In fine, I went, and had there wanted any thing to have entirely vanquished me, my conqueror’s manner of address had done it with a form less agreeable.—­O Louisa, pursued she with a sigh, if you have never seen or heard the charming Henricus, you can have no notion of what is excellent in man; such flowing wit;—­such softness in his voice and air;—­but there is no describing what he is.  He seemed all transport at meeting me there; among a number of ladies I alone engrossed him:  he scarce spoke to any other; and being so fortunate to win the raffle, which was a fine inlaid India cabinet, instead of sending it to his own house, he privately ordered his servant to leave it at mine, lord G——­n having, as he afterwards told me, informed him where I lived, and also all the particulars he wanted to know concerning me.

I was prodigiously surprized when I came home and found the Cabinet, which my woman imagined I had won by its being brought thither.  It was indeed a piece of gallantry I had no reason to expect from one so perfect a stranger to me; and this, joined with the many complaisant things he said to me at mrs.  C—­rt-f—­r’s, flattered my vanity enough to make me think he was no less charmed with me than I too plainly found I was with him.  I slept little that night, and pretty early the next morning received a billet from him to this effect: 

MADAM,

’I thought the cabinet we raffled for was more properly the furniture of a lady’s closet than mine, especially one who must daily receive a great number of such epistles as it was doubtless intended by the maker to contain:  happy should I think myself if any thing of mine might find room among those which, for their wit and elegance, may be more worthy of preferring, tho’ none can be for their sincerity more so than those which are dictated by the eternally devoted heart of

HENRICUS.’

You cannot imagine, my dear Louisa, how delighted I was with these few lines; I enclosed them indeed in the cabinet given me by the author of them, but laid up their meaning in my heart:—­I was quite alert the whole day, but infinitely more so, when in the evening my admired Henricus made me a visit introduced by lord H——­, who had been one of my late husband’s particular friends, and had ever kept a good correspondence with me.

Henricus took, not the least notice either of the cabinet or letter before him; and as I imagined he had his reasons for it, I too was silent on that head; he took the opportunity, however, while lord H——­ was speaking to a young lady who happened to be with me, to ask permission to wait on me with the hope of being received on his own score as he was now on that of his friend.  I told him that merit, such as his, was sufficient to recommend him any where; and, besides, I had an obligation to him which I ought to acknowledge.  This was all either of us had time to say; but it was enough to make me convinced he desired a more particular conversation, and him, that it would not be unwelcome to me.