rward, very lively, and a great admirer of me, I assure you;--hanging
smirkingly upon all I said; and prepared to approve of every word before
I spoke: and who, by the time we had half-dined, (by the help of what she
had collected before,) was as much acquainted with our story as either of
the other two.

As it behoved me to prepare them in my favour against whatever might come
from Miss Howe, I improved upon the hint I had thrown out above-stairs
against that mischief-making lady. I represented her to be an arrogant
creature, revengeful, artful, enterprising, and one who, had she been a
man, would have sworn and cursed, and committed rapes, and played the
devil, as far as I knew: [I have no doubt of it, Jack!] but who, by
advantage of a female education, and pride and insolence, I believed was
personally virtuous.

Mrs. Bevis allowed, that there was a vast deal in education--and in
pride too, she said. While Miss Rawlins came with a prudish God forbid
that virtue should be owing to education only! However, I declared that
Miss Howe was a subtle contriver of mischief; one who had always been my
enemy: her motives I knew not: but despised the man whom her mother was
desirous she should have, one Hickman; although I did not directly aver
that she would rather have had me; yet they all immediately imagined that
that was the ground of her animosity to me, and of her envy to my
beloved: and it was pity, they said, that so fine a young lady did not
see through such a pretended friend.

And yet nobody [added I] has more reason than she to know by experience
the force of a hatred founded in envy; as I hinted to you above, Mrs.
Moore, and to you, Miss Rawlins, in the case of her sister Arabella.

I had compliments made to my person and talents on this occasion: which
gave me a singular opportunity of displaying my modesty, by disclaiming
the merit of them, with a No, indeed!--I should be very vain, Ladies, if
I thought so. While thus abusing myself, and exalting Miss Howe, I got
their opinion both for modesty and generosity; and had all the graces
which I disclaimed thrown in upon me besides.

In short, they even oppressed that modesty, which (to speak modestly of
myself) their praises created, by disbelieving all I said against myself.

And, truly, I must needs say, they have almost persuaded even me myself,
that Miss Howe is actually in love with me. I have often been willing to
hope this. And who knows but she may?