J 79 2' letter from Isahella id Alhctt. 275 



Jetters could afford you the hundredth part of the 

 pleasure yours give to me, I fliould write to you 

 every day, and every hour that I could command. 

 But what have I to communicate, save the childilh 

 prattle of one who knows nothing ? You are 

 good, very good, to be pleased with them. How 

 flattering is it to me to be thus afsured that I hold 

 so near a place in ycur aiFcctions ! for well I know 

 it is that partiality alone which pleases. % 



You aik how I spend my time here. I conform 

 exactly to the rules of the family in every respect. 

 Our chief businefs is work ; but we read a little, 

 and play a little, and converse a great deal on what 

 we have read. One of us, for I already reckon my- 

 self one of the family, acts the housewife week 

 about. My turn, for the first time, is to be next 

 week; and I promise myself much pleasure in the 

 talk J — for, though I am a novice, yet the servants 

 here are all so obliging ; and Mrs Drury, and my 

 young companions are so cordially desirous of plea- 

 sing me, that I Ihall readily find advice whenever I 

 am at a lofs ; and the hope of rendering myself of 

 some importance will animate me. I ihall be anxi- 

 ous to do better than they expect, without fear of 

 being chid if I Ihould be a little wrong ; and I h^ve 

 often experienced that that kind of anxiety where 

 hope predominates, is the most pleasing of all sensa- 

 tions. 



Our parlour, through the whole day, looks very 

 like a school room ; Mrs D. is usually with us ; 

 and we are all as busy as can be, about one kind of 

 work or other. No tafk is afsigned to us ; but, in 



