Your inimitable letter was a source of great comfort to me. Your eloquent and exalted theories are still less powerful in their influence over me than your bright example. I have seen you the Providence of your family, and I admire and revere too much not to endeavour to imitate.
This event, the most unlooked-for and rapid of my life, has been accelerated by my friends here, and by the more than romantic passion of the most amiable and ardent of human beings, so as to leave me in a state of agitation and flurry that prevented me writing on the subject to any human being but my family—and even to them so incoherently as to leave them more to guess at from inference than fact.
The business was, indeed, so
hurried, that it was all like a dream. The licence and ring have been
in the house these ten days—all the settlements made; yet I have been
battling off, from day to day, and hour to hour, and have only ten minutes back
procured a little breathing time. The fact is, the struggle is almost too great
for me—on one side engaged, be-
| 452 | LADY MORGAN'S MEMOIR. |
Lord and Lady
Abercorn will not part with Dr.
Morgan for a moment, as they suppose the whole family would die
if they did; so that, after my marriage, I should have no chance of seeing you
all before I went to Eugland, and I have, therefore, at last prevailed on
Morgan to permit me to go up for a week or two, while I am yet a free agent. When
I read that part of your letter where you say Tom and his wife were to live with you, I wept bitterly. Oh, if
it were my lot to live with those I love! but I am about to leave them all. I
write incoherently, for I am feeling strongly; don’t read this to
Livy, but just what is right and
politic to mention to any one. To give you any idea of the passion I have most
unwittingly inspired, would be vain; but if I had spirits, I could amuse you
not a little. Tell Livy to repeat to you some of his
eloquent nonsense which I wrote to her. Barring his wild, unfounded love for
me, the creature is perfection. The most manly, I had
almost said daring, tone of mind, united to more
goodness of heart and disposition, than I ever met with in a human being. Even
with this circle, where all is acquirement and accomplishment, it is confessed
that his versatility of talent is unrivalled. There is scarcely
| 453 |
| 454 | LADY MORGAN'S MEMOIR. |
A thousand loves to all the fire-side circle; but above all to Joe. I am quite shocked at the expense of my last letter; but as I saw you got all your letters at the Castle, I took it for granted they were free.
