September 21.—
We have quickly shifted
the scene, my dear Cecilia, and are settled,
at least for the present, in very handsome
lodgings in St. Alban's-street. We
came to them last night, and my mother
seems a little less disturbed than she was.
I pray God spare her life, but I fear I
shall not long enjoy that blessing. She
is sadly altered since I last saw her; a
dropsical complaint is stealing on her fast,
her legs are swelled, and she has intirely
lost her appetite; yet if her mind were a
little more at ease, I should hope, that by
the assistance she can have here, she might
be enabled to hold out against this disorder
for a good while. I endeavour to
suppress my own grief, that I may not
increase her's.
