to hope, as it was a part the inimitable Clive had been long in poffeffion of.

Whether the applaufe I had received, or the brilliancy of my drefs, or fome other caufe, occafioned it, I know not; but I was elevated by an uncommon flow of fpirits on the first night of its performance. Thus chearful, as I fat in the green room, who fhould enter it but Mr. Montgomery, fince Sir George Metham, whom I have already mentioned as an admirer of mine. The unex-. pected fight of that gentleman greatly furprifed me; and without confidering how prepofterous fuch a ftep might appear to the reft of the performers, I found myself involuntarily led by fome impulfe, to which I had till now been a ftranger, to get up to receive him as he approached me. Such a mark of diftinction could not pafs unnoticed by him, and he feemed to receive it with inexpreffible transport.

Nor did it pafs unobferved by Mrs. Woffington. The tender refpect he fhewed me feemed to hurt her pride. As to the other female performers prefent, they were all, except Mrs. Ward, perfons of more refpectable characters. They loved their husbands, minded their bufinefs, and found too much employment in their own families, to trouble themselves with the concerns of others.

Mr. Metham found means to inform me, during the fhort conversation we had toge

ther

ther (for as I was looked upon as a prude by the company, a longer one would have been imprudent) that his mother was dead, by which he was come into poffeffion of a good eftate, together with the name of Metham. As the attention of a perfon, whofe drefs, deportment, and appearance, proclaimed him a man of fafhion, feemed to excite the jealoufy of Mrs.Woffington, who expected to have the tribute of admiration from every one first paid to her, I put an end, as foon as poffible, to our tête-à-tête. But at the conclufion of the play, Mr. Metham accofted me again, and defired permiffion to wait on me the next morning. This I told him I could not grant; at the fame time frankly informing him, that my reason for fo doing fo, was because my mother would not confent to my admitting any male vifitor in the quality of a lover. He then begged to be allowed to write to me; which I did not refufe. Upon this we parted.

The entering into this correfpondence, obliged me to request O'Bryen, who had attended us to England, to pay a particular attention to taking in my letters, fo that they might not fall into my mother's hands. I have already informed you that this lady, notwithstanding her royal defcent, had not had the education fhe had confequently a right to expect. In truth, fhe could neither read nor write; which fometimes led her into

errors

errors, when thofe crooked things called letters, were the only guides fhe had to direct her. Thus it happened, that one day finding a letter in the parlour, fhe concluded it was one that I had dropped, and accordingly brought it to me.

Without examining whether it belonged to me or not, I put it hastily into my pocket. And it was not till I had occafion to fearch for another, wherein mention was made of a masquerade, that I difcovered it. Pulling it out with three others which I had received in the course of the day, I then perceived that it was an epiftle from my Hibernian admirer to my mother. At the fame time a dafh annexed to the word daughter exciting. my curiofity, I was tempted to break through the rule I had hitherto fo inviolably obferved. The line ran thus: "Dear Madam, I be"lieve your loved daughter cannot with"ftand the power of." As I could not understand the meaning of this fentence, and indeed was very indifferent about it, I threw the letter afide, without perufing the remainder of it.

The next evening I appeared in the character of Alicia. As foon as my part was concluded, Mr. Quin, with a pleasure fparkling in his fine eyes, that I had never feen them exprefs before off the ftage, bid me fop and kneel to the firft perfon I met in the fcene-room; a place I was obliged to

pafs

pafs as I went to undrefs. As I could not comprehend at firft what Mr. Quin meant, alternate hope and fear rendered me motionlefs for fome time. At length my heart prefaged who it was. When mustering all my courage, and judging from the pleafantnefs of my patron's countenance, that I had not much to fear, I entered the room. I need not, I fuppofe, inform you, that I found there Lord Tyrawley. As foon as I faw him I threw my felf at his feet, crying out at the fame time, with an emotion that is not to be expreffed, "My dear Lord, for"give me!"

His Lordship having raifed me, he embraced me with the utmoft tenderness; and if I could judge from his voice, was no lefs affected than myself. He then defired me to haften home, as Quin and he intended fupping at my apartments. His Lordship informed me, that he had received from Mr. Quin fuch an account of me, as had given him the higheft fatisfaction; and which corroborated what he had heard in Ireland, from a perfon, who, when alive, loved me as well as that gentleman did. Concluding from this, that my dear Mrs. O'Hara had paid the last debt of nature, I burft afresh into tears.-Though gratitude impelled me to beftow this tender tribute on her loved memory, yet I checked it as foon as poffible, and blamed myfelf for giving

way

way to fo improper, though customary a fenfation. As fhe was one of the beft of women, I could not doubt her happiness; and forrow, as that was the cafe, according to my ideas, is only felf-love. The living, who are left in this vale of tears, are rather to be wept for; the dead, where, from a well fpent life, they have the affurance of happienfs that my dear aunt had, are objects of envy, not of grief.

Mr. Quin allowed his Lordfhip and myfelf an hour for private converfation before he came. And as the next day happened to be a holiday, we were not obliged to feparate at an early hour. Indeed, Mr. Quin feldom kept early hours, unless he was obliged to do fo by indifpofition. My mother was not permitted to join us; and his Lordship gave me a fevere injunction never to requeft that he would fee either of the ladies of my family, as he was determined never to speak to or know them. He delivered me two rings; one of which, being a large pink diamond, was very valuable; the other a fancy ring; both of which had been left me by Mrs. O'Hara. I apprehend this was not the whole of my legacy; but as his Lordfhip took no notice of any thing elfe, I could not with propriety afk him.

I now thought myself the happiest of human beings. Reftored to the affections of

the