Love and Friendship

Laura, in continuation
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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 Banknote 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?” 
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The unblushing Macdonald, without even
endeavoring to exculpate himself from the
crime he was charged with, meanly endeavored
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 wretched
was still unconvinced and continued to upbraid
the justly offended Sophia in such opprobrious
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. 
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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 endeavor 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 friendship for
thy daughter could have induced us to remain
so long beneath thy roof.” “Your friendship for
my daughter has indeed been most powerfully 
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exerted by throwing her into the arms of an
unprincipled Fortune hunter.” (Replied he)
“Yes, (exclaimed I) amidst every misfortune, it
will afford us some consolation to reflect that
by this one act of Friendship to Jannetta, we
have amply discharged every obligation that we
have received from her father.” “It must indeed
be a most grateful reflection, to your exalted
minds.” (Said he.) As soon as we had packed up
our wardrobe and valuables, we left Macdonald
Hall, and after having walked about a mile and
a half we sat down by the side of a clear limpid
stream to refresh our exhausted limbs. The
place was suited to meditation. A grove of full-
grown Elms sheltered us from the East. A Bed
of full-grown Nettles from the West. Before we
ran the murmuring brook and behind us ran
the turnpike road. We were in a mood for
contemplation and in a Disposition to enjoy so
beautiful a spot. 
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A mutual silence which had for some time
reigned broke by my exclaiming “What a lovely
scene! Alas, why are not Edward and Augustus
here to enjoy its Beauties with us?” 
“Ah! My beloved Laura (Cried Sophia) for
pity’s sake forbear recalling to my remembrance
the unhappy situation of my imprisoned
Husband. Alas, what would I not give to learn
the fate of my Augustus! To know if he is still in
Newgate. Or if he is yet hung. But never shall I
be able to so far to conquer my tender
sensibility as to enquire after him. Oh! Don’t I
beseech you ever let me again hear you repeat
his beloved name. It affects me too deeply. I
can’t bear to hear him mentioned it wounds my
feelings.” 
“Excuse me my Sophia for having thus
unwillingly 
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offended you” (Replied I) and then changing
the conversation, desisted her to admire the
noble Grandeur of the Elms which sheltered us
from the Eastern Zephyr. “Alas! My Laura
(returned she) avoid so melancholy a subject, I
entreat you. Don’t again wound my Sensibility
by observations on those elms. They remind me
of Augustus. He was like them, tall, majestic he
possessed that noble grandeur which you
admire in them.” 
I was silent, fearful lest I might any more
unwillingly distress her by fixing on any other
subject of conversation which might again
remind her of Augustus. 
“Why do you not speak my Laura? (Said her
after a short pause) I can’t support this silence
you must not leave me to my own reflections;
they ever recur to Augustus.”
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 “What a beautiful sky! (Said I) How charmingly
is the azure varied by those delicate streaks of
white!” 
“Oh! My Laura (replied she hastily withdrawing
her Eyes from a momentary glance at the sky)
don’t thus distress me by calling me Attention to
an object which so cruelly reminds me of my
Augustus’s blue satin waistcoat striped in white!
In pity to unhappy friend avoid a subject so
distressing.” What could I do? The feelings of
Sophia were at that time so exquisite, and the
tenderness she felt for Augustus so poignant that
I hadn’t power to start any other topic, justly
fearing that it might in some unforeseen manner
again awaken all her sensibility by directing her
thoughts to her Husband. Yet to be silent would
be cruel; she had insisted me to talk.
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From this Dilemma I was most fortunately
relieved by an accident truly apropos; it was the
lucky overturning of a Gentleman’s Phaeton, on
the road which ran murmuring behind us. It was
a most fortunate accident as it diverted the
attention of Sophia from the melancholy
reflections which she had been before indulging.
We instantly quit our seats and ran to the rescue
of those who but a few moments before had been
in so elevated a situation as a fashionably high
Phaeton, but who were now laid low and
sprawling in the Dust. “What an ample subject
for reflection on the uncertain Enjoyments of this
world, wouldn’t that Phaeton and the Life of
Cardinal Wolsey afford a thinking Mind!” Said I
to Sophia as we were hastening to the field of
Action.
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She hadn’t time to answer me, for every
thought was now engaged by the horrid spectacle
before us. Two Gentlemen most elegantly attired
but weltering in their blood was what first struck
our Eyes we approached they were Edward and
Augustus. Yes, dearest Marianne, they were our
Husbands. Sophia shrieked and fainted on the
ground I screamed and instantly ran mad. We
remained thus mutually deprived of our senses,
some minutes, and on regaining them were
deprived of them again. For a did we continue in
this unfortunate situation Sophia fainting every
moment and I running mad as often. At length, a
groan from the hapless Edward (who alone
retained any share of life) restored us to
ourselves. Had we indeed before imagined Hours
and a quarter that either of them lived, we should
have been more sparing of our Grief but as we
had supposed 
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when we first beheld them that they were no
more, we knew that nothing could remain to be
done but what we were about. No sooner did we,
therefore, hear my Edward’s groan than
postponing our lamentations for the present, we
hastily ran to the Dear youth and kneeling on
each side of him implored him not to die. “Laura
(Said He is fixing his now languid Eyes on me) I
fear I have been overturned.”
I was overjoyed to find him yet sensible. “Oh!
Tell me Edward (Said I) tell me I beseech you
before you die, what has befallen you since that
unhappy Day in which Augustus was arrested.”
“I will (Said he) and instantly fetching a deep
sigh, Expired. Sophia immediately sank again
into a swoon. My grief was more audible. My
Voice faltered,
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My Eyes assumed a vacant star, my face become
as pale as Death, and my senses were
considerably impaired.” 
“Talk not to me of Phaetons (Said I, raving in
a frantic, incoherent manner) Give me a violin.
I’ll play to him and soothe him in his melancholy
Hours Beware ye gentle Nymphs of Cupid’s
Thunderbolts, a void the piercing shafts of
Jupiter Look at the grove of Firs I see a leg of
Mutton They told me Edward wasn’t Dead, but
they deceived me they took him for a cucumber”
Thus I continued wildly exclaiming on my
Edward’s Death. For two Hours did I rave thus
madly and shouldn’t then have left off, as I was
not in the least fatigued, hadn’t Sophia who was
just recovered from her swoon, intreated me to
consider that Night was now approaching and
that the Damps began to fall. “And wither shall
we go 
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(Said I) to shelter us from either?” “To that white
Cottage.” (Replied she pointing to a neat
Building which rose up amidst the grove of Elms
and which I hadn’t before observed) I agreed and
we instantly walked to it we knocked at the door
it was opened by an old woman; on being
requested to afford us a Night’s Lodging, She
informed us that her house was but small, that
she had only two Bedrooms, but hat However
we should be welcome to one of them. We were
satisfied and followed the good woman into the
House where we were greatly cheered by the
sight of a comfortable fire. She was a window
and had only one Daughter, who was then just
seventeen One of the best of ages; but alas! she
was very plain, and her name was Bridget….
Nothing therefore could be expected from her
she could not be supposed to possess either
exalted Ideas,
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Delicate Feelings or refined Sensibilities. She was
nothing more than a mere good-tempered, civil,
and obliging young woman; as such we could
scarcely dislike here, she was only an Object of
Contempt. 
Adieu,
Laura
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LETTER THE FOURTEENTH
Arm your self my amiable young Friend
with all the philosophy you are Mistress of;
summon up all the fortitude you possess, for
alas! in the perusal of the following Pages
your sensibility will be most severely tried.
Ah! What were the misfortunes I had before
experienced and which I have already related
to you, to the one I am now going to inform
you of. The death of my father and my
mother and my Husband though almost more
than my gentle Nature could support, were
trifles in comparison to the misfortune I’m
now proceeding to relate. The morning after
our arrival at the Cottage, Sophia complained
of a violent pain in her delicate limbs,