When all were withdrawn, I retired, and sent for my cousin James, and acquainted him with his sister’s request in relation to the discourse to be pronounced at her interment; telling him how necessary it was that the minister, whoever he were, should have the earliest notice given him that the case would admit.  He lamented the death of the reverend Dr. Lewen, who, as he said, was a great admirer of his sister, as she was of him, and would have been the fittest of all men for that office.  He spoke with great asperity of Mr. Brand, upon whose light inquiry after his sister’s character in town he was willing to lay some of the blame due to himself.  Mr. Melvill, Dr. Lewen’s assistant, must, he said, be the man; and he praised him for his abilities; his elocution, and unexceptionable manners; and promised to engage him early in the morning.

He called out his sister, and he was of his opinion.  So I let this upon them.

They both, with no little warmth, hinted their disapprobation of you, Sir, for their sister’s executor, on the score of your intimate friendship with the author of her ruin.

You must not resent any thing I shall communicate to you of what they say on this occasion:  depending that you will not, I shall write with the greater freedom.

I told them how much my dear cousin was obliged to your friendship and humanity:  the injunctions she had laid you under, and your own inclination to observe them.  I said, That you were a man of honour:  that you were desirous of consulting me, because you would not willingly give offence to any of them:  and that I was very fond of cultivating your favour and correspondence.

They said there was no need of an executor out of their family; and they hoped that you would relinquish so unnecessary a trust, as they called it.  My cousin James declared that he would write to you, as soon as the funeral was over, to desire that you would do so, upon proper assurances that all the will prescribed should be performed.

I said you were a man of resolution:  that I thought he would hardly succeed; for that you made a point of honour of it.

I then showed them their sister’s posthumous letter to you; in which she confesses her obligations to you, and regard for you, and for your future welfare.* You may believe, Sir, they were extremely affected with the perusal of it.

* See Letter xii. of this volume.

They were surprised that I had given up to you the produce of her grandfather’s estate since his death.  I told them plainly that they must thank themselves if any thing disagreeable to them occurred from their sister’s devise; deserted, and thrown into the hands of strangers, as she had been.

They said they would report all I had said to their father and mother; adding, that great as their trouble was, they found they had still more to come.  But if Mr. Belford were to be the executor of her will, contrary to their hopes, they besought me to take the trouble of transacting every thing with you; that a friend of the man to whom they owed all their calamity might not appear to them.