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Gratitude will not &longs;uffer me long
to remain &longs;ilent or inattentive, to a
letter, the contents of which, &longs;eem to breath
only the &longs;pirit of &longs;incerity; nor will I hesitate
to confe&longs;s, that the liberty my parents
have granted is perfectly con&longs;onant with the
feelings of my own heart. Every one who
is honoured with the acquaintance of Mr.
Rainsforth, mu&longs;t be &longs;en&longs;ible of his worth,
and to find one&longs;elf the object of the tenderest
e&longs;teem, to a truely worthy man, mu&longs;t certainly
awaken a degree of laudable pride, in
a bo&longs;om not devoid of &longs;en&longs;ibility. Accept
my &longs;incere&longs;t thanks for the many obliging
&longs;entiments you have expre&longs;&longs;ed in my favour,
and give me leave to mention a few circumstances
with which you may be unacquainted,

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but which, I think it highly proper, you
&longs;hould be informed of.

It is in general reported that I have four
thou&longs;and pounds for my fortune. This report
is fal&longs;e. I have only a fourth part of
the &longs;um. My godmother, Mrs. Mirvan,
made the will in my favour, but with the&longs;e
re&longs;trictions; that I &longs;hould never &longs;uffer my family
to feel the nece&longs;&longs;ities of life. At that
time, Mr. Rainsforth, there was no pro&longs;pect
of their ever being reduced from a &longs;tate of
competency, to a dependence on their child;
but &longs;uch is the fluctuating &longs;tate of human
affairs, that this is exactly now the ca&longs;e.
This &longs;tate of dependence is extremely painful
to me, and I am &longs;ure mu&longs;t be &longs;o to them. It
is, therefore, my fixed determination, when
I am of age, to &longs;ettle the moiety of my fortune
on my mother. I am under engagements
for my father at pre&longs;ent to the amount
of five hundred pounds, and the other five
hundred mu&longs;t be appropriated to the u&longs;e of
my brother, during his clerk&longs;hip, and to
help him forward a little when that is expired.

This di&longs;po&longs;ition of my little fortune, may
make a material difference in your plans of
life for the future, and I thought it but
right to inform you, that no intere&longs;t of my

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own, &longs;hall ever induce me to alter my resolution.
If you think me &longs;till worthy of your
attentions, I am your's. Do not &longs;mile at my
frankne&longs;s, I have not yet learnt to di&longs;gui&longs;e
the feelings of my heart. Do not he&longs;itate
to give a candid an&longs;wer. If the union is not
equally eligible with one, as it would have
been with four thou&longs;and pounds, &longs;eek not
to excu&longs;e your&longs;elf for withdrawing your
addre&longs;&longs;es, I will not even require an apology
for a conduct, to which I am certain, nothing
but the mo&longs;t powerful rea&longs;ons, could
have forced you.

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