is not one person in this wide city who knows you, or who could
possibly feel much interest in hearing me talk of you. Consequently I
hold my tongue, and your name has never passed my lips since we
parted. But, dearest Jane, my thoughts of you are all the more
frequent and the more dear, on this account; and on this account, I
feel the more deeply, the privilege of opening my heart to the One
friend who loves you better than any mortal can, who cares for your
interests, more than any earthly friend can care, and who can provide
for them when I can do nothing but love you, and pray for you. I
continually determine that I will not be anxious about you; that we
will all trust and be cheerful; and I generally keep my resolution. I
hope you do the same. Whatever anxious thoughts you may have, must be
for yourselves: you may be quite easy about me. I am well, very busy,
and of course very cheerful; my comfort is attended to, and I have
nothing to complain of in any body near me. I enjoy many privileges,
and shall be able to make more for myself, when I become better
acquainted with my situation. In short, the present is very tolerably
comfortable, I have the prospect of increasing comforts, and may in
time do grand things for you, as well as for myself. You shake your
head as you read this, I dare say: but I do not see why, by industry,
I may not do as grand things as others have done before me; especially
as I am blessed with good friends at my setting out, which is an
immense advantage to begin with. To shew you that I am not dreaming
about any _luck_ happening to me, and that I only mean to depend on
skill and industry for my prosperity, if I ever am to be prosperous, I
will tell you how I spend my three hours in the evening--I am actually
hard at work at the French and Spanish grammar. Yes, at grammar!
though, I dare say, that is the last thing you would have thought of
my applying to. I want to rise, as fast as possible, from trust to
trust, in this house, and it can only be done by duly qualifying
myself: so I mean to learn first every thing requisite for the proper
discharge of the most responsible situation of all; and then, if I
have time left, I will learn other things, to which my wishes begin to
tend, for the sake of general cultivation and enlargement of mind;
which, I am convinced, is as great an advantage to the man of
business,