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of the utmost exertions of your benevolence. Pardon me, dear Margaret, if you have for
these [deleted] misapplied comments. Perhaps they might not have occurred to me
had I not heard Mrs. Brown mention Mrs. Beckley as having been placed in an em-
barrassing situation [deleted[from[deleted] by a woman like the one you describe. She was young and
Mrs. B. says had an extremely interesting and innocent countenance, had lost
her husband with the yellow fever, was left in poverty and wished to support
herself by taking lodgers. Mrs. Beckley was so much pleased with her appearance
and manner that she determined to exert her endeavours to serve her, and in a
short time procured her several lodgers, who to Mrs. B.'s surprise and mortification
discovered her character to be infamous. Though finding one person worthless ought
not to lead us to suspect every other of being so, yet it teaches us that degree of prudence [deleted]
which is so essential to the existence of benevolence without which a virtue is degraded to
a weakness. I hope you will not take what I say ill, but just as a I mean it, and con-
tinue to tell me all your adventures. Washington I imagine will be the theatre for ad-
ventures, and you are formed to delight in them, and will you not let me [share?] [deleted]
your pleasure, yes, dear Margaret I know you will, you will take what I have
said in good [part?]; I am sure you would if you had seen me writing it.
All my leisure for four days has been devoted to you the employment has really
been a solace to me, during a time of solitude and extreme anxiety. Eliza has
been very ill with the pleurisy, and though out of danger is still confined to her
bed. I am sitting in her chamber, a watch before me, to remind me when to give her
medicine, thus I have written this letter, sometimes gone [?] three sentences, and
[often?] had to leave one [unfinished?] -- Wednesday will be two weeks since she was taken
ill, and except a small portion of two days, entirely confined to her bed. She has [?]
[evinced?] a greater degree of patience than could have been expected from one so unused to ill
health and confinement. She had some reluctance to have a blister applied
to her side, expecially when a second was thought necessary, but she bore the pain
with great fortitude, and made no objectioin to being bled twice. Not a murmur escapes
from her.... She takes her medicines though nauseous and [frequent?] without difficulty, dear girl.
I shall love her a great deal more for so well supporting Mrs. [?]. Since I have known her value
I have never apprehended that she might be taken from me, but now the anxiety I have
experienced seems to have endeared her ten times more to me. --

Margaret your letter was a very sweet one, I have read it many times. I love your
accommodating disposition, your ability to draw entertainment from every
circumstance that occurs, and at the same time to entertain and instruct
others. -- I [?] [?] [disposed?] I feel for writing a long, very long letter to you, but
I cannot indulge the wish I must do my duty, [Mama?] cannot remember the time
Eliza is to take her medicine, so she has it only from me, every half hour, and
beside that, I prepare all her nourishment, and you know not how much delight
I find in endeavouring to make it palatable, no favourite study ever gave one half
so much pleasure, Oh Margaret! indeed, I think I should make a good wife, though
you are of a different opinion. Aunt Barton says I make a very excellent [household?]

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