Part 7 (2/2)
”The next letter from the Duke is dated June 27th, 1836, in which he writes--'Miss J. complains of the change of the style of the Duke's letters; although she does not express a wish that the former style should be renewed.'
”I certainly had a great objection to the formality attending the Duke's letters when written in the third person, feeling restrained in replying to such in like manner.”
CHAPTER VI.
COMPARATIVE CALM.
The next letter is copied from the original:
LONDON, June 28, 1836.
The Duke of Wellington presents his Comp^s to Miss J. The Duke has this morning received her very kind Letter of yesterday for which he returns His thanks. The Duke begs leave again to a.s.sure Miss J. that whatever may be the form in which he writes to her; the motive in doing so is the same as ever; and that he is ever sensible of and grateful for her kindness.
The Duke will with the greatest pleasure go to see her whenever it may suit Miss J. to receive him.
The Duke did not say anything upon the Letter which Miss J. had written to the Gentleman in question because he was unwilling to obtrude His opinion upon a matter which Miss J. considers one of Duty; in which the Duke is so unfortunate as to differ in opinion with her.
Prudence and Discretion would appear to require that Miss J.
should not rebuke a Gentleman for words spoken not to Her; not even in Her Presence; but to Her Landlady in the relation of a Lodger in the House.
The Duke may be wrong. But he considers the exercise of Prudence and discretion virtues; not unbecoming to any Character however exalted.
The Diary continues:--
”Judging by the contents of the Duke's next letter dated June 29th, 1836, I presume I had felt from circ.u.mstances under the necessity of putting aside his proposed visit adverted to in his last, as follows 'The Duke will with the greatest pleasure go to see her whenever it may suit Miss J. to receive him'--for in this of the 29th he writes--'I cannot but concur in your decision to postpone to receive my visit. Nothing would distress me more than to give you any pain. I sincerely hope that your journey to the Country will reestablish your health and spirits.'
”I perceive by this that the Duke had again commenced addressing me in the first person.
”It would appear by the Duke's next, dated July 1st, 1836, that I had changed my intention concerning receiving him, as he wrote--'Since I wrote you this morning I have had a fall by which I have bruised my knee so that Leaches have been applied. I am not otherwise hurt but it is quite obvious that I shall not be able to wait upon you to-morrow. I hope to be able to do so however at the same hour on Monday.' That such was not the will of the Lord of lords I now perfectly recollect proving to the Duke that 'The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps,' a divine lesson which I was so anxious from time to time, as circ.u.mstances permitted, to impress on his mind.”
The Duke probably had a vivid realization of this truth just at this juncture, although possibly not in the sense intended by Miss J. She seems to have been devoid of any sense of humor, and saw nothing but the spiritual application of this one of her favorite quotations.
”In the Duke's next, of the 4th of July, he writes; 'I am much recovered from the accident under which I suffered on Friday--but I am afraid that I shall not be allowed to quit my House this day.
Indeed I am convinced that I could not do so without increasing the risk of being confined to my house for weeks or months. I lament this particularly as you are going out of Town early to morrow. I am very sensible of your Confidence in attending to my opinion in sending your letter to Mr. B.'
”This was a letter written by me to a Minister of the Gospel whose worldliness was justifiably condemned. It is still I believe in my possession among my papers, the Duke having received it for perusal and at my request returned with advice not to forward it.
”In the letter dated the 5th the Duke acknowledges a packet from me to which he adds 'I continue to improve and hope to go out tomorrow or next day.'
”I presume this was a very thick letter. In that of the 9th of July, the Duke writes; 'I am better and I am in hopes that on tomorrow I shall be able to put my foot to the ground.'
”The Duke's next letter is I see directed to me at Hastings, in which he writes on July 11th, 1836--'I am so much better that I am going to the House of Lords and I hope soon to be able to go about without inconvenience' to which the Duke again refers in his next thus; 'I continue to recover from the effects of the Accident and I hope to be able to go out in a day or two. I am happy to find that you are settled at Hastings to your satisfaction.'
”The next of the 13th of July refers to my letters being overweight--apparently, but judging by the letter of the 28th I must have been mistaken, as the Duke writes;
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