London,July 4th,1822.
I have seen M----!Now,my dear H----,let me entreat and adjure you to take what I have to tell you,FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH--neither for less,nor more.In the first place,I have learned nothing decisive from him.
This,as you will at once see,is,as far as it goes,good.I am either to hear from him,or see him again in a day or two;but I thought you would like to know what passed inconclusive as it was--so I write without delay,and in great haste to save a post.I found him frank,and even friendly in his manner to me,and in his views respecting you.
I think that he is sincerely sorry for your situation;and he feels that the person who has placed you in that situation is not much less awkwardly situated herself;and he professes that he would willingly do what he can for the good of both.But he sees great difficulties attending the affair--which he frankly professes to consider as an altogether unfortunate one.With respect to the marriage,he seems to see the most formidable objections to it,on both sides;but yet he by no means decidedly says that it cannot,or that it ought not to take place.These,mind you,are his own feelings on the subject:but the most important point I learn from him is this,that he is not prepared to use his influence either way--that the rest of the family are of the same way of feeling;and that,in fact,the thing must and does entirely rest with herself.To learn this was,as you see,gaining a great point.--When I then endeavoured to ascertain whether he knew anything decisive as to what are her views on the subject,I found that he did not.He has an opinion on the subject,and he didn't scruple to tell me what it was;but he has no positive knowledge.In short,he believes,from what he learns from herself (and he had purposely seen her on the subject,in consequence of my application to him)that she is at present indisposed to the marriage;but he is not prepared to say positively that she will not consent to it.Now all this,coming from him in the most frank and unaffected manner,and without any appearance of cant,caution,or reserve,I take to be most important as it respects your views,whatever they may be;and certainly much more favourable to them (I confess it)than I was prepared to expect,supposing them to remain as they were.In fact as I said before,the affair rests entirely with herself.They are none of them disposed either to further the marriage,or throw any insurmountable obstacles in the way of it;and what is more important than all,they are evidently by no means CERTAIN that SHE may not,at some future period,consent to it;or they would,for her sake as well as their own,let you know as much flatly,and put an end to the affair at once.
Seeing in how frank and strait forward a manner he received what I had to say to him,and replied to it,I proceeded to ask him what were his views,and what were likely to be HERS (in case she did not consent)as to whether you should return to live in the house;--but I added,without waiting for his answer,that if she intended to persist in treating you as she had done for some time past,it would be worse than madness for you to think of returning.I added that,in case you did return,all you would expect from her would be that she would treat you with civility and kindness--that she would continue to evince that friendly feeling towards you,that she had done for a great length of time,&c.To this,he said,he could really give no decisive reply,but that he should be most happy if,by any intervention of his,he could conduce to your comfort;but he seemed to think that for you to return on any express understanding that she should behave to you in any particular manner,would be to place her in a most awkward situation.
