n answer to your letter to your sister, that will
confirm you, I dare say.

You need not to have been afraid of asking me, Whether upon reading your
narrative, I thought any extenuation could lie for what you have done! I
have, as above, before I had your question, told you my mind as to that.
And I repeat, I think, your provocations and inducements considered,
that ever young creature was who took such a step.

But you took it not--You were driven on one side, and, possibly, tricked
on the other.--If any woman on earth shall be circumstanced as you were,
and shall hold out so long as you did, against her persecutors on one
hand, and her seducer on the other, I will forgive her for all the rest
of her conduct, be it what it will.

All your acquaintance, you may suppose, talk of nobody but you. Some
indeed bring your admirable character for a plea against you: but nobody
does, or can, acquit your father and uncles.

Every body seems apprized of your brother's and sister's motives. Your
flight is, no doubt, the very thing they aimed to drive you to, by the
various attacks they made upon you; unhoping (as they must do all the
time) the success of their schemes in Solmes's behalf. They knew, that
if once you were restored to favour, the suspended love of your father
and uncles, like a river breaking down a temporary obstruction, would
return with double force; and that then you would expose, and triumph
over all their arts.--And now, I hear they enjoy their successful
malice.

Your father is all rage and violence. He ought, I am sure, to turn his
rage inward. All your family accuse you of acting with deep art; and are
put upon supposing that you are actually every hour exulting over them,
with your man, in the success of it.

They all pretend now, that your trial of Wednesday was to be the last.

Advantage would indeed, my mother owns, have been taken of your
yielding, if you had yielded. But had you not been prevailed upon, they
would have given up their scheme, and taken your promise for renouncing
Lovelace--Believe them who will!

They own, however, that a minister was to be present--Mr. Solmes was
to be at hand--And your father was previously to try his authority over
you, in order to make you sign the settlements--All of it a romantic
contrivance of your wild-headed foolish brother, I make no doubt. It
is likely that he and Bell would have given way to your restoration to
favour, supposing it in their power to