CHAPTER I
PROPOSALS, ACCEPTANCES, REFUSALS
=163. From a Gentleman to a Young Lady Friend of His about a Misunderstanding.=
D----, September 5, 19--.
My Dear Miss Reiley:--
Will you, please, pardon my addressing this note to you? I write not from a dislike of a personal interview, but because it is better to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment for either of us. I scarcely think it is due to over-sensitiveness on my part that you have seemed of late to repel me. Had I not previously been made gratefully happy by your frank cordiality toward me, I should unquestionably accept your present manner as indicative of your wishes in regard to me. But as it is, I don't understand you, and I am sure you don't understand me. If I have offended you in any way, it has been unknowingly, and it would be a privilege to be allowed to explain myself, or apologize if needed. With this in view, will you give me the pleasure of your company for a drive Saturday afternoon at four o'clock? If it is a matter of perfect indifference, I beg of you to make no excuses in consideration of my feelings in declining this invitation.
Your sincere friend, JAMES DUNCAN.
=164. Answer to the Above (Kindly).=
D----, September 7, 19--.
My Dear Mr. Duncan:--
I have not meant to be mysterious. If any inconsistency in my manner toward you has disturbed your mind, it is for me to ask your pardon. It has been quite unintentional. I will be much pleased to drive with you, as suggested, Saturday afternoon, when any further explanations that may be necessary can be exchanged.
Faithfully yours, MARGUERITE REILEY.
=165. Answer to No. 163 (Conciliatory).=
D----, September 7, 19--.
My Dear Mr. Duncan:--
It will give me pleasure to drive with you, as suggested, Saturday afternoon. You must not think it is a matter of indifference to me if I have treated you with injustice, and I want to do my part in coming to a satisfactory understanding. Perhaps an exchange of explanations will set everything right.
Yours sincerely, MARGUERITE REILEY.
=166. Answer to No. 163 (Chilly).=
D----, September 7, 19--.
My Dear Mr. Duncan:--
I think that my manner toward my friends and acquaintances usually represents me correctly. Truth to one's self will not always allow absolute uniformity in one's outward action. This, I trust, will sufficiently account for any change you may have noticed in my attitude toward you. I think a further exchange of explanations will not be profitable.
Yours truly, MARGUERITE REILEY.
=167. From a Gentleman to a Young Lady Asking the Privilege of a Correspondence.=
M----, July 7, 19--.
My Dear Miss Lyman:--
To-day, I send you by express a few little articles belonging to you which my sister Eva, after your somewhat hurried departure, found in her room and in the library. I hope they will reach you safely before you notice that they have been forgotten.
I thank you for inadvertently furnishing me, by your oversight, a plausible excuse for writing. I should esteem it a very great privilege if you would grant me permission to write again without an excuse for doing so, and I should be gratefully happy if I might receive a reply from you once in a while.
The house seems quite deserted since you left. We all miss you--and "all" contains a very emphatic capital "I." Shall send the pictures as soon as I have finished developing them. I believe Eva is writing you all the news.
Yours sincerely, PHILLIP HARRIS.
=168. Answer to the Above.=
S----, July 10, 19--.
My Dear Mr. Harris:--
Very many thanks for sending me the articles; they arrived safely this morning. Do you think it quite right to encourage my habits of carelessness by thanking me for my thoughtlessness?
I have just written a long letter to Eva, telling her all that has happened at home during my absence, and I will not repeat myself to you.
I shall wait patiently, but very expectantly for the pictures. When they come I will write you my comments upon them.
I should be much pleased to hear from you again as you suggest. Thanking you for all you did to make my visit in M---- a pleasant one, I remain,
Your sincere friend, ELEANOR LYMAN.
=169. From a Gentleman Asking Permission of a Lady to Address Her by Her Christian Name.=
M----, September 8, 19--.
My Dear Eleanor:--
You see I venture to call you by your given name. If in thus expressing myself toward you I take undue liberty, I beg you to reprove me, and I shall humbly return to the more formal address. I think of you so often that I seem to have known you a very long time.
Am working hard every day and until late in the evening, and I have not yet had time to read the book you speak of. I have drawn it, however, from the library, and I promise myself the pleasure of reading it Sunday afternoon.
I feel almost ready to apologize for the length of my last letter. It seemed as if I couldn't make you understand my friend Gunther's difficulties, without the dull details of the peculiar circumstances. I thank you for the consideration you gave the matter. He is trying your plan.
Am very glad your mother is better.
Your friend as ever, PHILLIP HARRIS.
=170. Answer to the Above.=
S----, September 15, 19--.
My Dear Mr. Harris:--
I like to be Eleanor to the good friends who help to make this world for me such a delightful place to live in, and you are one of them. Thank you for the old Indian chief's picture. What a fine face he has!
I am to take the children to a picnic at the river side this afternoon, and it is time to begin putting up their luncheon. So this must be one of my short letters.
Your sincere friend, ELEANOR.
=171. From a Gentleman Asking a Lady for an Interview.=
R----, April 14, 19--.
My Dear Miss Brown:--
Permit me to ask the favor of an interview, at as early a date as will be convenient to you, if you will be kind enough to grant me one. I have some things to say of very great importance to myself, and trust they will not be without interest to you. I should not care to write what is so much better said, and shall await your answer with considerable anxiety. With every sentiment of sincere esteem.
Believe me, my dear Miss Brown, Yours, very sincerely, ALFRED D. JONES.
=172. Answer to the Above.=
R----, April 15, 19--.
Dear Mr. Jones:--
Your kind note of the 14th is at hand. I shall be pleased to accede to the request you so courteously present. If Thursday will suit your convenience I shall be at home at five o'clock in the afternoon. Mamma joins me in best regards.
Yours sincerely, ADA BROWN.
=173. From a Gentleman to a Young Lady, Proposing Marriage.=
M----, November 8, 19--.
My Dear Eleanor:--
I was disappointed yesterday, but this evening your letter came--and what a welcome it received! I cannot tell you how much a part of my life your letters have become, how they have helped to lift me to a purer, clearer atmosphere, how they have made the common things of everyday seem noble and worth while. Should our friendship end here, I could not but be deeply grateful for what you have done for me--done unconsciously by simply being what you are--and all my life I should be a better man for having met you. At the very beginning of our acquaintance you won my heart by your gentle ways and your bright, sweet unselfishness and ready sympathy, and time has only deepened the feeling that was awakened in me by my first meeting with you. It has been hard, harder than you can ever know, my darling, to love as I have loved you and be silent so long. You are the most beautiful, the dearest girl in all the world, and I love you, love you with all my heart and strength and soul, and long to prove it by a life's devotion. Dearest, all that I have or am or ever hope to be is yours, yours now and forever, yours wholly and absolutely. Would I had more to offer you! It is little--only myself. Dear Eleanor, can it not be? May I not devote my life to making you happy and myself more worthy of you? If you are not sure of yourself, only give me a chance and I will make you love me. Let me plead my cause in person. I long to see your own sweet lips and eyes say yes to me.
Yours ever, PHILLIP HARRIS.
=174. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
S----, November 12, 19--.
Dear Phillip:--
Your letter came last evening. It hardly took me by surprise, but made me very happy. I cannot help being glad that you love me, Phillip, and have begun to do some hard thinking to find out what my feeling is toward you. You know it is a long time since we have seen each other. I want so much to see you again, and if you come, as you suggest, shall try not to disappoint you.
Yours sincerely, ELEANOR.
=175. Answer to No. 173 (Unfavorable).=
S----, November 12, 19--.
Dear Phillip:--
Your last letter was a complete surprise to me. I cannot but feel honored by the kind regard of one for whom I harbor no sentiment but respect and admiration, but am quite sure that our friendship, so pleasantly begun, can never ripen into any deeper relation.
I am very sorry to seem unappreciative. While thanking you for the honor you have paid me, I am so clear that my view of the matter is right, that I believe a fuller consideration on your part will convince you also of the same. I must ask your pardon for not having observed earlier the course of your thought toward me, but did not know that you regarded our friendship in so serious a light. Forgive me and believe me,
Your sincere friend, ELEANOR LYMAN.
=176. Marriage Proposal to a Lady to whom the Writer has never been Introduced.=
C----, May 15, 19--.
Dear Madam:--
I know only too well that I am taking a very unusual step in venturing to address you, but let me trust that under the circumstances you will be inclined to excuse it, as unfortunately there appears to be no other course open to me of making myself known. Your beauty has inspired me with a most sincere admiration, and the various occasions on which I have had the pleasure of seeing you have served but to deepen the impression at first created; thus the one hope that animates me in writing, is that you may be induced to return my affection and ultimately become my wife. My position and means would, probably, be found satisfactory to your friends, and I trust you will give me an early opportunity of pleading my suit in person, and of offering every possible explanation to your relatives respecting my prospects in life. In the meantime, I should tell you that I have lately become a junior partner in the well-known firm of Messrs. Andrews Bros. civil engineers and contractors, of this city, and am thoroughly able to maintain a wife in comfort, if not in luxury. Kindly accept my enclosed photograph. Dare I hope that it may silently speak for me?
Believe me, dear madam, with humblest apology for my boldness,
Yours most respectfully, SYLVESTER LANGDON.
Miss Ethel Dunlap.
=177. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
C----, May 16, 19--.
Dear Sir:--
Your letter received this morning surprised me greatly, coming from an entire stranger. I at once showed it to my aunt, with whom I am staying, and she considers it so straightforward, that she sees no objection to your calling on her, especially as she is slightly acquainted with some members of your family. My aunt will be at home about four o'clock, but you must not consider this permission to call as an encouragement of your hopes on my part. It is merely an opportunity afforded by my relative of our becoming acquainted.
Believe me, Very truly yours, ETHEL DUNLAP.
Sylvester Langdon, Esq.
=178. Answer to No. 176 (Unfavorable).=
C----, May 17, 19--.
Miss Ethel Dunlap was naturally very much surprised at the contents of Mr. Langdon's letter. She hastens to inform him that it is out of the question she should entertain his proposals. She need not trouble him with her reasons for this decision, beyond saying that they are quite conclusive, and she very much regrets, for Mr. Langdon's sake, that he should have allowed himself to think of her for a moment. She begs to return his photo, and to add that she trusts the impression she appears to have made upon him will prove but a very transitory one.
=179. Marriage Proposal to a Young Lady Unaware of the Writer's Intentions.=
B----, May 1, 19--.
My Dear Miss Starr:--
I have met you very frequently at your father's house and elsewhere, and your manner has ever been most kind and friendly towards me. Yet I dare not flatter myself that you are aware of the deep love I entertain for you, a love which now emboldens me to write and to confess how the hope of gaining your affection and of inducing you to become my wife, has been for the last few months uppermost in my mind. Should I be so fortunate as to win your regard, your happiness should be my one thought and care, and you should never regret having entrusted it to my keeping.
I shall await your answer with the greatest impatience. If there is any hope, hasten to put an end to my anxieties, and make me the happiest of men.
If, on the other hand, you require time for consideration, do not be afraid to ask for it. Now that you know how dearly I love you I can afford to leave my cause in your hands, and to wait any length of time you may consider necessary for your final decision.
Believe me, dear Miss Starr, Yours very faithfully, JOHN PEABODY.
=180. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
B----, May 3, 19--.
Dear Mr. Peabody:--
Hitherto I have looked upon you only as a friend, and I can hardly yet realize that you wish me to regard you in any other light. From what I already know, I have no doubt that you would make any girl very happy whom you loved, but, although I have a great liking and esteem for you, I cannot say that I return your affection as you deserve.
However, as I know how good and kind you are, and how highly both my father and mother think of you, let us hope that in time I may learn to love as much as I esteem. It is perhaps better not to say more at present. Please believe in my deep-felt gratitude for the offer of your life's devotion.
Very sincerely yours, LUCY STARR.
=181. Answer to No. 179 (Unfavorable).=
B----, May 3, 19--.
Dear Mr. Peabody:--
Your letter has occasioned me much pain, because I have but one answer to make to it. I wish for your sake it were otherwise, but you must only think of me as a friend.
Great as is the honor you have done me in asking me to become your wife, I must hold out no hope of such a possibility. Kindly accept this answer as final, and do not press me for a reason. I shall always value your friendship very highly, and trust that after a little time we may meet again as friends, and that you will forgive me for the disappointment of to-day, which I cause so unwillingly.
With best wishes for your happiness,
Believe me, Very sincerely, LUCY STARR.
=182. Marriage Proposal from a Gentleman to a Lady to whom he has paid Marked Attentions.=
T----, July 21, 19--.
My Dear Miss Jones:--
I earnestly hope not to be mistaken in thinking you are aware of the sentiments I entertain for you; I have made this very plain in the attentions I had the happiness of paying you; but lest any doubt should exist in your mind as to the strength of my attachment, let me tell you how very dear you are to me, and how each time I have seen you the feeling has deepened into more devoted love.
I feel sure that I am not indifferent to you, and that were it otherwise, you are too kindhearted to have misled me into believing this, and therefore do not hesitate to ask for your love. May I write to your father on this subject at once? You see, your consent is taken for granted. Still, my dearest, I shall look with some anxiety for the assurance that I have not misunderstood your feelings, and that you return my affection, so that before long I may have the happiness of claiming you as my wife. How cruel that our being away from each other obliges me to write what it would have been such a delight to speak out in unmistakable words.
Believe me ever yours, Devotedly, FRANK LISCOMBE.
=183. Answer to the Above.=
A----, July 23, 19--.
Dear Mr. Liscombe:--
Your letter has made me very happy. For some time, I have believed that you cared for me; how could I think otherwise, from the way in which you constantly devoted yourself to me? Still, I was very glad to receive the confession of your sincere attachment, and will not attempt to conceal how truly I return it, and how earnestly I shall endeavor to prove worthy of your devotion. I feel sure, that there is perfect sympathy between us, and that my happiness will be as safe in your hands as yours will be in mine.
My father has been told of your proposal, and wishes me to say, that he will be pleased to hear from you.
Believe me yours, Always affectionately, ISABELLA JONES.
=184. Marriage Proposal from a Gentleman of Small Means.=
C----, May 19, 19--.
Dear Miss Southgate:--
For several days I have been pondering in my mind whether it would be best to write or speak to you on the subject that is nearest to my heart, or whether it would be wiser for your sake to keep silence altogether; however, I have now decided to plead my cause as best I can.
Do you think you could be happy as the wife of a poor man? would you be content to wait until such time as my income would justify me in marrying? would the knowledge that my heart is all your own induce you to feel a corresponding affection for me? or am I asking too much? Would you be afraid to enter into a long engagement, an engagement of perhaps two years? Although I am not in a position to maintain a wife at the present time, my prospects are encouraging, as my uncle has promised to take me into partnership early next year, which will materially improve my position. In the meantime, the knowledge that I am working for you will brighten every hour of my life, while for your goodness in thus waiting and trusting, no after-devotion on my part can ever repay.
I hope your answer will not be long delayed, as my anxiety will be great, indeed.
Believe me, dear Miss Southgate,
Yours very faithfully, ARTHUR REDFIELD.
=185. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
O----, May 10, 19--.
Dear Mr. Redfield:--
It would not be truthful for me to say that I am surprised at the contents of your letter; on the contrary, I almost knew beforehand what you were anxious to say to me and what I was anxious to hear. You cannot suppose I should be afraid to be a poor man's wife; my love would be little worth having if it were so: no, I do not dread a long engagement, it will give us time to know each other better; my attachment to you is sufficiently strong to bear the strain. I am not afraid that your feelings will undergo a change towards me, or that mine will alter towards you. Indeed, should either of us cease to love the other it would only prove how wise we were to put our affection to the test by waiting.
My mother, I am sorry to say, entertains a prejudice against long engagements; she has no real objection to this particular one, however, as she has a personal liking for you, so I think she will not oppose the realization of our wishes, as she will know that my happiness is so deeply concerned, and together I hope we shall make her believe that she approves of our attachment and of our engagement.
I shall hope to see you to-morrow; dear Mr. Redfield,
Believe me, Yours lovingly, MABEL SOUTHGATE.
=186. Answer to No. 184 (Unfavorable).=
O----, May 10, 19--.
Dear Mr. Redfield:--
Believe me, I am deeply grieved at the answer I am obliged to give you; but I have no alternative than to write as I am now doing. My father will not for a moment hear of our engagement, and whatever my own feelings may be, you would not, I am sure, wish me to disobey him. He considers a long engagement would be most imprudent on our part; he says you may not be in the same mind two years hence, and that your prospects are too uncertain to render such a step advisable.
All this sounds cold and hard; but, coming from him, it must be said. I dare not hold out a hope that, if we are both free "two years hence," you might expect a very different answer, because this might appear in the light of a secret understanding; still, I do not think that I shall easily forget you, or stop thinking of you, or cease to take a warm interest in all that concerns you. Dear Mr. Redfield, good-bye, forgive me for the disappointment I am compelled to inflict, think of me kindly, and believe me,
Yours very sincerely, MABLE SOUTHGATE.
=187. Marriage Proposal from a Middle-aged Gentleman to a Young Lady.=
B----, January 15, 19--.
Dear Miss Sutter:--
Lately I have had the happiness of meeting you very frequently at the houses of mutual friends, and each occasion has served to strengthen the impression made upon me on first seeing you. I should consider myself the most fortunate of men if I could persuade you to accept me as your future husband. Though well aware of the disparity of age that exists between us, I trust that you will not regard it as a bar to my happiness. I am still, if I say so myself, in the prime of life, and the experience my years give me will better enable me to shield your youth, and be protector and considerate counselor, as well as the most devoted of husbands, if you will give me the right to be so.
Although not a rich man by any means, still I can offer you every possible comfort that easy circumstances permit. As to my position and surroundings, they are well known to you. I trust I have not been premature in disclosing my hopes, and that they may receive favorable consideration at your hands.
Pray believe me, dear Miss Sutter,
Very faithfully yours, CHARLES GRANT LEWIS.
=188. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
B----, January 17, 19--.
Dear Mr. Lewis:--
I deeply appreciate the honor you have done me in asking for my hand. Although I have always entertained a great esteem and regard for you, I had not, hitherto, thought of you as a lover; but perhaps, in time, may feel the affection which is due from a woman to the one who is to be her husband; only you must be content to wait a little, and not expect too much at first. Allow me to add that my heart is quite disengaged, and that you have no rival to contend with, merely the ideal hero who finds a place in the imagination of most girls. My sister thinks that I am very fortunate to have won your affections, and she hopes that you will soon give her an opportunity of telling you so. I shall remain here for the next three weeks, when mamma is coming up for a few days to take me back home. I have written to her of your letter, and shall doubtless receive an answer soon.
With my sister's kind regards and mine, believe me, dear Mr. Lewis,
Very sincerely yours, MARGARET SUTTER.
=189. Answer to No. 187 (Unfavorable).=
B----, January 17, 19--.
Dear Mr. Lewis:--
While sincerely grateful for the high compliment you pay me in asking me to be your wife, I cannot, to my regret, entertain your proposal. I like you very much indeed as a friend, but am quite sure I should not be happy with one so much older than myself. You would probably think me foolish if not frivolous, and I should very likely fear you more than love you. In a word, I should not be a suitable wife. Please do not think of me in that light, as it would not be for the happiness of either of us.
My sister thinks otherwise, and wished me to return a very different answer; but you are too good and kind for any one to marry you save from motives of affection.
With all good wishes, believe me,
Very sincerely yours, MARGARET SUTTER.
=190. Marriage Proposal from a Widower to a Widow.=
S----, July 18, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Lothrop:--
I have been pondering many things--reviewing the past, looking forward to the future, and trying to see the meaning, the purpose, running through the tangled web of life. We don't either of us believe that chance directs our course in this world. It was not, then, chance that brought us together at the anniversaries three years ago. Since that time we have had many opportunities of becoming acquainted; our children have grown to be fast friends; my boy's heart was won to you from the first word you ever spoke to him. Chance has not worked all this; nor is it chance, dear Mrs. Lothrop, that opened my eyes to find in you my ideal of perfect womanhood.
The brief happiness that has been mine is a memory sacredly cherished for its own sake, but the disappointments, the struggles, the sorrows of my life have served only to prepare me to appreciate the nobility, the sweetness and the truth of your nature, and my own need of you. Dear Mrs. Lothrop, I love you with the deep, unchanging love of matured manhood. I long to cherish you, to protect you and your little son from the rude blows of the world.
We cannot either of us forget the past. Those whom we have loved and who have loved us will not rejoice to see us sad and lonely for their sake. Surely we should not wish them, in that brighter world where they have gone, to be sad for us, and shut out other love and friendship.
Your boy will soon need a father, mine wants a mother now; we need each other, and I love you with all the strength of my being. Can you not learn to reciprocate my feelings, and if so may we not hope for God's blessing in joining our earthly fates?
Yours ever, HENRY WALDRON.
=191. Answer to the Above.=
C----, July 22, 19--.
My Dear Mr. Waldron:--
It is true, as you say, that our ways have been strangely brought together. I have even sometimes wondered what the end of it all might be, although I have not dared to cherish any definite thought on the subject. Through our acquaintance, I have learned gradually and unconsciously to trust you and depend upon your judgment in many little matters, and find pleasure and comfort in your society. Your letter has touched a responsive chord, and my heart urges me to yield to your desire. And yet, I know not. Let us see each other, let us talk the matter over together.
Yours sincerely, MARGARET LOTHROP.
=192. Marriage Proposal to a Wealthy Widow.=
H----, November 13, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Taylor:--
If I were to state that I have long admired you, that would be simply telling what you already know; but hitherto I have felt a reluctance to express my warm feelings of regard towards you, lest I should be accused of mercenary motives, owing to the difference that exists in our fortunes, you having wealth at your command, while I am in very moderate circumstances. Your manner of late has been so kind--dare I say, encouraging?--that it seems to me that I should be wronging your generous nature, if any false pride on my part were allowed to stand between me and my hopes. Dear Mrs. Taylor, will you accept the devotion of my life, and let it be my one aim to make you happy? If sincere affection can do this, it is yours to command.
I shall see you this evening, but let me have one line if possible before then. In the meantime,
I remain, Devotedly yours, ALBERT S. ORMSBY.
=193. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
H----, November 14, 19--.
Dear Mr. Ormsby:--
You are certainly not fair to yourself and to me when you write that I could for a moment believe you capable of unworthy motives or that you would feign a love not sincerely felt. I have too high an opinion of you and of your principles to be otherwise than flattered by your preference. After this frank confession of regard for me, I will not hesitate to say that I feel well inclined towards you, so well indeed, that I may bid you hope; you must not be too impatient, but give me time to be certain that in marrying you I should be consulting my own happiness as well as yours. Nothing more can be said at present. Believe me,
Yours very sincerely, FRANCES STONE TAYLOR.
=194. Answer to No. 192 (Unfavorable).=
H----, November 14, 19--.
Dear Mr. Ormsby:--
I have certainly no reason to suspect that your professions of affection for myself are dictated from mercenary motives, and while declining your proposal I render full justice to your high principles; but I have no other feeling for you than that of mere friendship, and if anything in my manner has led you to think otherwise, I can only express my sincere regrets, and assure you that it was quite unintentional on my part.
I remain, dear Mr. Ormsby, Truly yours, FRANCES STONE TAYLOR.
=195. Marriage Proposal from a Widower to a Young Lady.=
I----, September 12, 19--.
My Dear Miss Cummings:--
Will you allow me to ask you a very serious question which nearly concerns my happiness, trusting you will be able to grant me a favorable answer? From what I have seen of your amiable disposition and gentleness, I feel sure that you would make me a sweet and loving wife and companion. Will you consent to this, and be the mother of my darling children? They are so young that at present they have hardly realized their loss. They have already learned to love you, and it is in your power to fill up the void that now exists both in my heart and home.
It is now two years since I suffered a loss which was then thought irreparable, but since we became acquainted, I have felt that there was yet happiness in store for me, if you would accept my love, none the less sincere because I have loved before, and mourned so deeply. Do not hesitate to tell me frankly whether the interest I have awakened in your heart is a feeling of regard for myself or merely one of compassion for my lonely condition. One word as regards my circumstances. Have a fairly good income, but this is a matter for your father's consideration, and I can satisfy him on this point. Shall I call and receive your answer to-morrow from yourself, or will you write to me? Perhaps the latter would be best.
Believe me, dear Miss Cummings,
Yours very faithfully, ADRIAN SOMMERS.
=196. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
S----, September 13, 19--.
Dear Mr. Sommers:--
Yes, it is true that I feel deeply interested in you and in your sweet children. I have felt so sorry for you and for them. Do you really think I could be to you all you say and replace the one you have lost? I should not be afraid to undertake the responsibility of being a mother to your little pets, if certain that it would be for your happiness; mine I am sure would be secured by such a marriage, and I do not hesitate to say that I will be to you everything you wish. So far, I have not spoken to my father about the matter, and would rather leave it to you to do so; he regards you so highly that you may feel sure of a welcome.
Believe me, dear Mr. Sommers, Yours very sincerely, SELMA CUMMINGS.
=197. Answer to No. 195 (Unfavorable).=
S----, September 13, 19--.
Dear Mr. Sommers:--
It is a matter of much regret to me that the friendly interest I have taken in you and your dear little children should have led you to imagine that I entertained towards you a warmer feeling than that of friendship; perhaps it would be kinder to tell you at once that my affections are already engaged, although there is no immediate prospect of my marriage, and the engagement is at present only known to the members of my family. My heart being devoted to another, I felt at liberty to manifest an almost sisterly liking for you, in my endeavor to cheer you and lighten your sorrow. I am deeply grieved to have unintentionally misled you into thinking I cared for you in the way you wish.
Now that you know the reason why I cannot return your affection, you will not think I am to blame, and allow me to regard you as one of my greatest friends.
Pray believe me, dear Mr. Sommers, with kindest wishes for your happiness,
Yours very truly, SELMA CUMMINGS.
=198. Marriage Proposal to a Young Lady, from a Widower with Grown-up Daughters.=
S----, July 10, 19--.
Dear Miss Denslow:--
I truly believe you must have realized, for some time, how much pleasure I take in your society, how greatly I have been attracted by your many charms, and how deeply I admire all your amiable qualities. I am only one of the many who have already told you this, but still venture to hope that I am not altogether indifferent to you. Your friends will perhaps tell you that I am old enough to be your father, and that a man with grown-up daughters ought not to think of making so young a girl his wife, but in spite of my being well over forty, my sympathies and affections are as keen as if I were twenty years younger, and if you will accept me, it shall be the study of my life to make you happy. You would be a sister and companion to my girls, and to myself the most beloved of wives. Will not press you to give me an answer at once; take time to consider if you think it would be for your happiness to link your fate with mine. How grateful I should be if you decide in my favor! Believe me in the meantime,
Very faithfully yours, HENRY B. LOWELL.
=199. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
F----, July 13, 19--.
Dear Mr. Lowell:--
I have thought for some time over the contents of your kind letter, that I might be quite sure I was taking a wise decision. It is not the difference of age between us that has made me a little doubtful as to what would be my welcome in your family; but whether my coming amongst you in this position would not make things unpleasant for you as well as for myself. Your daughters are great friends of mine, it is true, but would they not feel aggrieved at my being the mistress of a house over which they have themselves had sole control? However, I am perhaps too sensitive in this matter, and it should be wrong to sacrifice your happiness and my own to an idea which perhaps is unfounded. Enough has been said for you to understand the feelings with which I regard you, and if, after reading this letter, you still think I could make you happy, I will offer no further objections to your wishes.
Believe me, dear Mr. Lowell,
Very truly yours, IRMA DENSLOW.
=200. Answer to the Above (Unfavorable).=
F----, July 12, 19--.
Dear Mr. Lowell:--
Much as I like and esteem you, I nevertheless shrink from the responsibility of the position you offer me. Such a step would be neither for your happiness nor for mine. Your daughters would very naturally regard me as an intruder, and would feel very pained at your marrying a girl as young as themselves. I am quite serious in what I say, and am not at all likely to think differently; let us therefore hope that you will soon view my decision in the same light, that is to say, as the only fitting one under the circumstances.
With all good wishes, Yours very truly, IRMA DENSLOW.
=201. Marriage Proposal to an Heiress.=
M----, September 10, 19--.
Dear Miss Simpson:--
Ever since I have had the happiness of visiting you, on a friendly basis, the one wish of my heart has been to become worthy of you, and to succeed in winning your affections. I know that you have many admirers, but none, believe me, more devoted than myself. Of course, I have the disadvantage in the eyes of your friends of being poor and they may endeavor to make you believe that it is the heiress I love; but do not think so badly of me, dear Miss Simpson, as to entertain so cruel a suspicion of one who, if you were penniless, would be proud to prove his devotion to you. It is idle to distress you and myself with such doubts; let me rather assure you of my unchanging love, and of my confidence that, with youth and hope in my favor, I have a bright career opening before me. For the fulfillment of my wishes, I should be content to wait any time that you and your friends might consider expedient, provided you gave me the assurance that you returned my affection, and would lighten my probation by your sympathy and encouragement.
I have but inadequately expressed what was uppermost in my heart, but you will, I am sure, give me credit for all that was left unsaid.
With sincere regards, Believe me, Yours very truly, HAROLD CANE.
=202. Answer to the Above (Favorable).=
H----, September 11, 19--.
Dear Mr. Cane:--
Your letter, so tender and straightforward, made me both happy and unhappy; happy in knowing that you love me, and unhappy at the opposition which I fear awaits us both at the hands of my uncle and guardian. It will be very difficult to make him believe in your disinterested affection, and even more so to gain his consent to our engagement; from the few words he said to me on the subject, I know he holds very strong opinions against my marrying any one who has not some means of his own. I need not tell you that his views are not mine in the least; I am only too glad to be rich for your sake, but we must both be brave, and trust in the future. You must not take umbrage at anything my uncle may say to you, and I will endeavor to make amends for any harshness on his part you may have to endure, by showing you how much I value your love.
With kindest wishes, but with rather a sinking heart,
Believe me, Yours affectionately, MARY SIMPSON.
=203. Answer to No. 201 (Unfavorable).=
H----, September 11, 19--.
Dear Mr. Cane:--
While I am much flattered by the favorable impression I seem to have made upon you, I have never thought of you as a possible husband, although as an agreeable partner at a ball I like you very much. To speak frankly, I am certain never to care for you save as an acquaintance. I am afraid, in spite of your disclaimer to the contrary, that were it not for the accident of my prospective wealth you would not have thought of proposing to me; but be this as it may, it would not influence the answer I have to give you, and it is kindest and best to tell at once, that there is no hope of my changing my feelings toward you.
Thanking you for the honor thus done me,
I remain, Yours truly, MARY SIMPSON.