It is impossible, Lucy, but Sir Charles Grandison must carry every point he sets his heart upon.  When he shall appear before the family of Porretta in Italy, who will be able to withstand him?—­Is not his consequence doubled, more than doubled, since he was with them?  The man whose absence they requested, they now invite to come among them.  They have tried every experiment to restore their Clementina:  he has a noble estate now in possession.  The fame of his goodness is gone out to distant countries.  O my dear!  All opposition must fly before him.  And if it be the will of Heaven to restore Clementina, all her friends must concur in giving her to him upon the terms he has proposed; and from which, having himself proposed them, Sir Charles Grandison cannot recede.

His heart, it is evident, is at Bologna.  Well, and so it ought to be.  And yet I could not forbear being sensibly touched by the following words, which I overheard him say to Lord L——­, in answer to something my lord said to him: 

’I am impatient to be abroad.  Had I not waited for Mr. Lowther, the last letters I received from Italy should have been answered in person.’

But as honour, compassion, love, friendship (still nobler than love!) have demands upon him, let him obey the call.  He has set me high in his esteem.  Let me be worthy of his friendship.  Pangs I shall occasionally feel; but who that values one person above the rest of the world, does not?

Sir Charles, as we sat at tea, mentioned his cousin Grandison to Lord L——­:  It is strange, my lord, said he, that we hear nothing of our cousin Everard, since he was seen at White’s.  But whenever he emerges, Charlotte, if I am absent, receive him without reproaches:  yet I should be glad that he could have rejoiced with us.  Must I leave England, and not see him?

It has been, it seems, the way of this unhappy man, to shut himself up with some woman in private lodgings, for fear his cousin should find him out; and in two or three months, when he has been tired of his wicked companion, emerge, as Sir Charles called it, to notice, and then seek for his cousin’s favour and company, and live for as many more months in a state of contrition.  And Sir Charles, in his great charity, believes, that till some new temptation arises, he is in earnest in his penitence; and hopes, that in time he will see his errors.

Oh, Lucy!  What a poor creeping, mean wretch is a libertine, when one looks down upon him, and up to such a glorious creature as Sir Charles Grandison!

Sir Charles was led to talk of his engagement for to-morrow, on the triple marriage in the Danby family.  We all gave him joy of the happy success that had rewarded his beneficent spirit, with regard to that family.  He gave us the characters of the three couples greatly to their advantage, and praised the families on both sides, which were to be so closely united on the morrow; not forgetting to mention kindly honest Mr. Sylvester the attorney.