense: would see his error, could
she but have patience with his faults, if his faults were not cured by
marriage!'
Thus she ran on; and then wanted me 'to see the charming man,' as she
called him.--Again concerned, 'that she was not handsome enough for
him;' with, 'a sad thing, that the man should have the advantage of
the woman in that particular!'--But then, stepping to the glass, she
complimented herself, 'That she was very well: that there were many
women deemed passable who were inferior to herself: that she was always
thought comely; and comeliness, let her tell me, having not so much
to lose as beauty had, would hold, when that would evaporate or fly
off:--nay, for that matter,' [and again she turned to the glass] 'her
features were not irregular; her eyes not at all amiss.'
And I remember they were more than usually brilliant at that
time.--'Nothing, in short, to be found fault with, though nothing very
engaging she doubted--was there, Clary.'
Excuse me, my dear, I never was thus particular before; no, not to you.
Nor would I now have written thus freely of a sister, but that she makes
a merit to my brother of disowning that she ever liked him; as I shall
mention hereafter: and then you will always have me give you minute
descriptions, nor suffer me to pass by the air and manner in which
things are spoken that are to be taken notice of; rightly observing,
that air and manner often express more than the accompanying words.
I congratulated her upon her prospects.
She received my compliments with a great deal of self-complacency.
She liked the gentleman still more at his next visit; and yet he made no
particular address to her, although an opportunity was given him for
it.
This was wondered at, as my uncle has introduced him into our family
declaredly as a visitor to my sister.
But as we are ever ready to make excuses when in good humour with ourselves
for the perhaps not unwilful slights of those whose approbation we wish
to engage; so my sister found out a reason much to Mr. Lovelace's advantage
for his not improving the opportunity that was given him.--It was
bashfulness, truly, in him.
[Bashfulness in Mr. Lovelace, my dear!]--Indeed, gay and lively as he
is, he has not the look of an impudent man.
But, I fancy, it is many, many years ago since he was bashful.
Thus, however, could my sister make it out--'Upon her word, she believed
Mr. Lovelace deserved not the bad character he had as to women.--He was
really, to her thinking, a modest man.
He would have spoken out, she believed; but once or twice as he seemed to
intend to do so, he was under so agreeable a confusion!
Such a profound respect he seemed to shew her!
A perfect reverence, she thought: she loved dearly that a man
in courtship should shew a reverence to his mistress'--So indeed we all
do, I believe: and with reason; since, if I may judge from what I
have seen in many families, there is little enough of it shewn
afterwards.--And she told my aunt Hervey, that she would be a little
less upon the reserve next time he came: 'She was not one of those
flirts, not she, who would give pain to a person that deserved to be
well-treated; and the more pain for the greatness of his value for
her.'--I wish she had not somebody whom I love in her eye.
In his third visit, Bella governed herself by this kind and considerate
principle: so that, according to her own account of the matter, the man
might have spoken out.--But he was still bashful: he was not able to
overcome this unseasonable reverence.
So this visit went off as the former.
But now she began to be dissatisfied with him.
She compared his general character with this his particular behaviour
to her; and having never been courted before, owned herself puzzled
how to deal with so odd a lover.
'What did the man mean, she wondered?
Had not her uncle brought him declaredly as a suitor to her?--It could
not be bashfulness (now she thought of it) since he might have opened
his mind to her uncle, if he wanted courage to speak directly to her.--Not
that she cared much for the man neither: but it was right, surely,
that a woman should be put out of doubt early as to a man's intentions
in such a case as this, from his own mouth.--But, truly, she had begun
to think, that he was more solicitous to cultivate her mamma's good opinion,
than hers!--Every body, she owned, admired her mother's conversation;
but he was mistaken if he thought respect to her mother only would
do with her.
And then, for his own sake, surely he should put
it into her power to be complaisant to him, if he gave her reason
to approve of him.
This distant behaviour, she must take upon herself
to say, was the more extraordinary, as he continued his visits,
and declared himself extremely desirous to cultivate a friendship
with the whole family; and as he could have no doubt about her sense,
if she might take upon her to join her own with the general opinion; he
having taken great notice of, and admired many of her good things as they
fell from her lips.
Reserves were painful, she must needs say, to open
and free spirits, like hers: and yet she must tell my aunt,' (to whom all
this was directed) 'that she should never forget what she owed to her
sex, and to herself, were Mr. Lovelace as unexceptionable in his morals
as in his figure, and were he to urge his suit ever so warmly.'
I was not of her council.
I was still absent.
And it was agreed upon between my aunt Hervey and her, that she was
to be quite solemn and shy in his next visit, if there were not a peculiarity
in his address to her.
But my sister it seems had not considered the matter well.
This was not the way, as it proved, to be taken for matters
of mere omission, with a man of Mr. Lovelace's penetration.
Nor with any man; since if love has not taken root deep enough to cause it to
shoot out into declaration, if an opportunity be fairly given for it, there
is little room to expect, that the blighting winds of anger or resentment
will bring it forward.
Then my poor sister is not naturally good-humoured.
This is too well-known a truth for me to endeavor to conceal
it, especially from you.
She must therefore, I doubt, have appeared to great disadvantages
when she aimed to be worse tempered than ordinary.
How they managed it in their next conversation I know not.
One would be tempted to think by the issue, that Mr. Lovelace
was ungenerous enough to seek the occasion given,* and to improve
it.
Yet he thought fit to put the question too:--But, she says, it was
not till, by some means or other (she knew not how) he had wrought
her up to such a pitch of displeasure with him, that it was impossible
for her to recover herself at the instant.
Nevertheless he re-urged his question, as expecting
a definitive answer, without waiting for the return of her temper,
or endeavouring to mollify her; so that she was under a necessity of
persisting in her denial: yet gave him reason to think she did not
dislike his address, only the manner of it; his court being rather made
to her mother than to herself, as if he was sure of her consent at any
time.
* See Mr. Lovelace's Letter, No.
XXXI, in which he briefly accounts for his conduct in this affair.
A good encouraging denial, I must own: as was the rest of her plea; to
wit, 'A disinclination to change her state.
Exceedingly happy as she was: she never could be happier!'
And such-like consenting negatives, as I may call them, and yet not intend a reflection
upon my sister: for what can any young creature in the like circumstances
say, when she is not sure but a too-ready consent may subject
her to the slights of a sex that generally values a blessing either more
or less as it is obtained with difficulty or ease?
Miss Biddulph's answer to a copy of verse from
a gentleman, reproaching our sex as acting in disguise, is not a bad
one, although you may perhaps think it too acknowledging for the female
character.
Ungen'rous Sex!--To scorn us if we're kind; And yet upbraid us if we seem severe!
Do you, t' encourage us to tell our mind, Yourselves put off disguise, and be sincere.
You talk of coquetry!--Your own false hearts Compel our sex to act dissembling parts.
Here I am obliged to lay down my pen.
I will soon resume it.
End of LETTER 2
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