TO MISS JULIA GRANBY.
Tuesday.
MY DEAR FRIEND,

By that endearing title you permit
me &longs;till to addre&longs;s you, and &longs;uch you have always
proved your&longs;elf, by a participation of
my di&longs;tre&longs;&longs;es, as well as by the con&longs;oling voice
of pity and forgivene&longs;s. What de&longs;tiny Providence
de&longs;igns for me, I know not; but I have
my forebodings that this is the la&longs;t time I
&longs;hall ever acco&longs;t you! Nor does this apprehension
ari&longs;e merely from a di&longs;turbed imagination.
I have rea&longs;on to think my&longs;elf in a confirmed
con&longs;umption, which commonly proves
fatal to per&longs;ons in my &longs;ituation. I have carefully
concealed every complaint of the kind from
my mamma, for fear of di&longs;tre&longs;&longs;ing her; yet I
have never been in&longs;en&longs;ible of their probable
i&longs;&longs;ue, and have bidden a &longs;incere welcome to
them, as the harbingers of my &longs;peedy relea&longs;e
from a life of guilt and woe!

I am going from you, Julia. This night
&longs;eparates us, perhaps, for ever! I have not

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resolution to encounter the tears of my friends;
and therefore &longs;eek &longs;helter among &longs;trangers;
where none knows, or is intere&longs;ted in my melancholy
&longs;tory. The place of my &longs;eclu&longs;ion
I &longs;tudiou&longs;ly conceal; yet I &longs;hall take mea&longs;ures
that you may be apprized of my fate.

Should it plea&longs;e God to &longs;pare and re&longs;tore
me to health, I &longs;hall return, and endeavor,
by a life of penitence and rectitude, to expiate
my pa&longs;t offences. But &longs;hould I be called from
this &longs;cene of action; and leave behind me a
helple&longs;s babe, the innocent &longs;ufferer of its
mother's &longs;hame, Oh, Julia, let your friend&longs;hip
for me extend to the little &longs;tranger! Intercede
with my mother to take it under her protection;
and transfer to it all her affection for me;
to train it up in the ways of piety and virtue,
that it may compen&longs;ate her for the afflictions
which I have occa&longs;ioned!

One thing more I have to reque&longs;t. Plead
for me with my two be&longs;t friends, Mrs. Richman
and Mrs. Sumner. I a&longs;k you not to paliate
my faults; that cannot be done; but to
obtain, if po&longs;&longs;ible, their forgivene&longs;s. I cannot
write all my full mind &longs;ugge&longs;ts on this &longs;ubject.
You know the purport; and can better express
it for me.

And now, my dear Julia, recommending
my&longs;elf again to your benevolence, to your
charity and (may I add?) to your affection;
and entreating that the fatal con&longs;equences of

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my folly, now fallen upon my devoted head,
may &longs;uffice for my puni&longs;hment; let me conjure
you to bury my crimes in the grave with
me, and to pre&longs;erve the remembrance of my
former virtues, which engaged your love and
confidence; more e&longs;pecially of that ardent esteem
for you, which will glow till the la&longs;t expiring
breath of your de&longs;pairing