MISADVENTURES OF A LOVER. l65 



letters or not. It is certain, I thought, that though I had an infini- 

 tude of love epistles before me, I could not by possibility have one 

 in the whole lot better than C. D's. And if there be one or two 

 pretty similar in their contents, I may how seasonable I then deemed 

 the discovery ! I may find myself in the same predicament as the 

 ass between the two bundles of hay ; that is, remain undecided until 

 I have lost both or all three, as the case may be. My determination 

 therefore was, after a few moments' consideration, to read no more 

 letters. What then was to be done with the remaining huge archi- 

 pelago of epistles? Thrust them into the fire? I felt reluctant to 

 do that : their beautiful paper, lovely seals, admirable penmanship, 

 all rose up and eloquently pleaded for their preservation. But what L 

 is the use of preserving a congregation of unopened, unread letters ? 

 I concluded the thing to be very foolish, more especially as they 

 might fall at some other time into some unhallowed hands, and re- 

 veal matters both as regarded myself and others which ought to be 

 sacredly kept an everlasting secret. Into the grate, therefore, I 

 chucked the whole lot; and what a sublime and brilliant blaze they 

 made ! * There," said I to myself," there go two flames, the one phy- 

 sical, the other moral ; the one caused by paper, the other made of 

 lady-love." And I could have wept while I thus moralized. However 

 let that pass. 



In answer to Miss C. D. I wrote a most, affectionate and sentimen- 

 tal letter. It is too long, and withal of too tender and delicate a nature, 

 to be inserted here. It will suffice the reader to be informed that I as- 

 sured her that, of all the numerous candidates for the " blisa beyond 

 compare'' of matrimony who had made application to me in conse- 

 quence of my advertisement, there was none but herself who came 

 up to my conceptions of what a wife ought to be. I protested that 

 the beauty and inestimable worth of her mind were established in 

 her letter, beyond the power of mortal to controvert, and that I 

 doubted not the beauty of her person would correspond, but that, at 

 any rate, I was so deeply enamoured of her heart and of her intellect 

 that no personal defect, even did such exist, could b observed by 

 ine. " My angel, my very life," said I in conclusion, '* do not, I 

 beseech you, be so cruel as to deny me the ineffable happiness of an 

 early interview. Remember that delays are dangerous, that should 

 any untoward circumstance occur to prevent our marriage my best 

 days will from that moment be over. The grave-digger may be at 

 his occupation as soon after as he pleases." 



It is incredible how soon I received an answer. And how pro- 

 pitious ! Miss C. D. fully responded to all I had said touching the 

 peril of delays. She burned with an impatience to see me which 

 she declared must be greater than mine for an interview with her. 

 In short, she forthwith appointed a meeting: the place a house she 

 described in a lane of Holborn: the time that evening at five 

 o'clock precisely. 



What could be more satisfactory ! What more soul-exhilarating 

 than this! Had everything been under ir.y own agency it could not 

 have been more to my mind. Fool that I was! instead of blunder- 

 ing away, as I had done in all mv previous love-makings, why did 1 



M. M. No. 2. N 



