and the Rose [1] is quite gone out of Bella’s Face.  Beennie has been prevented from Finishing a most Beautiful Pair of bottle Sliders for your Ladyship by a whitlow, but it is now Mending, and I hope will be done in Time to go with Babby’s Vase Carpet, which is extremely elegant, by Sir S. and Lady Maclaughlan.  This Place is in great Beauty at present, and the new Byre is completely finished.  My Sisters and I regret Excessively that Henry and you should have seen Glenfern to such disadvantage; but when next you favour us with a visit, I hope it will be in Summer, and the New Byre you will think a Prodigious Improvement.  Our dear Little Grand-niece is in great health, and much improved.  We reckon her Extremely like our Family, Particularly Becky; though she has a great Look of Bella, at the Same Time, Then she Laughs.  Excuse the Shortness of this Letter, my dear Niece, as I shall Write a much Longer one by Lady Maclaughlan.

[1] Erysipelas.

“Meantime, I remain, my

“Dear Lady Juliana, yours and

“Henry’s most affect. aunt,

“GRIZZEL DOUGLAS.”

In spite of her husband’s remonstrance Lady Juliana persisted in her resolution of attending her sister-in-law’s masked ball, from which she returned, worn out with amusement and surfeited with pleasure; protesting all the while she dawdled over her evening breakfast the following day that there was nobody in the world so much to be envied as Lady Lindore.  Such jewels! such dresses! such a house! such a husband! so easy and good-natured, and rich and generous!  She was sure Lindore did no care what his wife did.  She might give what parties she pleased, go where she liked, spend as much money as she chose, and he would never, trouble his head about the matter.  She was quite certain Lady Lindore had not a single thing to wish for:  ergo, she must be the happiest woman in the world!  All this was addressed to Henry, who had, however, attained the happy art of not hearing above one word out of a hundred that happened to fall from the angel lips of his adored Julia; and, having finished the newspapers, and made himself acquainted with all the blood-horses, thoroughbred fillies, and brood mares therein set forth, with a yawn and whistle sauntered away to G-----’s, to look at the last regulation epaulettes.

Not long after, as Lady Juliana was stepping into the carriage that was to whirl her to Bond Street she was met by her husband, who, with a solemnity of manner that would have startled anyone but his volatile lady, requested she would return with him into the house, as he wished to converse with her upon a subject of some importance.  He prevailed on her to return, upon condition that he would not detain her above five minutes.  When, shutting the drawing room doors, he said, with earnestness, “I think, Julia, you were talking of Lady Lindore this morning:  oblige me by repeating what you said, as I was reading the papers, and really did not attend much to what passed.”