Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 1
Page 36
TREATED as I am, and, in a great measure, if not wholly, by yourinstigations, Brother, you must permit me to expostulate with you uponthe occasion. It is not my intention to displease you in what I am goingto write: and yet I must deal freely with you: the occasion calls forit.
And permit me, in the first place, to remind you, that I am your sister;and not your servant; and that, therefore, the bitter revilings andpassionate language brought me from you, upon an occasion in which youhave no reason to prescribe to me, are neither worthy of my character tobear, nor of yours to offer.
Put the case, that I were to marry the man you dislike: and that he werenot to make a polite or tender husband, Is that a reason for you to bean unpolite and disobliging brother?--Why must you, Sir, anticipate mymisfortunes, were such a case to happen?--Let me tell you plainly,that the man who could treat me as a wife, worse than you of late havetreated me as a sister, must be a barbarous man indeed.
Ask yourself, I pray you, Sir, if you would thus have treated yoursister Bella, had she thought fit to receive the addresses of the man somuch hated by you?--If not, let me caution you, my Brother, not to takeyour measures by what you think will be borne, but rather by what oughtto be offered.
How would you take it, if you had a brother, who, in a like case, wereto act by you, as you do by me?--You cannot but remember what a laconicanswer you gave even to my father, who recommended to you Miss NellyD'Oily--You did not like her, were your words: and that was thoughtsufficient.
You must needs think, that I cannot but know to whom to attribute mydisgraces, when I recollect my father's indulgence to me, permittingme to decline several offers; and to whom, that a common cause isendeavoured to be made, in favour of a man whose person and mannersare more exceptional than those of any of the gentlemen I have beenpermitted to refuse.
I offer not to compare the two men together: nor is there indeed theleast comparison to be made between them. All the difference tothe one's disadvantage, if I did, is but one point--of the greatestimportance, indeed--But to whom of most importance?--To myself, surely,were I to encourage his application: of the least to you. Nevertheless,if you do not, by your strange politics, unite that man and me as jointsufferers in one cause, you shall find me as much resolved to renouncehim, as I am to refuse the other. I have made an overture to thispurpose: I hope you will not give me reason to confirm my apprehensions,that it will be owing to you if it be not accepted.
It is a sad thing to have it to say, without being conscious of everhaving given you cause of offence, that I have in you a brother, but nota friend.
Perhaps you will not condescend to enter into the reasons of yourlate and present conduct with a foolish sister. But if politeness, ifcivility, be not due to that character, and to my sex, justice is.
Let me take the liberty further to observe, that the principal end ofa young man's education at the university, is, to learn him to reasonjustly, and to subdue the violence of his passions. I hope, Brother,that you will not give room for any body who knows us both, to conclude,that the toilette has taught the one more of the latter doctrine, thanthe university has taught the other. I am truly sorry to have causeto say, that I have heard it often remarked, that your uncontrouledpassions are not a credit to your liberal education.
I hope, Sir, that you will excuse the freedom I have taken with you: youhave given me too much reason for it, and you have taken much greaterwith me, without reason:--so, if you are offended, ought to look at thecause, and not at the effect:--then examining yourself, that cause willcease, and there will not be any where a more accomplished gentlemanthan my brother.
Sisterly affection, I do assure you, Sir, (unkindly as you have usedme,) and not the pertness which of late you have been so apt to imputeto me, is my motive in this hint. Let me invoke your returning kindness,my only brother! And give me cause, I beseech you, to call you mycompassionating friend. For I am, and ever will be,
Your affectionate sister, CLARISSA HARLOWE.
***
This is my brother's answer.
TO MISS CLARISSA HARLOWE
I KNOW there will be no end of your impertinent scribble, if I don'twrite to you. I write therefore: but, without entering into argumentwith such a conceited and pert preacher and questioner, it is, to forbidyou to plague me with your quaint nonsense. I know not what wit in awoman is good for, but to make her overvalue herself, and despise everyother person. Yours, Miss Pert, has set you above your duty, and abovebeing taught or prescribed to, either by parents, or any body else. Butgo on, Miss: your mortification will be the greater; that's all, child.It shall, I assure you, if I can make it so, so long as you prefer thatvillainous Lovelace, (who is justly hated by all your family) to everybody. We see by your letter now (what we too justly suspected before),most evidently we see, the hold he has got of your forward heart. Butthe stronger the hold, the greater must be the force (and you shall haveenough of that) to tear such a miscreant from it. In me, notwithstandingyour saucy lecturing, and your saucy reflections before, you are sure ofa friend, as well as of a brother, if it be not your own fault. But ifyou will still think of such a wretch as that Lovelace, never expecteither friend or brother in
JA. HARLOWE.
***
I will now give you a copy of my letter to my sister; with her answer.
IN what, my dear Sister, have I offended you, that instead ofendeavouring to soften my father's anger against me, (as I am sure Ishould have done for you, had my unhappy case been yours,) you should,in so hard-hearted a manner, join to aggravate not only his displeasure,but my mother's against me. Make but my case your own, my dear Bella;and suppose you were commanded to marry Mr. Lovelace, (to whom youare believed to have such an antipathy,) would you not think it a verygrievous injunction?--Yet cannot your dislike to Mr. Lovelace be greaterthan mine is to Mr. Solmes. Nor are love and hatred voluntary passions.
My brother may perhaps think it a proof of a manly spirit, to shewhimself an utter stranger to the gentle passions. We have both heard himboast, that he never loved with distinction: and, having predominatingpassions, and checked in his first attempt, perhaps he never will. Itis the less wonder, then, raw from the college, so lately himself thetutored, that he should set up for a tutor, a prescriber to ourgentler sex, whose tastes and manners are differently formed: for what,according to his account, are colleges, but classes of tyrants, fromthe upper students over the lower, and from them to the tutor?--That he,with such masculine passions should endeavour to controul and bear downan unhappy sister, in a case where his antipathy, and, give me leaveto say, his ambition [once you would have allowed the latter to be hisfault] can be gratified by so doing, may not be quite so much to bewondered at--but that a sister should give up the cause of a sister, andjoin with him to set her father and mother against her, in a case thatmight have been her own--indeed, my Bella, this is not pretty in you.
There was a time that Mr. Lovelace was thought reclaimable, and when itwas far from being deemed a censurable view to hope to bring back to thepaths of virtue and honour, a man of his sense and understanding. I amfar from wishing to make the experiment: but nevertheless will say, thatif I have not a regard for him, the disgraceful methods taken to compelme to receive the addresses of such a man as Mr. Solmes are enough toinduce it.
Do you, my Sister, for one moment, lay aside all prejudice, and comparethe two men in their births, their educations, their persons, theirunderstandings, their manners, their air, and their whole deportments;and in their fortunes too, taking in reversions; and then judge of both;yet, as I have frequently offered, I will live single with all my heart,if that will do.
I cannot thus live in displeasure and disgrace. I would, if I could,oblige all my friends. But will it be just, will it be honest, to marrya man I cannot endure? If I have not been used to oppose the will ofmy father, but have always delighted to oblige and obey, judge of thestrength of my antipathy, by the painful opposition I am obliged tomake, and cannot help it.
Pity then
, my dearest Bella, my sister, my friend, my companion, myadviser, as you used to be when I was happy, and plead for
Your ever-affectionate, CL. HARLOWE.
***
TO MISS CLARY HARLOWE
Let it be pretty or not pretty, in your wise opinion, I shall speak mymind, I will assure you, both of you and your conduct in relationto this detested Lovelace. You are a fond foolish girl with all yourwisdom. Your letter shews that enough in twenty places. And as to yourcant of living single, nobody will believe you. This is one of yourfetches to avoid complying with your duty, and the will of the mostindulgent parents in the world, as yours have been to you, I amsure--though now they see themselves finely requited for it.
We all, indeed, once thought your temper soft and amiable: but why wasit? You never were contradicted before: you had always your own way. Butno sooner do you meet with opposition in your wishes to throw yourselfaway upon a vile rake, but you shew what you are. You cannot love Mr.Solmes! that's the pretence; but Sister, Sister, let me tell you, thatis because Lovelace has got into your fond heart:--a wretch hated,justly hated, by us all; and who has dipped his hands in the blood ofyour brother: yet him you would make our relation, would you?
I have no patience with you, but for putting the case of my liking sucha vile wretch as him. As to the encouragement you pretend he receivedformerly from all our family, it was before we knew him to be so vile:and the proofs that had such force upon us, ought to have had some uponyou:--and would, had you not been a foolish forward girl; as on thisoccasion every body sees you are.
O how you run out in favour of the wretch!--His birth, hiseducation, his person, his understanding, his manners, his air, hisfortune--reversions too taken in to augment the surfeiting catalogue!What a fond string of lovesick praises is here! And yet you would livesingle--Yes, I warrant!--when so many imaginary perfections dance beforeyour dazzled eye!--But no more--I only desire, that you will not, whileyou seem to have such an opinion of your wit, think every one else afool; and that you can at pleasure, by your whining flourishes, make usall dance after your lead.
Write as often as you will, this shall be the last answer or notice youshall have upon this subject from
ARABELLA HARLOWE.
***
I had in readiness a letter for each of my uncles; and meeting in thegarden a servant of my uncle Harlowe, I gave him to deliver according totheir respective directions. If I am to form a judgment by the answers Ihave received from my brother and sister, as above, I must not, Idoubt, expect any good from those letters. But when I have tried everyexpedient, I shall have the less to blame myself for, if any thingunhappy should fall out. I will send you copies of both, when I shallsee what notice they will be thought worthy of, if of any.