University of Virginia Library

EDWARD MOLTON TO SARAH RAMSAY.

By the command of a woman, who loved Miss Ramsay;
and spoke of her, with deep affection, upon her
death-bed, as a good, and great, but mistaken woman, I
have been intluced to address her. Mrs. Grenville, within
one hour of her dissolution, extorted from me a promise
to put into your hands, the enclosed paper. It contains
some of her hair; a picture, I believe; and some letters.
What they are, I do not know; but, from the solicitude
that she manifested on the subject, I am led to believe,
that they were very dear to her, or to you. For that reason,
I have kept them a whole week, in the hope of finding
a private conveyance; and, were it not for one circumstance,
I would keep them, until I could deliver
them into your own hands. But, her command is peremptory;
and I cannot disguise that I have some unwillingness
to obtrude myself upon a woman, to whom
my very name is hateful. Mrs. Grenville has described
your character to me; so that I am persuaded, that it is
better for us not to meet, until your prejudices are somewhat
softened. I respect you, Miss Ramsay; and I
would do much to convince you of it; but I respect myself,
too much, to enter into a defence of my conduct, even
at the request of Juliet herself, before any human being
that knew her sentiments for me; and yet believed me to
be a villain.

Your knowledge of her character, Miss Ramsay, should
have taught you some indulgence; some charity, for
mine. We might have met. If we had, I do not doubt
but you would have suffered, for your precipitation and
rashness. But why address you in this manner. You
have cruelly and continually wronged a man, whom you

knew not; whom you had never seen, merely because,
like every other man's, his conduct was capable of a
wicked interpretation. I forgive you, nevertheless; and
if we should ever meet upon this earth, or another, I
shall be the first to repeat, again and again, that—I forgive
you.