ion; as her husband the colonel [mind that too]
was a Scot, as brave, as honest.

I never forget the minutiae in my contrivances. In all matters that
admit of doubt, the minutiae, closely attended to and provided for, are
of more service than a thousand oaths, vows, and protestations made to
supply the neglect of them, especially when jealousy has made its way in
the working mind.

Thou wouldst wonder if thou knewest one half of my providences. To give
thee but one--I have already been so good as to send up a list of books
to be procured for the lady's closet, mostly at second hand. And
thou knowest that the women there are all well read. But I will not
anticipate--Besides, it looks as if I were afraid of leaving any thing
to my old friend CHANCE; which has many a time been an excellent second
to me, and ought not be affronted or despised; especially by one who has
the art of making unpromising incidents turn out in his favour.

LETTER XL

MISS HOWE, TO MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19.

I have a piece of intelligence to give you, which concerns you much to
know.

Your brother having been assured that you are not married, has taken a
resolution to find you out, waylay you, and carry you off. A friend of
his, a captain of a ship, undertakes to get you on ship-board, and to
sail away with you, either to Hull or Leith, in the way to one of your
brother's houses.

They are very wicked: for in spite of your virtue they conclude you to
be ruined. But if they can be assured when they have you that you are
not, they will secure you till they can bring you out Mrs. Solmes. Mean
time, in order to give Mr. Lovelace full employment, they talk of a
prosecution which will be set up against him, for some crime they have
got a notion of, which they think, if it do not cost him his life, will
make him fly his country.

This is very early news. Miss Bell told it in confidence, and with
mighty triumph over Lovelace, to Miss Lloyd, who is at present her
favourite, though as much you admirer as ever. Miss Lloyd, being very
apprehensive of the mischief which might follow such an attempt, told
it to me, with leave to apprize you privately of it--and yet neither
she nor I would be sorry, perhaps, if Lovelace were to be fairly
hanged--that is to say, if you, my dear, had no objection to it. But
we cannot bear that such an admirable creature should be made the
tennis-ball of two violent spirits--much less that you shou