If he come to Paris, although I should be on my tour, he will very easily find out my lodgings.  For I every day see some one or other of my countrymen, and divers of them have I entertained here.  I go frequently to the opera and to the play, and appear at court, and at all public places.  And, on my quitting this city, will leave a direction whither my letters from England, or elsewhere, shall from time to time be forwarded.  Were I sure that his intention is what Joseph Leman tells me it is, I would stay here, or shorten his course to me, let him be where he would.

I cannot get off my regrets on account of this dear lady for the blood of me.  If the Colonel and I are to meet, as he has done me no injury, and loves the memory of his cousin, we shall engage with the same sentiments, as to the object of our dispute; and that, you know, is no very common case.

In short, I am as much convinced that I have done wrong, as he can be; and regret it as much.  But I will not bear to be threatened by any man in the world, however conscious I may be of having deserved blame.

Adieu, Belford!  Be sincere with me.  No palliation, as thou valuest

Thy
Lovelace.

LETTER LIX

Mr. Belford, to Robert Lovelace, Esq. 
London, Oct. 26.

I cannot think, my dear Lovelace, that Colonel Morden has either threatened you in those gross terms mentioned by the vile Joseph Leman, or intends to follow you.  They are the words of people of that fellow’s class, and not of a gentleman—­not of Colonel Morden, I am sure.  You’ll observe that Joseph pretends not to say that he heard him speak them.

I have been very solicitous to sound the Colonel, for your sake, and for his own, and for the sake of the injunctions of the excellent lady to me, as well as to him, on that subject.  He is (and you will not wonder that he should be) extremely affected; and owns that he has expressed himself in terms of resentment on the occasion.  Once he said to me, that had his beloved cousin’s case been that of a common seduction, her own credulity or weakness contributing to her fall, he could have forgiven you.  But, in so many words, he assured me, that he had not taken any resolutions; nor had he declared himself to the family in such a way as should bind him to resent:  on the contrary, he has owned, that his cousin’s injunctions have hitherto had the force upon him which I could wish they should have.

He went abroad in a week after you.  When he took his leave of me, he told me, that his design was to go to Florence; and that he would settle his affairs there; and then return to England, and here pass the remainder of his days.

I was indeed apprehensive that, if you and he were to meet, something unhappy might fall out; and as I knew that you proposed to take Italy, and very likely Florence, in your return to France, I was very solicitous to prevail upon you to take the court of Spain into your plan.  I am still so.  And if you are not to be prevailed upon to do that, let me entreat you to avoid Florence or Leghorn in your return, since you have visited both heretofore.  At least, let not the proposal of a meeting come from you.