Love and Friendship

Laura, in continuation
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accompanied with a disagreeable Head-ake She
attributed it to a cold caught by her continued
faintings in the open air as the Dew was falling
the Evening before. This I feared was but too
probably the case; since how it could be
otherwise accounted for that I should have
escaped the same indisposition, but by supposing
that the bodily Exertions I had under in my
Blood as to make me proof against the chilling
Damps of Night, whereas Sophia lying totally
inactive on the ground must have been exposed
to all their severity. I was most seriously alarmed
by her illness which trifling as it may appear to
you, a certain instinctive sensibility whispered
me, would in the End be fatal to here.
Alas! my fears were but too fully justified; she
grew gradually worse,
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and I daily become more alarmed about her.
At length, she was obliged to confine herself
solely to the Bed allotted us by our worthy
Landlady. Her disorder turned to a galloping
Consumption and in a few days carried her
off. Amidst all my Lamentations for her (and
violent you may suppose they were) I yet
received some consolation in the reflection of
my having paid every attention to her, that
could be offered, in her illness. I had wept
over her every Day had bathed her sweet face
with my tears and had pressed her fair Hands
continually in mine. “My beloved Laura (said
she to me a few Hours before she died) take
warning from my unhappy End and avoid the
imprudent conduct which had occasioned it…
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Beware of fainting fits…. Though at the
time they may be agreeable yet believe me
they will in the end, if too often repeated and
at improper seasons, prove destructive to
your Constitution… My fate will teach you
this... I die a Martyr to my grief for the loss of
Augustus… One fatal swoon has cost me my
Life... Beware of swoon, Dear Laura… A
frenzy fit is not one-quarter so pernicious; it
is an exercise to the Body and if not too
violent, is I dare say conducive to Health in
its consequences. Run mad as often as you
chose; but don’t faint”
These were the last words she ever
addressed to me… It was her dying Advice to
her afflicted Laura, who has ever most
faithfully adhered to it. 
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After having attended my lamented friend
to her Early Grave, I immediately (tho’ late at
night) left the detested Village in which she
died, and near which had expired my
Husband and Augustus. I hadn’t walked
many yards from it before I was overtaken by
a stagecoach, in it to Edenborough, where I
hoped to find some kind some pitying Friend
who would receive and comfort me in my
afflictions. 
It was so dark when I entered the Coach
that I couldn't distinguish the number of my
Fellow-travellers; I could only perceive that
they were many. Regardless however of
anything concerning them, I gave myself up
to my own sad Reflections.
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A general silence prevailed A silence, which
was by nothing interrupted but by the loud
and repeated snores of one of the Party.
“What an illiterate villain must that man be!
(Thought I to myself) What a total want of
delicate refinement must have, who can thus
shock our senses with such a brutal noise! He
must I’m certain be capable of every bad
action! There is no crime too black for such a
Character!” Thus reasoned I within myself,
and doubtless such were the reflections of my
fellow travelers.
At length, returning Day enabled me to
behold the unprincipled Scoundrel who had
so violently disturbed my feelings. It was Sir
Edward the father of my Deceased Husband.
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By his side sat Augusta, and on the same seat
with me were your Mother and Lady Dorothea.
Imagine my surprise at finding myself thus
seated amongst my old Acquaintance. Great as
was my astonishment, it was yet increased, when
on looking out of Windows, I beheld the
Husband of Philippa, with Philippa by his side,
on the Coachbox, and when on looking behind I
beheld, Philander and Gustavus in the Basket.
“Oh! Heavens, (exclaimed I) is it possible that I
should so unexpectedly be surrounded by my
nearest Relations and Connections?” These
words roused the rest of the Party, and every eye
was directed to the corner in which I sat. “Oh!
my Isabel (continued I throwing myself across
Lady Dorothea into her arms) receive once more
to your Bosom the unfortunate Laura.
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Alas! When we last parted in the Vale of Usk,
I was happy in being united to the best of
Edwards; I had then a Father and a Mother and
had never known misfortunes—But now
deprived of every friend but you—“ “What!
(interrupted Augusta) is my Brother dead then?
Tell us I entreat you what is become of him?” 
“Yes, cold and insensible Nymph, (replied I)
that luckless swain your Brother is no more, and
you may now glory in being the Heiress of Sir
Edward’s fortune.”
Although I had always despised her from the
Day I had overheard her conversation with my
Edward, yet in civility I complied with hers and
Sir Edward’s entreaties that I would inform 
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them of the whole melancholy affair. They were
greatly shocked—even the obdurate Heart of
Sir Edward and the insensible one of Augusta
were touched with sorrow, by the unhappy tale.
At the request of your Mother, I related to
them every other misfortune which had befallen
me since we parted. Of the imprisonment of
Augustus and the absence of Edward—of our
arrival in Scotland—of our unexpected Meeting
with our Grand-father and our cousins—of our
visit to Macdonald-Hall—of the singular
service we there performed towards Janetta—of
her father's ingratitude for it.. of his inhuman
Behavior, unaccountable suspicions, and
barbarous treatment of us, in obliging us to
leave the House. 
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of our lamentations on the loss of Edward and
Augustus and finally of the melancholy Death
of my beloved Companion.
Pity and surprise were strongly depictured in
your Mother’s countenance, during the whole
of my narration, but I am sorry to say, that to
the eternal reproach of her sensibility, the latter
infinitely predominated. Nay, faultless as my
conduct had certainly been during the whole
course of my late misfortunes and adventures,
she pretended to find fault with my behavior in
many of the situations in which I had been
placed. As I was sensible myself, that I had
always behaved in a manner which reflected
Honour on my Feelings and Refinement,
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I paid little attention to what she said and
desired her to satisfy my Curiosity by informing
me how she came there, instead of wounding
my spotless reputation with unjustifiable
Reproaches. 
As soon as she had complied with my wishes
in this particular and had given me an accurate
detail of everything that had
befallen her since our separation (the particulars
of which if you are not already acquainted with,
your Mother will give you) I applied to Augusta
for the same information respecting herself, Sir
Edward, and Lady Dorothea.
She told me that having a considerable taste for
the Beauties of Nature, 
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her curiosity to behold the delightful scenes it
exhibited in that part of the World had been so
much raised by Gilpin’s Tour to the Highlands,
that she had prevailed on her Father to
undertake a Tour to Scotland and had
persuaded Lady Dorothea to accompany them.
That they had arrived at Edinburgh a few Days
before and from thence had made daily
Excursions in the Country around in the Stage
Coach they were then in, from one of which
Excursions they were at that time returning. My
next inquiries were concerning Philippa and her
husband, the latter of whom I learned having
spent all her fortune, had recourse for
subsistence to the talent in which, he had always
most excelled, namely, Driving, and that having
sold everything which belonged to them except
their Coach, 
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had converted it into a Stage and to be removed
from any of his former Acquaintance, had
driven it to Edinburgh from whence he went to
Sterling every other Day. That Philippa s
still retaining her affection for her ungrateful
Husband, had followed him to Scotland and
generally accompanied him in his little
Excursions to Sterling. “It has only been to
throw a little money into their Pockets
(continued Augusta) that my Father has always
traveled in their Coach to view the beauties of
the Country since our arrival in Scotland --for it
would certainly have been much more agreeable
to us, to visit the Highlands in a Posthouse than
merely to travel from Edinburgh to Sterling and
from Sterling to Edinburgh every other Day in
a crowded and uncomfortable Stage.” I
perfectly agreed
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with her in her sentiments on the affair and
secretly blamed Sir Edward for thus sacrificing
his Daughter’s Pleasure for the sake of a
ridiculous old woman whose folly in marrying
so young a man ought to be punished. His
Behaviour, however, was entirely of a peice
with his general Character; for what could be
expected from a man who possessed not the
smallest atom of Sensibility, who scarcely knew
the meaning of sympathy, and who's
normed--.
Adieu,
Laura
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LETTER THE FIFTEENTH
When we arrived at the town where we were
to Breakfast, I was determined to speak with
Philander and Gustavus, and for that purpose
as soon as I left the Carriage, I went to the
Basket and tenderly enquired after their
Health, expressing my fears of the uneasiness
of their situation. At first, they seemed rather
confused at my appearance dreading no
doubt that I might call them to account for
the money which our Grandfather had left me
and which they had unjustly deprived me of,
but finding that I mentioned nothing of the
matter, they desired me to step into the
Basket as we might there converse with
greater ease.