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"To be sure said I, I AM very Charitable every now and then. And what did Mr Musgrove say to this?"
"He replied that he was under a melancholy necessity of owning the truth of what I said, and that therefore if he should be the happy Creature destined to be the Husband of the Beautiful Henrietta he must bring himself to wait, however impatiently, for the fortunate day, when she might be freed from the power of worthless Relations and able to bestow herself on him."
What a noble Creature he is! Oh! Matilda what a fortunate one I am, who am to be his Wife! My Aunt is calling me to come and make the pies, so adeiu my dear freind, and beleive me yours etc-H. Halton.
Finis.
*
SCRAPS
To Miss FANNY CATHERINE AUSTEN
MY Dear Neice As I am prevented by the great distance between Rowling and Steventon from superintending your Education myself, the care of which will probably on that account devolve on your Father and Mother, I think it is my particular Duty to Prevent your feeling as much as possible the want of my personal instructions, by addressing to you on paper my Opinions and Admonitions on the conduct of Young Women, which you will find expressed in the following pages.-I am my dear Neice Your affectionate Aunt The Author.
My Dear Louisa Your friend Mr Millar called upon us yesterday in his way to Bath, whither he is going for his health; two of his daughters were with him, but the eldest and the three Boys are with their Mother in Sussex. Though you have often told me that Miss Millar was remarkably handsome, you never mentioned anything of her Sisters' beauty; yet they are certainly extremely pretty. I'll give you their description.-Julia is eighteen; with a countenance in which Modesty, Sense and Dignity are happily blended, she has a form which at once presents you with Grace, Elegance and Symmetry. Charlotte who is just sixteen is shorter than her Sister, and though her figure ca
Your affectionate
Arabella Smythe.
THE FIRST ACT OF A COMEDY
Popgun Maria
Charles Pistolletta
Postilion Hostess
Chorus of ploughboys Cook and and
Strephon Chloe
ENTER Hostess, Charles, Maria, and Cook.
Hostess to Maria) If the gentry in the Lion should want beds, shew them number 9.
Maria) Yes Mistress.- EXIT Maria Hostess to Cook) If their Honours in the Moon ask for the bill of fare, give it them.
Cook) I wull, I wull. EXIT Cook.
Hostess to Charles) If their Ladyships in the Sun ring their
Bell-answerit.
Charles) Yes Madam. EXEUNT Severally.
SCENE CHANGES TO THE MOON, and discovers Popgun and Pistoletta.
Pistoletta) Pray papa how far is it to London?
Popgun) My Girl, my Darling, my favourite of all my Children, who art the picture of thy poor Mother who died two months ago, with whom I am going to Town to marry to Strephon, and to whom I mean to bequeath my whole Estate, it wants seven Miles.
SCENE CHANGES TO THE SUN-ENTER Chloe and a chorus of ploughboys.
Chloe) Where am I? At Hounslow.-Where go I? To London-. What to do? To be married-. Unto whom? Unto Strephon. Who is he?
A Youth. Then I will sing a song.
SONG
I go to Town
And when I come down,
I shall be married to Streephon* [*Note the two e's] And that to me will be fun.
Chorus) Be fun, be fun, be fun,
And that to me will be fun.
ENTER Cook-Cook) Here is the bill of fare.
Chloe reads) 2 Ducks, a leg of beef, a stinking partridge, and a tart.-I will have the leg of beef and the partridge. EXIT Cook.
And now I will sing another song.
SONG-I am going to have my di
After which I shan't be thi
I wish I had here Strephon For he would carve the partridge if it should be a tough one.
Chorus)
Tough one, tough one, tough one
For he would carve the partridge if it
Should be a tough one.
EXIT Chloe and Chorus.-SCENE CHANGES TO THE INSIDE OF THE LION.
Enter Strephon and Postilion.
Streph:) You drove me from Staines to this place, from whence I mean to go to Town to marry Chloe. How much is your due?
Post:) Eighteen pence.
Streph:) Alas, my freind, I have but a bad guinea with which I mean to support myself in Town. But I will pawn to you an undirected Letter that I received from Chloe.
Post:) Sir, I accept your offer.