Letter III

Summary

My dear Miss,

One more Letter, and I have done for a great while; because I hope your Presence will put an End to the Occasion. I shall now tell you ofmy second Visit to the Dairy-house, where we went to Breakfast, in the Chariot and Four, because of the Distance, which is Ten pretty long Miles.

I transcrib’d for you, from Letters written formerly to my dear Parents, an Account of my former Dairy-house Visit, and what the People were, and whom I saw there; and altho’ I besought you to keep that Affair to yourself, as too touching a Point to the Reputation of my Mr. B. to be known but to you only, and even to destroy it, when you had perused it; yet, I make no doubt, you remember the Story, and so I need not repeat any Part of that Account.

When we arrived there, we found at the Door, expecting us, (for they heard the Chariot-wheels at a Distance) my pretty Miss Goodwin, accompanied by two other Misses, who had earned their Ride, and attended by the Governess's Daughter, a discreet young Gentlewoman. As soon as I stepp’d out, Miss ran into my Arms with great Eagerness, and I as tenderly embraced her, and leading her into the Parlour, asked her abundance of Questions about her Work, and her Lessons; and among the rest, If she had merited this Distinction of the Chaise and Dairy-house Breakfast, or if it were owing to her Uncle's Favour, and to that of her Governess? The young Gentlewoman assur’d me it was to both, and shew’d me Miss's Needleworks, and Penmanship, and the Child was highly pleased with my Commendations.

I took a good deal of Notice of the other two Misses, for their Schoolfellow's sake, and made each of them a Present of some little Toys; and my Miss, of a Number of pretty Trinkets, with which she was highly delighted, and I told her, that I would wait upon her Governess, when I came from London into the Country again, and see in what Order she kept her little Matters; for, above all things, I loved pretty housewifely Misses; and then, I would bring her more.