LETTER XLIV.
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TO MRS. LUCY SUMNER.
Hartford.
I am extremely depre&longs;&longs;ed, my dear
Lucy! The agitating &longs;cenes, through which I
have lately pa&longs;&longs;ed, have broken my &longs;pirits, and
rendered me unfit for &longs;ociety.
Major Sanford has vi&longs;ited me, and taken his
leave. He is gone to the &longs;outhward on a tour
of two or three months. I declined any further
conver&longs;ation with him, on the &longs;ubjct of love.
At pre&longs;ent, I wi&longs;h not to hear it mentioned by
any one.
I have received a very friendly and consolatory
letter from Mrs. Richman. She invites
me to &longs;pend a few months with her; which
with my mamma's con&longs;ent I &longs;hall do. I hope
the change of &longs;ituation and company will
di&longs;&longs;ipate the gloom which hangs over my mind.
It is a common ob&longs;ervation, that we know
not the value of a ble&longs;&longs;ing but by deprivation.
This is &longs;trictly verified in my ca&longs;e. I was
in&longs;en&longs;ible of my regard for Mr. Boyer, till this
fatal &longs;eparation took place. His merit and
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worth now appear in the brighte&longs;t colors. I
am convinced of that excellence which I once
&longs;lighted; and the &longs;hade of departed happine&longs;s
haunts me perpetually! I am &longs;ometimes tempted
to write him, and confe&longs;s my faults; to tell
him the &longs;ituation of my mind, and to offer him
my hand. But he has precluded all hopes of
&longs;ucce&longs;s, by the &longs;everity of his letter to me. At
any rate, I &longs;hall do nothing of the kind, till my
return from New-Haven.
I am the more willing to leave home, as my
affairs are made a town talk. My mamma
per&longs;uades me to di&longs;regard it. But how can I ri&longs;e
&longs;uperior to “The world's dread laugh, which
&longs;carce the firm philo&longs;opher can &longs;corn?”
Pray remember me to Mr. Sumner. You
are happy, my friend, in the love and e&longs;teem of
a worthy man; but more happy &longs;till, in deferving
them. Adieu.
Eliza Wharton.
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Foster, Hannah (Webster), 1759-1840 [1797], The coquette, or, The history of Eliza Wharton: a novel, founded on fact (Samuel Etheridge, Boston) [word count] [eaf104].
